CARLTON FLETCHER: Many artists have covered Dylan; these got it right

You can’t please everyone so you’ve got to please yourself.

— Rick Nelson

The Beatles’ “Yesterday” — Paul McCartney’s simple but elegant song of lost love — is the most covered song of all time, racking up more than 3,000 different recorded versions and counting, from the sublime (Ray Charles) to the ridiculous (Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck).

But when it comes to the songwriter whose catalog is most in demand among other artists as cover material, nobody can touch Pulitzer Prize winner Bob Dylan. Everyone from a Beatle (George Harrison) to one of the hardest-rocking bands ever (Nazareth) to country superstars (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks) to soul greats (Solomon Burke, Etta James, the Isley Brothers, Stevie Wonder) to the Elvises — Presley and Costello — to two of the best three or four guitar players ever (Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello) have had a go at one or more of Dylan’s songs.

You want to go down the whole list of artists who’ve covered Dylan? Carve out some time. The most comprehensive list I can find surpasses 500 … and it’s not complete.

While Cher’s misguided version of “Lay Lady Lay” will never be more than a hoot, and Falco’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” is just wrong, there are some truly exceptional covers of Dylan tunes. Here, one fan’s Top 15:

15. LEOPARD-SKIN PILL-BOX HAT — Beck: The perfect post-modern rocker to cover this delightful tune.

14. ONE MORE CUP OF COFFEE BEFORE I GO — The White Stripes: Jack White does his own stuff best, but he gives a soulful take on this underrated track from “Desire.”

13. FOREVER YOUNG — Rod Stewart: This song is one of Dylan’s most covered tunes ever — and there are several good ones — but Stewart’s voice gives it a nice quality.

12. IT AIN’T ME BABE — Flatt and Scruggs: These bluegrass legends made a career out of covering Dylan, but this one is their best.

11. BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND — Peter, Paul and Mary: These folk masters took Dylan’s greatest protest song and made it an anthem of the Civil Rights era.

10. MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE — Adele: Quite a juxtaposition, from Dylan’s gravelly growl to Adele’s sweet trill. But it works.

9. KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR — Guns ‘N’ Roses: Dylan’s “Pat Garret and Billy the Kid” cinematic masterpiece became a nice mellow-out tune for these hard rockers.

8. IF NOT FOR YOU — George Harrison: Another oft-covered tune that fit the late Beatles range — with accompanying slide guitar — quite nicely.

7. SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE — Joan Baez: These two former lovers and musical BFFs often collaborated, and the folk queen’s cover of this great “Blood on the Tracks” track takes on a whole ‘nother level of marvelous when she sings a verse in her best Dylan whiney-moan.

6. BALLAD OF HOLLIS BROWN — Nazareth: You listen to the sludge guitar of this harder than rock rocker, and you’d never guess that the lyrics are Dylan’s.

5. GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY — Johnny and June Carter Cash: Johnny’s voice on this lament is amazing … so much so that another version he did of the track would have landed him at No. 1 or No. 2 on this list except his partner on that particular track is Dylan himself.

4. MR. TAMBOURINE MAN — The Byrds: These rockers added their patented jangle to this classic tune and sang with sweet harmonies that would seem out of place in most Dylan songs. But it works here.

3. MASTERS OF WAR — Eddie Vedder: The Pearl Jam frontman sings Dylan’s lament about cowardly politicians sending young men off to die with such a passion and vengeance, it’s hard to believe he didn’t write this tune.

2. QUINN THE ESKIMO — Manfred Mann: Listen to Dylan’s version, then late-60s Manfred Mann. You’d never know this was even the same song. Who knew Dylan could be turned into pop gold?

1. ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER — Jimi Hendrix: Listen to some of this guitar master’s concert records, and you see how big an influence Dylan had on his music. But he took this song and elevated it to a level that few Dylan covers could ever hope to reach. (Dave Matthews Band, by the way, does an exceptional cover as its concert closer that’s pretty amazing in its own right, but nothing touches Hendrix on this one.)

Contact Carlton Fletcher at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @ABH_Fletcher.