999,878: The Valentinos—It's All Over Now; 999,877: The Rolling Stones—It's All Over Now; 999,876: Bobby Womack with Bill Withers—It's All Over Now

Groomed by their strict father, five brothers from a depressed neighborhood in a midwestern industrial city formed a singing group. Unlike Joe Jackson, though, Friendly Womack, Sr. could not countenance his children turning away from their gospel roots to embrace the devil's music. And unlike the Jackson 5, the Womacks didn't exactly tear up the charts their first few times out.

After their discovery by Sam Cooke, the Womack Brothers released a couple of low-selling gospel numbers under their own names (in deference to dad) before re-anointing themselves The Valentinos and recording straight-up R&B. With their fourth single—written by lead singer Bobby and, uh, one of his brother's wives—The Valentinos dragged a lot of familiar blues tropes ("baby used to stay out all night long/she made me cry, she done me wrong") over a strummy, almost ludicrously upbeat tune whose instruments included a glockenspiel. It's such a sunny tune because, unlike most of the bluesmen who came before, when Bobby's woman took him for the same old clown, he had the good sense to quit her. "I used to love her/but it's all over now" is a victory cry, not a lament.

It only made it to #94 on the pop charts, though...until the Stones happened to hear it passing through the US on tour. Over Womack's initial protests, Jagger and company entered the studio nine days later, retooled the intro, increased the tempo, and bought a brand new money-powered furnace to await the dough from their first UK #1. Womack allegedly invited the Stones to cover any song they wanted after seeing the first royalty check; their definitive treatment turned "It's All Over Now" into a rock standard covered by dozens of artists.

But it wasn't actually quite over. A decade later, Womack took another crack at it, and if you told me he did it specifically to try and out-rock the Rolling Stones, I wouldn't doubt you after hearing the first ten seconds. Kicking off with a driving beat and a multiple-guitar attack that's more Allman Brothers than Womack Brothers, Bobby throws out the first two verses entirely, instead diving into a lengthened chorus and trading exuberant, howling "I used to love her"s with Bill Withers. "Still Bill" is a guy you'd normally bring along to smooth things up, but egged on by Womack, Withers practically turns shouter, singing a new verse about, well, stalking the unfaithful woman as she went around cheating, which leads into a blistering guitar solo that might have been lifted from "Free Bird". For all those efforts, the new single didn't make the pop charts at all, but man. Turn up the volume and listen to this damn thing. Then get ready to redo the paint that peeled off your living room walls.