tears of a clown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjnYRD2vm8E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmPc4MnFcC8

bryan ferry option?

haven't heard it (not on youtube) but have trouble believing it's better than both of these

prove me wrong

ah fuck, it's tracks of my tears..failed

Carmel for the win

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng7_jgVVjsw

i would have liked for an eno-era roxy cover of the song to have existed ... maybe like a dirge version w a big climax, a la "in every dream home"

come come now Mr Bond

Smokey pretty much unbeatable on this one.

The English Beat had some great songs--their cover's good, wouldn't count it as one of them. Not close.

Smokey is Mayweather to EB's McGregor

too harsh that but yeah Smokey

Love Ranking Roger, I even love the name Ranking Roger, but Smokey wins obviously. If some called the Beat, the English Beat, to my face I'd probably punch them.

I don't dislike the Beat cover, but Smokey takes this, no contest.

I'm still irritated that Smokey's Being With You failed to crack the top 200 ILM RB/Soul 80s songs. That was just stupid. ILM has always underrated Smokey. Obviously his original cannot be topped.

looks like the beat is going to get soundly beat

i'm having trouble deciding tho, and i don't even really like second wave ska!

I love second-wave ska to death but this is Smokey and it's not even close

I seriously adore the Beat's look at this, it's creative & interesting & and the sax riff in the chorus is A+++ and yes this is still Smokey in a walk.

I love the Beat's version and many of their covers (e.g. the Doc Pomus one on this same album) but Smokey wins.

nobody is going to rep for the beat?!?

is there not a single contrarian left?

They're all tied up in other threads

Turrican to thread

i probably heard the English Beat version first and loved it. but the Smokey version is one of the best songs of the decade.

with all due respect to Bryan Ferry too.

poll of smokey covers of the era might be more of a contest. japan's i second that emotion also strong.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Voted for Smokey but like the Beat version a lot as well.

even beyond Smokey's butter vocals, you just can't beat the Funk Brothers

I had no idea that:

1) This song was first released as an album track in 1967 before getting re-released as a single in the UK in 1970 when they were desperate for new Smokey Robinson; after it became a hit it was released as a single in the US as well where it did predictably well.

2) The music was mostly written and by Stevie Wonder, with an assist from Funk Bro Hank Cosby. Smokey finished it with lyrics he had lying around from a few years earlier.

Yeah, that's right... Stevie Wonder is godlike, but the track getting handed over to Smokey to contribute was the best possible thing for it. Also, I can't imagine Stevie's voice on it for some reason.