Although the lockdown is slowly easing up in many parts of the world, we’re still not at the stage where we can all jump around and frolic in the wild. So how will you spend the last months and weeks of the quarantine?
Time for some trivia, kids.
Today, we’re going to find out which song is the most recorded song of all time. We’ve previously covered the 5 Most Covered Songs of All Time — so check that out if you haven’t already.
But the most recorded song of all time? Now, that’s a bit more tricky…
Is It ‘Yesterday’ by the Beatles?
We already mentioned this one in the article above, so it wouldn’t be very exciting if ‘Yesterday’ was the answer, would it? Sorry for the early spoilers.
Paul McCartney is the main man behind ‘Yesterday,’ which was originally called ‘Scrambled Eggs’ until Paul decided it would unnecessarily ostracize fans of fried and poached eggs.
There are over 4,000 recorded versions of the song, and it’s been interpreted by everyone from Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley to Placido Domingo and Daffy Duck.
But is it the most recorded song of all time? John Newton says “hold my hymn sheet.”
Could It Be ‘Amazing Grace’ by John Newton?
John Newton penned this smash-hit back in 1779 before that term even existed. Since then, it’s been sung in churches of all denominations around the world.
The secret? First of all, he doesn’t even mention Jesus in the lyrics, just God. Already doubled his potential market right there. Second, he keeps it way positive with no mentions of Hell.
With over 6,600 different recorded versions, ‘Amazing Grace’ has been hailed as the most recorded song on the planet by a Nashville music executive by the name of Jerry Bailey.
The problem? Jerry said that in 2010, and this ain’t 2010 no mo’.
Then What Is It? Don’t Say It’s an Ed Sheeran Song!
It’s not an Ed Sheeran song. Has anyone outside of YouTube actually covered an Ed Sheeran song? Maybe the music industry has secretly decided that the world doesn’t need more Ed Sheeran than absolutely necessary, which would explain the lack of covers.
No, the most recorded song of all time is, in fact, ‘Summertime’ by George Gershwin.
Forget the 4,000 versions of ’Yesterday’ and 6,600 recordings of ’Amazing Grace’ — ‘Summertime’ has been recorded no less than 67,591 times by the likes of Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, and Sam Cooke.
To the Recording Booth!
So there, now you know the most recorded song of all time. Time to hit the recording booth and put your own spin on the record. Let’s keep this in the number one spot, people.
