I often wonder what artists truly think about other musicians covering their original songs. Are they so sick and tired of listening to the track that they don’t want to hear it anymore than needed or is it an absolute honour that someone else would want to perform their music? If I were to guess, I’d say it falls somewhere in between. There are those who love the idea and there are those who hate it.

What I really do enjoy is listening to a cover song that is completely different from the original; the new version takes on a whole new life of its own. One of the best examples that come to mind is Dave Matthews version of “All Along The Watchtower“. Over the course of the 7 minutes, DMB’s version transforms from a low, haunting tale into an intense, overpowering piece of music. Layered with Dave’s growling vocals and Carter Beauford’s driving percussion this version is a completely different from Dylan’s version.

After initially hearing DMB’s take on it, I couldn’t quite put my finger on where I’ve heard it before, (I can honestly say that originally, I wasn’t a big Hendrix fan….and yes Dylan did it first but Hendrix popularized it) which is why I would say that this is my favourite cover song.