The WH 1947 is a bit weird because the top of the coin pocket has a lock stitch, while the standard 1001xx has a selvedge which probably explains their difference in puckering. The new Denime 1947 also appears to be a lockstitch at the top of the coin pocket, but I can't quite tell from stock photos. I think that for a given denim though, lightning fades might be more pronounced when the coin pocket denim shrinks in the direction perpendicular to the shrinkage in the underlying denim as this would place the coin pocket denim under the most stress.
To your original point though, I think that you are right and that certain denims will show this effect more than others depending on yarn choice, weave tension, etc.