Think Bob Dylan Isn’t a Genius? Check Out These Covers of His Greatest Songs
Ease Into Dylan Through Some Famous Admirers
Bob Dylan is a god. I’m not saying he’s the musical god; I reserve that honor for an artist from the great state of New Jersey. But before you say even god with a small “g’ is too much for the man from Minnesota, consider the following facts, and I mean facts, not the opinions more common in musical discussions.
Dylan has won 12 Grammys, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Dove Award (that’s the Christian music Grammys; Ozzy ain’t getting one of those). He’s a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. He’s been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts, and the French Legion d’honneur. He’s sold a few records along the way, roughly 125 million during his career.
Oh, I almost forgot. In 2016 he also won a little trinket called the Nobel Prize for Literature. As a songwriter. Think about that for a while.
But that voice, some of you are saying. I get it; Eddie Vedder or Bono he’s not. Those two could sing a takeout menu and it would sound like an angelic choir. Dylan’s singing is an acquired taste, just like beer. Remember how much you hated beer the first time you drank it? You learned to love that, didn’t you? Bob deserves no less.
In the hope of persuading you to give the greatest of American troubadours another shot, I offer a compromise, a bridge back to him as it were. Almost since the moment he released his debut album other artists have been covering his songs. That’s not hyperbole; his original of “Blowin’ in the Wind” and Peter, Paul and Mary’s cover version were released the same month. Come meet Dylan through the artists who love him.
All the covers listed below are outstanding, and some have surpassed the original; in each case the artist put their own unique spin on the song. I’ll wager there are even a few you never knew were Dylan songs in the first place (know your history kids, musical and otherwise). I’ll just say that when your songs have been covered by everyone from Hendrix to Johnny Cash to Bruce to the Ramones, you are doing something right. So give them a listen, and then check out the original. It’s a win-win proposition.
(Note: I have also included two songs that are not Dylan covers because there’s no way to leave them off when talking about Bob and cover versions. The first is Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust,” an achingly beautiful song about her relationship with Dylan; it may be the best diss track ever written, long before that was a thing. The second is a cover version of her song, by none other than Judas Priest. Forget Kevin Bacon and play Six Degrees of Bob Dylan).
- “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Peter, Paul and Mary (1963). I actually like Sam Cooke’s version better (you can find it on YouTube) but this remains the definitive version, maybe even more than the original.
- “Mr. Tambourine Man,” The Byrds (1965). Would the Byrds have even had a career without Bob Dylan songs to cover? The University of Tulsa Institute for Bob Dylan Studies (you read that right) thinks maybe not, listing at least 10 Dylan songs the Byrds covered.
- “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” Guns N’ Roses (1990). One of the best covers of a Dylan song ever, and one that introduced a whole new generation to his music, unwittingly or not.
- “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall,” Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (1989). Recorded for the Born on the Fourth of July soundtrack, Brickell’s voice perfectly captures this song.
- “It Ain’t Me Babe,” Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash (1965). When the King of Country covers your song in his heyday, and as a duet with his wife no less.
- “My Back Pages,” The Ramones (1993). I hope Springsteen doesn’t choose this as the first article of mine to read, because with all due respect to him and everyone else on the list this is my favorite Dylan cover. Joey and the boys could be campy, with their own songs and covers as well, but that’s not the case here. They take a fine folk song and make it punk, in the very best sense of the word.
- “Tangled Up in Blue,” Indigo Girls (1995). Indigo Girls covering Dylan live. If you can’t get into that you need to take a hard look at your life.
- “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1992). A great cover (it’s Petty, duh), but even more it gave Tom’s live audiences an excuse to scream “everybody must get stoned.” Like they needed an excuse.
- “Maggie’s Farm,” Rage Against the Machine (2000). Two words: Tom Morello. That is all.
- “Chimes of Freedom,” Bruce Springsteen (1988). What, you thought I could do a playlist without any Bruce on it? Silly rabbit.
- “Masters of War,” Eddie Vedder (1992). The perfect voice matched with one of the greatest songwriters ever.
- “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” Tracy Chapman (1992). Chapman’s version is more faithful to the original than many others on this list, and yet she still puts her own stamp on it. No surprise there.
- “All Along the Watchtower,” Jimi Hendrix (1968). Of course I saved this one for last (of the actual covers, at least). Of all the songs on this list, this is the one that brings up Dylan’s name second when you search just the title. Jimi took this one and made it his forever.
- “Diamonds and Rust,” Joan Baez (1975). More than 45 years later this song still gives me chills, and still makes me sad that these two wandering minstrels couldn’t make it work. Just think how brilliant their kids would have been.
- “Diamonds and Rust,” Judas Priest (1977). For the record, Baez says she loved this cover. I do too.
