A Dylan cover a day: Meet me in the morning

By Tony Attwood

“Meet me in the morning” is the only 12 bar blues on Blood on the Tracks, and is itself a cover of sorts, being akin to “Call Letter Blues” which of course Bob recorded, and which appeared later on “More Blood on the Tracks”

So it is not going too far off the rails to say that “Meet me in the morning” is itself a cover.  In which case we are listening out for covers of a cover.   A cover squared.  A square cover.  A…

The question for the cover artist is, do you go further (ie ever more bluesy) or somewhere else (hardly a blues at all).  This is the former which is what generally happens with this song (although not always – please keep reading).  One chord change, otherwise its just heavy

So compare and contrast with Clas Yngström & Big Tex Three which has taken off in a completely different direction to give a sense of mystery and almost threat.

I really like this, simply because it does take us in a new direction, while retaining all the essence of the song.  OK after a while it becomes another 12 bar but that doesn’t matter too much because of the opening.

Of course most of the time the quest is just how far one can actually take the bluesiness and Carolyn Wonderland have a bash at going as far as one can

But it really doesn’t have to go that way.  What I was really looking for was a version that turns it back into a ballad.  I didn’t really find one, but this is on its way, and I do enjoy angel Snow

And finally just to show it really is possible to take even a 12 bar blues into another territory with a totally different feel, and come to that a totally different message we have Drew Emmitt.  I think this is the version that I found most refreshing this search.   Maybe that’s because I tend to write my Dylan piece in the mornings, and today is very hot in my part of the world.   And as soon as I have finished this I am off to meet one of my daughters, and my twin grandsons, to celebrate their birthday.    For such a moment Drew Emmitt has the sound I want.

The Dylan Cover a Day series

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