The master at reworking classics!
Starting out in the late 60s, Candi Staton has released a remarkable 30 studio albums since.
Few singles charted high, but many of her songs/versions have become classics as she’s known for reworking tunes as well as having them written directly for her.
The first notable single is her awesome version of country classic Stand By Your Man which in 1971 was reworked into a funky soul version, complete with lush strings. It’s truly amazing how much more modern it sounds compared to the original which was only released three years earlier!
There’s another famous, less serious version of Stand By Your Man and that’s when Blues Brothers play a country and Western bar. To me, Candi’s version is the clear winner out of the three.
Anyway, as this clearly worked, two years later she tried Elvis‘s smash hit In The Ghetto, which he had released in 1969, it’s not as good but did reasonably well.
It would take until 1976 before Candi got her first #1, which was her signature song Young Hearts Run Free. This tune was not just written for her, but actually about her, as songwriter David Crawford took notes about what Candi was saying to him over lunch.
The next chart success was Nights On Broadway, a Bee Gees tune Candi reworked in 1977. It was only a couple of years old when she released it. Another famous example of this tactic is The Best, which Tina Turner released just a year after Bonny Tyler, but let’s stay on track!
In 1982, Candi tried another Elvis classic, this time Suspicious Minds which was written by Mark James (Hooked On A Feeling, Always On My Mind). Elvis’s version was released in 1969 so this time, she didn’t pick it up straight away.
Candi’s final big single came in 1986 with You Got The Love which was, just like Young Hearts, written for her, this time by U.K. songwriting team The Source. Ironically, Florence + The Machine covered it in 2009 and made a career out of it, just like Candi had with her covers, if that’s not karma, I don’t know what is!
Candi Staton Tunes | Related Pages
In The Ghetto
You can learn how to play In The Ghetto by Elvis Presley using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, TAB, and the original recording.
| Bb Bbsus4 | Bb Bbsus4 Bb |
As the snow flies…
Suspicious Minds
You can learn how to play Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, TAB, and the original recording.
| G (C/G) | G (C/G) | C (F/C) | C (F/C) |
We’re caught in a trap, I can’t walk out…
You’ve Got The Love
You can learn how to play You’ve Got The Love by Florence + the Machine using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
| G#m | F# |
Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air…
Young Hearts Run Free
You can learn how to play Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Staton using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
| Fmaj7 F6 | Fmaj7 F6 |
What’s the sense in sharing, this one and only life…
Candi Staton on the web
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About me | Dan Lundholm
This was an article about Candi Staton tunes, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and learn guitar with Spytunes.
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