5 All-Time Willie Nelson Covers That Every Outlaw Country Fan Can Get Behind

Willie Nelson is one of the country music world’s last few true songwriters. He’s an incredible talent who has put out a whopping 100 albums through his decades-long career. Most of those albums feature his stellar original works, but even Nelson isn’t immune to the appeal of a good ol’ cover song. Let’s look at five of Willie Nelson’s best covers of all time!

1. “Heart Of Gold” by Neil Young

Nelson has covered this song by Neil Young many times, both with and without the assistance of the song’s maker. “Heart Of Gold” even sounds like it could have been a Willie Nelson original. 

It makes sense when you think about it. Neil Young probably wouldn’t have been Neil Young without the influence of the incomparable Willie Nelson. Likewise, the two artists operate in parallel lanes. They always stay in their own lane, but their individual sounds complement each other beautifully.

2. “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen

“Hallelujah” has been covered hundreds of times by artists other than the OG songwriter, Leonard Cohen. It’s a little bit of an over-covered song. However, in the words of the great Willie Nelson himself: “If a song was ever good, it’s still good.”

Nelson’s rendition of “Hallelujah” maintains all of the emotion and haunting melody of the original track, just with an added outlaw ballad vibe.

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3. “Songbird” by Fleetwood Mac

This beautiful song by the late Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac isn’t exactly an easy one to cover. However, Nelson does it justice. Where McVie’s version avoids sappiness in favor of evoking feelings of isolation and longing for forbidden love, Nelson isn’t afraid to get a little bit sappy. But like McVie, Nelson has always been good at emotional balance in his music.

4. “Just Breathe” by Pearl Jam

This is a lovely little cover of a folk rock classic. It’s even better with the assistance of Nelson’s fellow-musician son, Lukas Nelson. When it comes to the best Willie Nelson covers, this particular take on another artist’s song is arguably better than the original work.

5. “Gotta Serve Somebody” by Bob Dylan

Everybody loves to cover Bob Dylan, but few can turn their covers into pieces of art in their own right. This is one of the best Willie Nelson covers out there, simply because he’s not trying to be Bob Dylan; he’s effortlessly being Willie Nelson. “Gotta Serve Somebody” has the right balance of Nelson’s country flair mixed with horns, bass, and funk.

Photo by Maury Phillips

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