Ever pursue a love interest only to find that he or she has been simultaneously pursuing you? Yeah, rarely do things work out so conveniently, but it can happen; and that's what Smokey Robinson chose to write about in his 1966 composition, "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game". It's a little pocket masterpiece, both lyrically and musically, and the spectrum of artists who have covered it is quite wide indeed. More quality than quantity. Enjoy.

A barely-known Canadian folk singer wrote this cautionary post-apocalyptic song (her first song) in 1962. In 1967 a somewhat obscure folk rocker rearranged it, wrote an additional verse and sneakily claimed co-authorship-an injustice that often goes unnoticed in the history books. Cruelly, most covers are based on this arrangement. The same year, the leader of a not-yet legendary band more radically rearranged it on his band's debut album, and added a key final line, but knew enough to claim no credit. This episode sorts out the song's meaning, its origins, its various paths and twists and turns and the many cover versions that range from folk to disco to industrial/goth.

Sorry for the long time between episodes, but in the interim, I became a father. Audrey Ruth was born Dec 15, and so I wanted to celebrate by featuring a song first made famous by another lovely Audrey. I skipped over many of the biggest versions of this song and went right for the most interesting (for the most part). Enjoy!

A cry-in-your-beer classic told with a healthy dose of irony, "She Thinks I Still Care" has been covered in a wide range of styles since its initial release in 1962, has gender-role-flipped a few times, but never fails to deliver a sentiment that most of us has felt at one time or another.

From Harry Nilsson's RCA debut LP, Pandemonium Shadow Show (1967), "Without Her" is a perfectly written, perfectly sung and perfectly arranged and produced (by Rick Jarrard) song that perfectly evokes the empty, lonely feeling in the wake of a breakup. Did I mention how perfect it is? Several of the cover versions you'll hear aren't too shabby either.

It's the TENTH episode of WTSCF, the first of the summer, and the first one to feature a song by Bob Dylan. And thus, it's by far the longest and most self-indulgent. But what amazing versions you'll be turned on to! Dylan is known for his verbose songs, and so I thought it only appropriate to make this a long-winded episode. I will not be offended if you listen to it in a couple/three installments. Enjoy!

A bit late to cash in on the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles arriving in the USA, but better late than never. "I Saw Her Standing There" is unquestionably a timeless classic pop-rocker, and unquestionably much more McCartney than Lennon. Lennon even chose to cover it at what would be his final big concert appearance. You can hear that version, and the story behind it, as well as many other versions and the stories behind those (by everyone from Bob Welch to Mary Wells to Daniel Johnson...) Enjoy!

A folk song written by an Englishman for a play about his home town, but which has become most popular in the hands of a couple of Irish acts. Yet all the featured versions from the last decade have been by Americans. This underscores the song's timeless, universal appeal, especially at the end of winter as many of us look out the window at our own dirty old towns.

Not the most impressive song in the Leiber and Stoller oeuvre, but one that an impressive and amusing bunch of artists has covered.

A teenage Jackson Browne wrote this world-weary classic (some know it as a Nico song; some know it as a Gregg Allman song...) while living in sunny southern California. Since then, it has been covered in a variety of styles, undergone some drastic changes, and seems to have returned to its owner in a matured, but similar state as it was in when he first gave it to the world. Browne can now sing his jaded words with some wisdom instead of teen angst. We'll hear several treatments of the song from 1967 to now.