Song List

It’s no exaggeration to say that there are literally thousands of Bob Dylan covers that have been recorded by countless artists in almost every genre imaginable – country, gospel, jazz, folk, rock, soul, etc. Some of these interpretations, such as Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower” and the Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man” have even become the definitive (or at least the more popular) versions. As a fairly rabid Dylan fan I’ve sought out many of these covers and I’ve come to the conclusion that my favorites are the ones that tackle some of the lesser known songs from his canon. Rarely do they live up the original recordings, but that’s really not the point. Each of these covers still adds a twist to the song and infuses it with a different personality that makes for a refreshing listen.

What are some of your favorite Dylan covers? Create a Top 5 Dylan Covers list here.

“Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)”

Willie Nelson with Calexico

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The soundtrack to Todd Haynes’ amazing, impressionistic quasi-biopic about Dylan, I’m Not There, has a beguiling mix of artists covering a range of Dylan songs. I can recommend almost all of this album, with highlights being Eddie Vedder’s “All Along the Watchtower,” Stephen Malkmus’ “The Ballad of a Thin Man,” John Doe’s “Pressing On,” and my favorite, a collaboration between Willie Nelson and Calexico on “Senor (Tales of Yankee Power).” Taken from Dylan’s 1978 album Street Legal, Calexico infuses the song with their trademark Southwestern windswept desert vibe. Add to that one of Willie’s trademark Spanish guitar solos and a Spanish-sung interlude and you have a cover that adds a whole new dimension to the original recording.

“Oh Sister”

Andrew Bird

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Dylan’s 1976 album Desire featured some amazing violin work by Scarlet Rivera so it’s no surprise that violin wunderkind Andrew Bird would tackle a song from this LP. On his rendition of “Oh Sister” Bird delivers a fairly straightforward vocal interpretation, but he adorns the accompaniment with some nice plucked, bowed and looped violins, his trademark other-worldly whistling, and pleasing harmonies by Nora O’Connor in the role of Emmylou Harris, who famously collaborated with Dylan on the original.

“This Wheel’s On Fire”

Siouxsie & the Banshees

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One of the more unusual (and inspired) Dylan covers found post-punk Goth queen Siouxsie & her Banshees taking on “This Wheel’s On Fire” from The Basement Tapes. This version has a typically shiny late 1980’s vibe (especially in the production), but Siouxsie’s sinister reading and the Banshee’s dark instrumentation gives it a refreshing modern twist. Released as a single from the band’s 1987 all covers collection, Through the Looking Glass, “This Wheel’s On Fire” reached number fourteen on the UK chart.

“Cold Irons Bound”

Tom Verlaine

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Perhaps one of the greatest Dylan songs of the past twenty years or so, “Cold Irons Bound” is a devastating portrait of love gone wrong. Tom Verlaine, of Television fame, takes its bleakness to new heights, oozing with atmosphere and despair courtesy of some tremelo-soaked sinewy guitar runs, sparse percussion thuds, and a detached vocal turn that’s vintage Verlaine. Boosting the performance is an all-star backing band that includes Sonic Youth members Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, Dylan bassist Tony Garnier, guitarist Smokey Hormel and keyboardist John Medeski.

“The Ballad of Hollis Brown”

Nina Simone

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More than any other jazz singer (although I use that term loosely), Nina Simone was brilliant at emoting passion, anger and defiance, especially when referring to the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement. She wrings out every ounce of intensity in her 1965 version of “The Ballad of Hollis Brown,” turning the song about a murder/suicide of a desperate South Dakota farmer, his wife and five children, into a scathing indictment about poverty. Accompanied solely by a furiously strummed acoustic guitar, Simone increases the intensity throughout the song’s 11 verses until the haunting final verse: “There’s seven people dead on a South Dakota farm. There’s seven people dead on a South Dakota farm. Somewhere in the distance there’s seven new people born.”

“Idiot Wind”

The Coal Porters

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“Idiot Wind,” one of the world’s most scathing songs of love gone bad, is given a bluegrass treatment by Sid Griffin’s Coal Porters. The piss and vinegar is tempered in this version, with the band instead focusing on the rollicking banjo, fiddle and soaring harmonies characteristic of the genre. Granted, a lot of the meaning is stripped by this approach, but it successfully gets to the core of the song, something that’s hard to do with the original given the nastiness of Dylan’s verbal attack. Because I’ve listened to Dylan so much, sometimes I forget to listen to the structure of the song and covers like this one help me rediscover songs I thought I already knew.

“Every Grain of Sand”

Emmylou Harris

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For my money, “Every Grain of Sand” is one of Dylan’s most beautiful songs. Taken from Shot of Love, part of Dylan’s much maligned “Christian phase,” “Every Grain of Sand” is a lyrical triumph, often compared to the work of William Blake because of its spiritual references and Biblical imagery. It was Emmylou’s version that spurred me to revisit Dylan’s “Christian” albums and I’m glad I did because there are some amazing songs hiding among the fire and brimstone. And who better to cover this modern gospel song than Emmylou Harris, a woman endowed with the voice of an angel? Appropriately, Emmylou performed “Every Grain of Sand” at Johnny Cash’s funeral.

“I Threw It All Away”

Yo La Tengo

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Yo La Tengo is one of those bands whose covers are as a good as their originals, and that’s saying a lot considering the band’s talent for songwriting and arranging. “I Threw It All Away” is a simple song about regret and squandered opportunities and Yo La Tengo give it a charmingly shambolic reading on their 1989 release President Yo La Tengo.

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