A Dylan Cover a Day: Queen Jane Approximately

By Tony Attwood

The question is always: why is this artist or this band covering this particular Dylan song? And sadly the answer is too often “because it is a Dylan song and people like Dylan songs”. What that then often means is either “do it pretty much as Dylan did” or “take the song and make it sound like one of ours”.

The problem is that the former will obviously add nothing to the song, and the latter is often just a case of wedging a valuable piece of art into the wrong frame.

For me, a decent cover version of a song will always add something more to the song and our understanding of what it offers and so with Queen Jane (which has had a surprisingly large number of cover versions) I’ve looked, as ever, for the successfully different. But it has been a bit of a struggle.

And of course Jochen has got in before me, nominating his favourite as the version Jimmy LaFave. I’ll leave you to read Jochen’s exposition and listen to his choice, because I can’t add anything to it, and besides, I think I’ve found a few other covers that are at the very least, worthy of a mention. Although by the end, whether they go much beyond that “worth a mention” group I’m not too sure.

Surprisingly delicate is the Grateful Dead version, which I so like from its careful introduction followed by a gentle build up. Although there is one issue that this version makes me aware of from the start – how does one (as a performer) cope with that repeated “Won’t you come and see me” line. Are we just going to get it twice, or can something else be done with it? I mean it is not the most profound Dylan line ever, and the music is always the same, and well, we’ve heard it before, so… what’s new?

But that’s everyone’s problem – what this version particularly gives us is a super instrumental verse which most certainly is worthy of a listen.

Punk is not my favourite type of music – somehow for me it is almost anti-music, as all the delicacy is removed and replaced by that pounding inevitable beat. What’s interesting is that the song is about asking the lady to come back when her grand adventure is over because he will still be there, still thinking of her, still patiently waiting. But here one verse becomes just like another…. except for the instrumental verse which I really do rather like. But delicacy? No, it’s punk.

And so to a total contrast, Muscle & Bone: a way of playing with the melody and finding the delicate harmonies which are appropriate to the lyrics. And that harmony over the chorus line suddenly gives it a reason for that line to be there twice, after each verse.

There’s also a superb harmonica part added for the instrumental voice, which is Dylanesque, but not quite – a sort of haunting reminder to us of where this song came from. And its return at the end offers a perfect haunting conclusion.

But of course a new version of a song does not have to be different, it can just be beautiful – and if one has a beautiful voice then why not. Emma Swift has it all, and so can just deliver the lyrics while doing very little to change the song. It simply is there, that’s it. There is nothing else one needs to do but perform with gentle feeling. And this version, yes, I could listen to over and again.

I am going to finish with something I would never have thought of doing: an instrumental version of the song. And I wouldn’t have even imagined it as possible, because there is not enough variation in the music to make me think this could work.

So does this work out? Actually I am not sure, for the simple reason that the essence of the song is the lyrics and melody, and taking the lyrics out, leaves us with something that charming, but for me not much more than that.

In the end it just stops, which I guess is what I have to do with a conclusion that in the end, despite all these valiant efforts, once a beautiful voice has tackled the song, there is not that much more anyone can do.

The Dylan Cover a Day series

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