The next two songs to become number one hits for more than one artist are both 80s covers of 60s hits. I guess there was something intriguing about hearing a new era’s production techniques applied to the music of the previous generation.
The first 80s song to accomplish the feat was Kim Wilde’s 1986 cover of The Supremes’ ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On,’ released 20 years earlier. The song was Wilde’s first and only #1 hit in the United States, while it was The Supreme’s eighth #1 in just two years.
Thirteen years ago, back on Song of the Day #387, I featured The Supremes’ version of this song as part of my Motown Weekends. At the time, I mentioned that Wilde also took the song to #1 and wrote “I wonder how many songs share that distinction.” Glad I finally got around to answering my own question.
‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ has been covered many times, but one other version made it to the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. Psychedelic rock band Vanilla Fudge recorded a nearly 7-minute rendition of the song in 1967, a year after The Supremes’ hit, and saw a condensed radio edit chart at #6.
Keep me hanging on
Set me free, why don’t you, babe?
Get out my life, why don’t you, babe?
‘Cause you don’t really love me
You just keep me hanging on
[Chorus]
Set me free why don’t you, babe?
Get out my life why don’t you, babe? (Ooh-woo, ooh)
‘Cause you don’t really need me
But you keep me hanging on
[Verse 1]
Why do you keep on coming around?
Playing with my heart
Why don’t you get out of my life
And let me make a brand new start?
Let me get over you
The way you’ve gotten over me, yeah
[Chorus]
Set me free, why don’t you, babe?
Get out my life, why don’t you, babe? (Ooh-woo, ooh)
‘Cause you don’t really love me
You just keep me hanging on
No, you don’t really need me
You just keep me hanging on
[Verse 2]
You say although we broke up
You still just wanna be friends
But how can we still be friends
When seeing you only breaks my heart again?
(And there ain’t nothing I can do about it)
[Bridge]
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Yeah, yeah
[Chorus]
Get out, get out of my life
And let me sleep at night
‘Cause you don’t really love me
You just keep me (Hanging on) hanging on
[Verse 3]
You say you still care for me
But your heart and soul needs to be free
And now that you’ve got your freedom
You wanna still hold on to me
You don’t want me for yourself
So let me find somebody else
[Chorus]
Set me free why don’t you, babe?
Get out my life why don’t you, babe? (Ooh-woo, ooh)
‘Cause you don’t really love me
You just keep me hanging on
Why don’t you be a man about it
And set me free? (Ooh-woo, ooh)
Now you don’t care a thing about me
You’re just using me, hey, abusing me
Get out, get out of my life
And let me sleep at night (Ooh-woo, ooh)
‘Cause you don’t really love me
You just keep me hanging on (Ooh-woo, ooh)
Meet Me In Montauk 
I’m not a big fan of the 80s version of this classic song.
And there ain’t nothin’ I can do about it.