On their album Last Splash, the Breeders cover a song called “Invisible Man.” I’ve looked everywhere, but I can’t discover who wrote it. You’re my only hope–do you know who wrote the song?
The Last Splash CD is strangely lacking in songwriting credits, but according to BMI, which supervises the band’s publishing, the song’s sole author is Kim Deal, leader of the Breeders. Perhaps you’re thinking of “Drivin’ on 9,” the only cover on Last Splash, originally performed by the quirky folk-calypso band Ed’s Redeeming Qualities; Ed’s violinist Carrie Bradley has sometimes played with the Breeders. Other songs covered by the Breeders on disc include the Beatles’ “Happiness Is a Warm Gun,” the Who’s “So Sad About Us,” Hank Williams Sr.’s “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You),” Aerosmith’s “Lord of the Thighs,” and the theme from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
(Excerpted from the 2006 book Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton’s Little John?: Music’s Most Enduring Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed, published by Three Rivers Press, written by Gavin Edwards.)