3 Artists That Just Might Have Done Willie Nelson Better Than Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson is unarguably one of the largest influences in not only country music, but in all of music. Consequently, his songs have been covered, rearranged, reimagined, and reborn time after time again. Nelson’s work deserves to live on, and his lyrics and structures offer musicians a musical playground to toy and jump upon. Hence, so many acclaimed musicians have covered his songs.

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Now, we of course aren’t here to tell you what to think. Rather, we’re just here to craft up some food for thought. This might be hot take, but hot is often better than cold. That being so, here are three musicians who just maybe did a Willie Nelson song better than Willie Nelson himself.

“Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning” by Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton is one of those country musicians who partially owes his career and style to Willie Nelson. Frankly, if it wasn’t for Nelson’s trailblazing ways, Stapleton and his music might not have the profound presence in the genre that it currently does. With all that in mind, Stapleton has paid his respects on several occasions, and one way in which he did is by covering Nelson’s 1982 single, “Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning.”

Released by Stapleton in 2017 on his album, From A Room: Volume 1, the musician doesn’t go so far as to completely reinvent the song, as he keeps the chord structures, lyrics, and general tone the same. Though, Stapleton adds an unexplainable power to the song that was not present on Willie’s rendition. However, that is not a definitive answer, instead, it’s just a thought for you to pick at a little.

“Robbed Blind” by Keith Richards

As stated previously, Willie Nelson’s music is not confined by the country music, as his inspiration and influence knows no bounds. So, it is not surprising in the slightest that his fellow ’70s musician, Keith Richards, covered a rendition of his single, “Robbed Blind.”

Released by Richards in 2015, the song doesn’t stray too far from Nelson’s original version of the song. Though, when you hear Richards’ voice on the track, you can’t help but think of the uniqueness his raspy and gravely vocals bring to the song. Not only does it bring a new air to the song, but it also fits perfectly with the themes the lyrics articulate.

“Funny How Time Slips Away” by Al Green

In his early days, Willie Nelson wrote and released numerous songs that didn’t receive the credit they deserved until later in his career. One of those songs was “Funny How Time Slips Away,” which he released in 1962 as a Nashville songwriter. Though, one individual who helped the song obtain the limelight it deserved was the master R&B artist, Al Green.

Like Willie Nelson, Al Green knows exactly how to pluck at the heartstrings of his listeners. When Al Green covered Nelson’s songs, he created a product highly conducive to unleashing the floodgates. Nelson’s rendition is happily heartbreaking, though, Greens, to some at least, is profoundly devastating in a bitter-sweet way.

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