Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child (wally creek)

tsk wrote

"Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" and "Motherless Child", sometimes "Motherless Children", are two distinct songs.

We are aware there are different songs in question here, and probably more than just two.

We use what the artist uses for a title. You will agree that even modern songs with registered titles can be called by something other than what the writer or original artist had as a title. What is generally referred to as "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" is only named by convention, i.e. the opening line of the song.

I notice the database does not have a separate listing for "Motherless Child"

That's possibly because no editor has researched its original. Also, if there is insufficient information or reasonable doubt to establish an original (or a "traditional" designation), then no covers can be added. This is a problem for us with quite a few songs.

As for "missing" songs, realize that this site is not and will never be complete. How would that be possible? Still, an original song and its covers may be absent from the database now but could be included in the future.

Since I have not heard the versions listed as "Motherless Child", I don't know if they are really "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" recorded under the wrong name or are, in fact, the different song "Motherless Child".

A major reason for this site is to present accurate information rather than rumor. We actually research these songs rather than just copy lists of covers. Many covers are confirmed by recordings or sound clips. We can't provide those on this site due to storage limitations and copyright problems.

I suspect that there is a reasonable possibility that two different songs are listed in this chain.

I don't think so in this case; I am confident that the editors involved are correct here. Still, errors are always possible.

Rather than making a blanket statement about "something" being possibly wrong, I suggest you check out the songs you may question for sound clips on Allmusic, Last.fm and any other such sites. If you find there is an incorrect listing, report it in this forum board addressed to the editor who entered that specific song/cover, as per usual practice.

tsk: You requested a reply from me on this thread... is wally's answer sufficient?

wally: I suppose you could add the publication date?

Thanks for the additional information. (Bastien, Wally's reply is sufficient.)

Wasn't trying to be unduly critical, I was just trying to understand how things were being categorized. If I had evidence of a specific inaccuracy in mind - rather than informed suspicion - I would have posted that in the Errors/Corrections forum.

To the extent the editors can listen to posted the posted original and the presumed cover, this would certainly be the best method for determining if one song is a cover of another. All Additions to Database submissions I have made are from recordings in my collection so I can play the "cover", but I can't be sure in all instances that the track I own is really a "cover" of what SHS is saying is the original. When I saw the "Motherless Child" listing, this problem was exacerbated because covers were listed as being recorded under a name that is the name of a distinct song.

You can't even always safely used the authorship credits to distinquish between songs. To take one example, there are two distinct songs recorded as "Stormy Monday" or a variant thereof. One song is by T-Bone Walker and one is by Billy Eckstine, Earl Hines and Bob Crowder. I have versions of the Walker song which are ascribed on the CD or LP as being written by Eckstine/Hines/Crowder. (I don't think that vice-versa is true for this song.)

My comments were made in the interests of attempting to ensure accuracy.

Go ahead and keep asking those questions!

We've come a long way in the last couple of years and methods have changed or been made more specific. We need some catching up to do to explain how/why we do certain things. And changes continue to be made , editorial points are still being discussed.

Bastien, the date has been added to the appropriate field.

Conversion from forum topic to error report