4 Times Willie Nelson Did Another Artist’s Song Better

Willie Nelson is one of the most distinct country music voices out there. And while his best works are songs he penned himself, there’s also something to say about a few covers he’s done of other musicians’ work through the years. Personally, I think the following four songs are some of Nelson’s best covers ever. Let’s take a look! A couple of these are deep cuts that might surprise you.

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“Something” by The Beatles

This one is up to personal opinion, and it might be controversial to insinuate that anyone did “Something” by The Beatles better than The Beatles. However, you can’t deny that Willie Nelson, at the very least, did a beautiful job at covering this Fab Four classic. He has this magical ability to bring songs from other genres into the country space, but without really focusing on genre-specific elements at all. It sounds naturally country and effortlessly like Willie Nelson, even if the original tune was a soft rock song by the biggest rock band of all time. A standout cover from the 1986 record Partners.

“Songbird” by Fleetwood Mac

This song was news to me when I first started researching covers for this list. I have to say, I’m impressed. Willie Nelson really outdid himself with Christine McVie’s beloved tune from Fleetwood Mac. Nelson’s version matches McVie’s original version in terms of avoiding the sopiness of love-lost songs, instead focusing on the loneliness that comes with falling in and out of love. I can certainly see why Nelson decided to name his 2006 album after this gorgeous cover.

“Heart Of Gold” by Neil Young

Personally, I love Nelson’s duet with Young from the original 1985 Farm Aid. But his Partners cover is also nothing to sneeze at. An ode to his friend and collaborator, Nelson’s cover of “Heart Of Gold” by Neil Young really is stunning. You can tell that Nelson is a fan of Young’s music, as he handles this cover with mountains of respect from start to finish. I love his harmonica bit on this song.

“Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper

This 1980s pop classic got a whole new vibe with Willie Nelson’s 2002 cover. His version has that notable country flair, but what’s truly impressive is how well Nelson tackles the vocals of this song without the range that Lauper has. He doesn’t hit that crazy high note, but he doesn’t need to. Again, Nelson proves he can take someone else’s song and make it his own, without trying too hard to imitate anyone.

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