sometimes you hear country singers doing traditional songs like “hard times” and they’re doing it beautifully, but they don’t seem to have the depth from which to draw the tragedy and sadness out of the song.
the other day, I heard a remarkable young singer on npr’s morning edition, by the name of Nellie McKay. she said she decided to become a professional musician when she heard Dylan’s “Hurricane.” She said, here’s a guy who wrote a song that wound up getting an innocent man out of prison. music can change the world. it matters.
so then, go and listen to Dylan’s version of “hard times”, and compare it with, say, the smith sisters.
there’s this whole other thing going on besides just what’s in the song. ‘know what I mean?