Cover Culture : Aswad / Tina Turner – Don’t Turn Around
COVER VERSION VS ORIGINAL SONG
Since the early 1960s and even prior, numerous iconic Jamaican hits were derived from popular foreign songs. The original pop and soul tracks were frequently embraced by audiences on the island, leading reggae artists to create their own renditions. Some of these artists gained fame by covering chart-topping songs, turning these adaptations into timeless classics.
For instance, American artist Bill Withers recorded the Grammy-winning song Ain’t No Sunshine, which Horace Andy later adapted, while Dennis Brown’s rendition of Black Magic Woman originally came from Fleetwood Mac. These two examples represent just a small fraction of the many covers that have emerged over the past sixty-five years.
Since the advent of these adaptations, both Jamaican and international reggae musicians have persistently reimagined pop and soul hits, continuing this tradition into the present. You’re welcome to listen to both the original and the cover versions to determine which one resonates with you the most.
ASWAD
West London’s reggae group Aswad, recognized for infusing their music with prominent R&B and soul elements, took inspiration from Luther Ingram’s 1987 rendition of Don’t Turn Around and unveiled their version in 1988. This 7″ single marked the first release from their eleventh album, Distant Thunder. Don’t Turn Around climbed to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1988. The 12″ edition featured Drummie Zeb incorporating a verse from the Righteous Brothers’ 1964 hit You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’, given the similar chord progressions. Additionally, the song shares musical similarities with elements of Erma Franklin’s 1967 single Piece Of My Heart.
TINA TURNER
Written by Albert Louis Hammond and Diane Eve Warren, the rock ballad Don’t Turn Around was first recorded by American singer-songwriter Anna Mae Bullock, widely known as Tina Turner, and served as the B-side to her 1986 hit single Typical Male. It later appeared on Turner’s 1994 compilation album The Collected Recordings: Sixties to Nineties. Although the song did not achieve chart success for Tina Turner, it has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by Luther Ingram in 1987, and then Aswad in 1988, Bonnie Tyler in 1988, Eyes in 1990, Neil Diamond in 1991, Ace of Base in 1993, and Albert Hammond in 2010. Don’t Turn Around was featured in the Tina musical, which premiered in 2018.
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