S.O.D. "Good Lovin'" by The Young Rascals
9/18/2015 Two versions of the song were recorded before The Young Rascals' with neither doing well. It is perhaps the best example ever of a cover version surpassing the original with no change in the musical arrangement. Released in 1966 under the genres of rhythm and blues and blue-eyed soul, it rose to the top of the charts in just a couple months even though the band thought that the recording didn't hold up very well.
Rolling Stone ranked it at #325 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and it is also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Music critic, author and committee member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, David Marsh, ranked it at #108 in his book: The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. It was the theme song for the 1989 television series "Doctor Doctor," and appeared in the 1983 film "The Big Chill" as well as other places in social media. The music and lyrics are by Rudy Clark and Arthur Resnick, both American songwriters.
The Young Rascals later becoming The Rascals, originated in Garfield, New Jersey in 1965 and dispersed in 1972. They reunited for a short time in 1988 and then again from 2012- 2013. They had 9 hit singles at the start of their career including this tune, "Groovin'" and "People Got to Be Free". In 1997 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2010.