First, I need to apologize to any Bob Dylan fans out there. I know he’s amazing, and a genius, and his songwriting prowess is rarely surpassed. However, I’ve discovered that I only seem to like his songs when other people cover them. When their superior voices sing his superior lyrics, it feels like we finally get to meet those superior melodies.
For instance, when singer/songwriter Adam Simons lends his beautiful and aching voice to “Tomorrow is a Long Time” on his new album “Songbook”, it allows Dylan’s creative brilliance to beam like the sun.
Simons covers The Rolling Stones (Dead Flowers), The Grateful Dead (Friend of the Devil), Van Morrison (Into the Mystic), among other legendary heavy hitters. His rendition of Neil Young’s “Unknown Legend” is so – sad – and gorgeous that I can’t even listen to it with my eyes open.
I know some people are not crazy about cover songs; they object on principle. I get that. I can respect that kind of devotion to a beloved artist or group. I generally find covers entertaining at the very least and occasionally, at best, life altering.
You might think I’m exaggerating, but it’s the truth. The first time I heard “When You Say Nothing At All”, Alison Krauss’ version of Keith Whitley’s song, not only did it instantly convert me into a life-long Country, Bluegrass, and Americana fan, but it placed Krauss in my “#1 Favorite Artist of All Time” spot where she has remained for 30 years.
A couple years ago I was watching a Netflix documentary about Ella Fitzgerald called “Ella: It’s Just One of Those Things”. In it they played a clip from her 1960 Berlin performance of “Mack the Knife”, which was completely improvised, completely incredible, and left me completely speechless. She won a Grammy for that performance, and it is obvious why. Do yourself a favor and Google it…if it doesn’t leave you a changed being, you may want to check your pulse.
Sometimes, comparing covers with originals is just – interesting – apples and oranges. Take “Hound Dog”. I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that Elvis’ rendition is a universally loved classic, but have you ever heard Big Mama Thornton’s original? Well, I don’t want to be bossy, however, you might want to check it out.
This by no means exhausts my thoughts on cover songs, but I’ll leave it there for now. What are some of your favorites?
I heard/watched one I loved last night…https://youtu.be/MarQVlEAmBA?si=__98Ge30uUmkdNzt
if that link doesn’t work, it was on YouTube… Elephant Revival’s rendition of Jefferson Airplane’s “white rabbit” at red rocks amphitheater
That was awesome, thanks for sharing! Molly Tuttle also does a really great version of that…I think the video I saw of her was at the Newport Jazz/Folk folk festival a while back.