Hey Peggy, welcome back.
It would be a good problem to have but probably would not happen enough to be concerned with. I can think of two instances in the past fifty years. Other than that it might be a situation where one artist recorded something, then it became a STANDARD, and done over and over again. Something like WIND BENEATH MY WINGS, and of course YESTERDAY have been recorded sometimes hundreds of times. McCartney's YESTERDAY is the most recorded song ever with over 600 versions of it.
The "songs released in different genres' at the same time, have happened, but not often. Usually it is the result of different marketing. In the early 1990's a song called "BLACK VELVET" was a number one rock hit on a Canadian artist, ALANNYA MILES. IT was a big hit, and almost at the same time, another version on an artist named ROBIN LEE was released in America. The record company of the first hit, ATLANTIC was not really happy about that, and there was a legal fight. But both songs did pretty well and are still heard on classic radio. The Alannya Miles version was more pop and the Robin Lee version was more country. Different record companies will also have different ideas, particularly in different countries. Some think it expands a song's viability, but others will tell you it shortens both of them. I tend to fall into that category. Here's a break down on that one:
In America, in 1997, there was a song called "HOW DO I LIVE WITHOUT YOU" written by Dianne Warren, got into another odd situation. IT was recorded by LEANNE RHYMES to be included in the Nicholas Cage Movie CON AIR. After it was recorded, Touchstone pictures (Disney) decided she sounded too young to really inhabit the song, and had another version done by TRISHA YEARWOOD. Trisha's version was on the movie soundtrack, and Leanne's was the hit single. Both did very well. But in the minds of some, again cancelled each other out.
I don't know of anyone that would do that in this day and age, at least not at the same time. There are too many people involved, different publishers, record labels, promotional people, etc. involved. And of course, now in the INTERNET age, if you get one cut on a song you are doing amazingly well.
You might do a GOOGLE search, go to YOU TUBE, and type in "MULITPLE VERSIONS OF POPULAR SONGS." It will probably give you a lot of examples over the years. And then you can pull up wikapedia or other resources and find out about each song.
Our landscape is far different now. Where once you could have "STANDARDS" where one person would record a popular song and then dozens of versions of that song would come out. In the 50's and 60's, you might have DEAN MARTIN sing "EVERYBODY LOVES SOMEBODY SOMETIME", and then all his buddies, Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. Tony Bennett, etc. would all record the same thing. Was cool and songwriters would benefit vastly.
That changed so much with the Internet and the plummenting value of songs. Now singers are more likely to feel like "I'VE RECORDED THAT, NO ONE ELSE CAN NOW!!" or "So and so has recorded it so I don't want to do it!" It's a different era and everyone wants their own PROPRIETARY STAMP on a song. Some songs do go on to be performed a lot, usually becoming KARAOKE STANDARDS, but you just don't find that many major artists that record multiple versions of a song, particularly at the same time.
There are always "TRIBUTE" versions, like the 1994 "COMMON THREAD, the songs of the EAGLES" done by multiple artists, which played a part in bringing the Eagles back together. I am waiting to see the BIG TOM PETTY tribute that is going to no doubt be out soon.
But there is NOTHING wrong with having songs recorded in multiple versions. I have done that quite a few times. Sometimes if you do it one way and it doesn't work, you might try it in another version. Here's an example:
Frank Myers and Gary Baker wrote a song called "I SWEAR" back in the mid 80's. They intended it for a pop version, and had a very jazzy, piano vocal form on the demo. They pitched for years and got no where on it. After four or five years and hundreds of pitches, getting nothing. They even forgot about the song. About 7 years later, they were reviewing their song catelog and someone found an old cassette copy of the song they had completely forgotten about.
They went back and re-recorded the song country, and almost immediately got it recorded by country singer JOHN MICHEAL MONTGOMERY, and then it went to number one.
Almost at the same time, a pop vocal "boy band" named "ALL 4 ONE" recorded the same song and it became a HUGE worldwide HIT in the pop category. The same way they had origionally intended it to be recorded. here's the story of that one:
So all in all, yes it has happened. It could again, but I would find it very doubtful. You have to remember these were all over 20 years ago. A lot has changed since then. But you just never know.
Good to hear from you Peggy.
MAB
