"Somethin' Else" is a song by the

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

musician

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran ( ; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. His songs, such as " Twenty Flight Rock", " Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire in ...

, co-written by his girlfriend

Sharon Sheeley Sharon Kathleen Sheeley (April 4, 1940 – May 17, 2002) was an American songwriter who wrote songs for Glen Campbell, Ricky Nelson, Brenda Lee, and Eddie Cochran. Biography Sheeley attended Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, an ...

and his elder brother Bob Cochran, and released in 1959. It has been covered by a wide range of artists, including

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and Pop music, pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France. During a career ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

, and the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

Original version

Bob Cochran, Eddie's brother, and

share the song writing credit along with Eddie. The first-person lyrics describe how the singer wants a

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a Car, passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary across eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air drivin ...

car he cannot afford, and a girl who he fears will not go out with him. But in the end, by saving money, he is able to buy an older car (a 1941 Ford), and works up the confidence to ask the girl out. Musicians on the session were: Vocals/Guitar: Eddie Cochran, Drums: Gene Reggio, Electric Bass: Don Myers. The song peaked at No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart, and reached No. 58 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the U.S.

Renditions

French singer

recorded a version titled "Elle est terrible". A live version, recorded at the Olympia Hall in Paris, was first released in 1962 and spent one week at the top position on the singles sales chart in France (from December 15 to 21). In Wallonia (French Belgium), it spent 28 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 4. It was a part of

The Move The Move were a British Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1965. They scored nine Top 40, top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any real success in the United States. For most of ...

's repertoire in the late sixties, featuring on the EP ''

Something Else from The Move ''Something Else from the Move'' is a five-track live EP by the English pop band the Move, released on 21 June 1968 through Regal Zonophone. The Move established themselves with a series of singles that reached the top-five in the UK singles cha ...

'' recorded in London's

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue in London, England, that opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. It was a small and relatively cheap club, in the heart of London's West End of London, West End. It was the location of the first ...

in 1968. The

recorded a version of "Something Else" for the album ''

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'', also known as ''The Great Rock and Roll Swindle'', is a 1980 British mockumentary film directed by Julien Temple and produced by Don Boyd and Jeremy Thomas. It centres on the British punk rock band Sex P ...

'' (1979). The

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

d single was credited to "Sex Pistols: vocals

Sid Vicious Simon John Ritchie (10 May 1957 – 2 February 1979), better known by his stage name Sid Vicious, was an English musician, best known as the second bassist for the punk rock band Sex Pistols. After his death in 1979 at the age of 21, he remai ...

" and was released three weeks after Vicious died. It peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. The second side of the single was " Friggin' in the Riggin'", also credited to "Sex Pistols: vocals Steve Jones". Canadian band Teenage Head recorded a version of "Somethin' Else" for their 1980 album ''

Frantic City ''Frantic City'' is the second studio album by Teenage Head. It was released in 1980. The album was certified Platinum in Canada in 1983. Track listing Personnel ;Teenage Head *Frankie Venom (Kerr) - vocals *Gordon Lewis - guitar *Steve ...

''. English hard rock band

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...

covered the song for their 1982 album ''

Mechanix "Mechanix" is a song by the American thrash metal band Megadeth. It is the eighth and final track from their debut studio album, '' Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!'', released in 1985 under Combat Records. "Mechanix" has been fea ...

''.

recorded a version during a 1969 BBC session which was released in 1997 as '' BBC Sessions''.

References

{{Authority control 1959 singles 1979 singles Eddie Cochran songs Johnny Hallyday songs Sex Pistols songs Songs written by Sharon Sheeley Liberty Records singles Virgin Records singles 1959 songs