3 Times Country Musicians Covered Classic Rock Songs and (Arguably) Made Them Better

Country music and classic rock share a very similar fanbase. As a result, when classic rock covers country music and vice versa, people go crazy for it, even if it isn’t all that good. With all that in mind, here are three times country musicians covered classic rock songs and arguably made them better.

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“Dead Flowers” by Townes Van Zandt

To us, it sounds as if Townes Van Zandt wrote the lyrics to “Dead Flowers”, as it is saturated with themes he often toiled in. However, that is not the case, because this track was written by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger and featured on The Rolling Stones’ 1971 album, Sticky Fingers.

We believe this song sounded better with Townes Van Zandt because the underlying meaning is outlined by melancholy. Well, what other country musician sang melancholy better than Townes Van Zandt? To us, no one, and that is why this song unofficially belongs to Van Zandt. While this version isn’t even close to as popular as The Rolling Stones’, it holds a subtextual power far greater than the original.

“Landslide” by The Chicks

Thanks to our nifty parenthetical in the title, we are not saying The Chicks‘ version of “Landslide” is better than Fleetwood Mac’s. However, people certainly have made the argument in favor of The Chicks’ rendition. Though not us, no, we are here to just deliver the facts.

Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac released this song in 1975; it peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 following a live release version. Now, The Chicks released their version in 2002, and it peaked at No. 7. There are a ton of factors that made The Chicks’ rendition more successful on the charts, but again, we’re here to just deliver the facts.

“In Bloom” by Sturgill Simpson

Very few country musicians would attempt to translate a Nirvana song into the country music dialect. However, Sturgill Simpson has proved he’s not like most country musicians. Released in 2016, this cover pays tribute to the original by staying true to the dark undertones lyrically and musically created by Kurt Cobain.

Simpson layers this tune with newfound elements that push a certain boundary. A boundary that nearly doesn’t make this a country song at all. That being so, comparing Nirvana’s version and Simpson’s is not like comparing apples to apples. Rather, it’s like comparing an apple to an orange; they are two entirely different works.

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