5 Covers of Bob Dylan Songs That Rival the Originals

Nobody does Bob Dylan better than Bob Dylan himself, but the musicians behind these five classic covers do the folk-rock icon justice. Let’s take a look, shall we? You might even find that some of these songs rival the quality of the original Dylan tunes! 

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1. “Please, Mrs. Henry” by Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick took this Bob Dylan classic on back in 1977, and it’s almost surprising how good it is. “Please, Mrs. Henry” by Cheap Trick is an excellent and reverent cover of the original, complete with the same drunken vibe of Bob Dylan’s version.

2. “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” by Television

Out of all the Bob Dylan covers on this list, this rendition from garage punk outfit Television is the most surprisingly good cover. 

You can take Bob Dylan’s music and manipulate it through quite a few different genres, but you wouldn’t expect “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” to sound good with sleazy, distorted guitars. However, Television’s cover works well, especially because the band managed to match the angsty energy of Dylan’s original story.

3. “Going To Acapulco” by The Crust Brothers

The Crust Brothers were a very short-lived indie rock supergroup of sorts, made up of members of Pavement and Silkworm. Their only album is a live recording of a set at Seattle’s Crocodile Cafe in 1997, where they performed a slew of cover songs. 

One cover was of Bob Dylan and The Band’s famously hedonistic “Going To Acapulco”. We love it, but the audience at the time was expecting Pavement songs instead of oddball covers.

4. “Mr. Tambourine Man” by William Shatner

Alright, this cover is probably not better than the original. But actor William Shatner is surprisingly well-suited to lending his vocal stylings to classic songs in the weirdest way possible. In fact, outside of his acting career, Shatner has lent his voice to quite a few classic songs through the years. 

One of those songs is Shatner’s 1968 rendition of “Mr. Tambourine Man” by Bob Dylan. It’s an oddball, spoken-word cover that is nothing if not entertaining.

5. “Girl From The North Country” by Roseanne Cash

Roseanne Cash is an incredible talent, so it makes sense that her contribution to Bob Dylan covers would be a stunning piece of work. Cash covered “Girl From The North Country” back in 2009, and it’s a respectable cover of one of her father’s best friends. Talent really does run in the family.

Photo by Martin Thompson

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