I tend to assume that any song by a band considered "classic" by my generation (Ramones, The Clash, etc.) is the original version of the song. I mean, it was the 70s. Music was still fresh and new, everything hadn’t been done yet, so there was no reason to be covering anyone else’s songs, right?

Observing my dad digging around on YouTube the other day, I made the startling discovery that "Indian Giver" was not originally by the Ramones. I’m not sure who was more unsettled by this - me, because it meant that one of my favorite Ramones tunes was a cover, or my dad, because he remembered the original and that made him realize just how many years it’s been since it came out. 

The original version of "Indian Giver" was released in the 1960s by a band called The 1910 Fruitgum Company. They also had hits with "Simon Says" (which is the first song in the clip below) and "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy" (which my generation remembers mostly from food commercials). "Indian Giver" starts at about 1:20.

I was surprised to find out that the Ramones credited The 1910 Fruitgum Company as being a fundamental influence on their music. When you think about it, though, the line between bubblegum pop and punk rock is very thin - both rely on hooks and catchy, singable choruses to draw the listener in. It’s just a matter of having a keyboard/organ or not, and even that’s up for debate.

Joey’s voice will always hold a special place in my heart, but I have to say, I’m really digging the original.

I never knew YouTube could be so educational in regards to music history. I’m a little loathe to peruse it in depth, though, for fear of running into any more revelations of the surprise-you-thought-it-was-an-original-but-it’s-really-a-cover nature.

I mean, what’s next? Are you going to try and tell me The Clash didn’t really do "I Fought The Law And The Law Won"? Yeah, right.

. . .

Oh. Sonny Curtis and The Crickets? Really? Bummer.