Looking Back at Five Bob Dylan Songs Covered by Jeff Buckley During the Early ’90s

“You guys are living in the past,” said Jeff Buckley to his New York City crowd after seeing Bob Dylan perform at the Supper Club in November 1993. Buckley went on to mimic the Bard, singing a medley of “Grace” and “I Want You,” telling the audience that Dylan wasn’t at his Blonde on Blonde-era peak anymore. Word got back of Buckley’s lackluster review from members of Dylan’s team who were at Buckley’s show, prompting the young artist to write a letter of apology to one of his heroes.

“I have no way of knowing how my words were translated to you, if their whole meaning and context were intact, but the truth is, is that I was off on a tangent, on a stage, my mind going where it goes, trying to be funny, it wasn’t funny at all, and I f–ked up,” read a portion of Buckley’s letter to Dylan. “I really f–ked up.”

Buckley continued, “And the worst of it isn’t that your boys were at the gig to hear it — it doesn’t really bother me. It just kills me to know that whatever they told you is what you think I think of you. Not that I love you. Not that I’ve always listened to you, and carry the music with me everywhere I go. Not that I believe in you. And also that your show was great.”

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Despite his regretful review, Buckley still had great admiration for Dylan. During the early ’90s, Buckley often covered Dylan live and also recorded several of his songs, including “Just Like a Woman,” “If You See Her, Say Hello,” “Mama, You’ve Been on My Mind,” and more, before his death in 1997.

[RELATED: Remembering Jeff Buckley’s Handwritten Letter of Apology to Bob Dylan in 1993]

“Farewell Angelina”

While singing with the band Gods & Monsters, along with guitarist Gary Lucas, Buckley recorded a cover of Dylan’s “Farewell, Angelina” for the WFMU radio station compilation They Came, They Played, They Blocked The Driveway. “Farewell Angelina” also made the rounds on the radio, including another performance of the song by Buckley and Lucas on March 12, 1992, during a session at the WNYU FM radio studios in New York City.

“Just Like a Woman” 

Shortly after signing to Columbia, Buckley covered Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde classic “Just Like a Woman” in early 1993. The studio recording was later released on the posthumous Buckley album You and I in 2016, and an earlier live version lives on the expanded editions of Live at Sin-é, pulled from Buckley’s performances at the East Village cafe in 1993.

“I Shall Be Released” 

Expanded versions of Live at Sin-é, released in 2003 and 2026, also feature Buckley’s performance of Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released.” A song of salvation and release, Dylan wrote it after his 1966 motorcycle accident, and his lyrics reflect a time of retreat from the public eye.

“If You See Her, Say Hello” 

Along with the live version of Dylan’s “If You See Her, Say Hello” on Live at Sin-é, Buckley also recorded the song at Bearsville Studio in Woodstock, New York, during the fall of 1993. Released on Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks in 1975, “If You See Her, Say Hello” tells the story of the aftermath of a falling out with a lover, yet, there are no hard feelings: If you see her, say hello, she might be in Tangier / It’s the city ’cross the water, not too far from here / Say for me that I’m all right though things are kind of slow / She might think that I’ve forgotten her. Don’t tell her it isn’t so.

“Mama, You’ve Been On My Mind” 

In 1992 and 1993, Buckley would often perform Dylan’s “Mama, You’ve Been On My Mind.” During his Grace sessions, Buckley also recorded the Dylan song, which was later released on reissues of the album.

Photo: David Tonge/Getty Images