Bruce Springsteen’s cover of Blowin’ in the Wind, a classic Bob Dylan song, has been hailed as an “excellent tribute” to the veteran songwriter.
There’s no short supply of Dylan cover songs, but The Boss has provided some of the best. Earlier this year, Springsteen included a cover of Chimes of Freedom on the Land of Hopes and Dreams EP, a live release from his tour of the same name. Springsteen has also covered Blowin’ in the Wind, which was hailed as a worthy cover of the legendary hitmaker. Some have suggested Springsteen and Dylan are the two peaks of American music history, while others were left wondering how The Boss managed to consistently improve the works of his peers. An upload of Springsteen’s cover to YouTube has seen commenters hail the performance, with many believing it to be a truly great moment from the stage.
One person wrote: “Dylan and Springsteen, shoulder to shoulder on the mountaintop. That’s the pantheon of American music right there.” Another added: “Beautiful, beautiful interpretation of the boss and Dylan are a spectacular duo. Beautiful connection, thank you.”
A third wrote: “I have chills! Bruce, you’re one of a kind!” Others believe it’s a delightful rendition from a performer who would frequently cover Dylan’s work. Springsteen’s praise for Dylan has been frequent, with the Born to Run hitmaker calling the Mr. Tambourine Man writer the “father of my country”.
A post to Springsteen’s own site from 2016 has now made the rounds once again, with the tribute to Dylan posted following the Like a Rolling Stone songwriter’s Nobel Prize in Literature win. The extract of Springsteen’s autobiography, Born to Run, reads: “Bob Dylan is the father of my country. Highway 61 Revisited and Bringing It All Back Home were not only great records, but they were the first time I can remember being exposed to a truthful vision of the place I lived.
“The darkness and light were all there, the veil of illusion and deception ripped aside. He put his boot on the stultifying politeness and daily routine that covered corruption and decay.
“The world he described was all on view, in my little town, and spread out over the television that beamed into our isolated homes, but it went uncommented on and silently tolerated. He inspired me and gave me hope. He asked the questions everyone else was too frightened to ask, especially to a fifteen-year-old: ‘How does it feel… to be on your own?’
“I had the opportunity to sing The Times They Are A-Changin’ for Bob when he received the Kennedy Center Honours. We were alone together for a brief moment walking down a back stairwell when he thanked me for being there and said, ‘If there’s anything I can ever do for you…’ I thought, ‘Are you kidding me?’ and answered, ‘It’s already been done’.”
You can listen to Springsteen’s cover of Blowin’ in the Wind below.
