By Tony Attwood
There seems to be not only a growing number of covers of Things Have Changed but a growing number of really interesting cover versions. So although we’ve already done an article on the covers of this song once before, I’ve had no trouble with finding another set of songs, and from them, some further thoughts – which basically centre on the fact that there is something within the relaxed, almost resigned nature of the song that allow it to be interpreted in so many different ways. Take this example from Curtis Stigers – all we have is two very simple instrumental parts, with the vocals meandering around above them. It’s totally engaging for me, even though I’ve heard the song so many times before.
Perhaps it is the fact that “I used to care but things have changed” is such an evocative line – in just eight words an entire lifestyle is encapsulated.
There is also something in this song that just allows the performers to express a sort of sad recognition of how hopeless everything is, while still expressing their ability to perform and reflect. Just listen to the guitar solo around 2 minutes 30 seconds, and then the surprise that follows (assuming you haven’t heard this version before). Once more there are new insights to be had just through what happens there (which I am not revealing because I really don’t want to spoil it if you have not heard this version before.)
This next one from The Persuasions takes us once more into a new dimension for the song. Now there is a problem, because the recording breaks down suddenly and we lose the music, but I’ve kept this here because even this incomplete recording this does show just how many different ways this song can travel. Of course that is technically true of all songs, but generally songs that are stretched this way and that, lose their integrity. But not “Things have changed”.
And if the above were not enough, just listen to String Swing – not only for its instrumentation but also the bounce and the rhythm. Once more we have a total change and yet the re-arrangement retains the integrity of the lyrics and the music.
There are not too many Dylan songs that I would care even to contemplate writing a dance routine for, let alone actually rehearsing it with a team, but listening to Kokomo (a New Zealand band, I think) I find an arrangement just emerging in my head. And it isn’t just the rhythm or just the instrumentation, or the melody, but the lyrics themselves are so utterly suited to every possible interpretation.
Last one coming up. This keeps the rhythm and the melody the same, but the vocalists’ approach, with the purity both of the solo voice and the harmonies being perfect for this interpretation. In fact it is this version which is the one I have ended up playing over and again. I rather suspect it is possible to approach this song in hundreds of different ways with each version being of interest. It just lends itself to harmonies, to changed rhythms, and … well everything.
And maybe it is also the craziness of the images. Falling in love with the first woman I meet, putting her in a wheelbarrow and wheeling her down the street… It is just an utterly amazing couplet which ought to be laughable and yet feels so totally part of the complete essence of the song.
Truly this is one of the great, great, great Dylan songs, and one that can, in the hands of talented performers and arrangers, just go anywhere.
The Dylan Cover a Day series
- The song with numbers in the title.
- Ain’t Talkin
- All I really want to do
- Angelina
- Apple Suckling and Are you Ready.
- As I went out one morning
- Ballad for a Friend
- Ballad in Plain D
- Ballad of a thin man
- Frankie Lee and Judas Priest
- The ballad of Hollis Brown
- Beyond here lies nothing
- Blind Willie McTell
- Black Crow Blues (more fun than you might recall)
- An unexpected cover of “Black Diamond Bay”
- Blowin in the wind as never before
- Bob Dylan’s Dream
- BoB Dylan’s 115th Dream revisited
- Boots of Spanish leather
- Born in Time
- Buckets of Rain
- Can you please crawl out your window
- Can’t wait
- Changing of the Guard
- Chimes of Freedom
- Country Pie
- Crash on the Levee
- Dark Eyes
- Dear Landlord
- Desolation Row as never ever before (twice)
- Dignity.
- Dirge
- Don’t fall apart on me tonight.
- Don’t think twice
- Down along the cove
- Drifter’s Escape
- Duquesne Whistle
- Farewell Angelina
- Foot of Pride and Forever Young
- Fourth Time Around
- From a Buick 6
- Gates of Eden
- Gotta Serve Somebody
- Hard Rain’s a-gonna Fall.
- Heart of Mine
- High Water
- Highway 61
- Hurricane
- I am a lonesome hobo
- I believe in you
- I contain multitudes
- I don’t believe you.
- I love you too much
- I pity the poor immigrant.
- I shall be released
- I threw it all away
- I want you
- I was young when I left home
- I’ll remember you
- Idiot Wind and More idiot wind
- If not for you, and a rant against prosody
- If you Gotta Go, please go and do something different
- If you see her say hello
- Dylan cover a day: I’ll be your baby tonight
- I’m not there.
- In the Summertime, Is your love and an amazing Isis
- It ain’t me babe
- It takes a lot to laugh
- It’s all over now Baby Blue
- It’s all right ma
- Just Like a Woman
- Knocking on Heaven’s Door
- Lay down your weary tune
- Lay Lady Lay
- Lenny Bruce
- That brand new leopard skin pill box hat
- Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
- License to kill
- Like a Rolling Stone
- Love is just a four letter word
- Love Sick
- Maggies Farm!
- Make you feel my love; a performance that made me cry.
- Mama you’ve been on my mind
- Man in a long black coat.
- Masters of War
- Meet me in the morning
- Million Miles. Listen, and marvel.
- Mississippi. Listen, and marvel (again)
- Most likely you go your way
- Most of the time and a rhythmic thing
- Motorpsycho Nitemare
- Mozambique
- Mr Tambourine Man
- My back pages, with a real treat at the end
- New Morning
- New Pony. Listen where and when appropriate
- Nobody Cept You
- North Country Blues
- No time to think
- Obviously Five Believers
- Oh Sister
- On the road again
- One more cup of coffee
- (Sooner or later) one of us must know
- One too many mornings
- Only a hobo
- Only a pawn in their game
- Outlaw Blues – prepare to be amazed
- Oxford Town
- Peggy Day and Pledging my time
- Please Mrs Henry
- Political world
- Positively 4th Street
- Precious Angel
- Property of Jesus
- Queen Jane Approximately
- Quinn the Eskimo as it should be performed.
- Quit your lowdown ways
- Rainy Day Women as never before
- Restless Farewell. Exquisite arrangements, unbelievable power
- Ring them bells in many different ways
- Romance in Durango, covered and re-written
- Sad Eyed Lady of Lowlands, like you won’t believe
- Sara
- Senor
- A series of Dreams; no one gets it (except Dylan)
- Seven Days
- She Belongs to Me
- Shelter from the Storm
- Sign on the window
- Silvio
- Simple twist of fate
- Slow Train
- Someday Baby
- Spanish Harlem Incident
- Standing in the Doorway
- Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
- Subterranean Homesick Blues
- Sweetheart Like You
- Tangled up in Blue
- Tears of Rage
- Temporary Like Achilles. Left in the cold, but there’s still something…
- The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar
- The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
- The Man in Me
- Times they are a-changin’
- The Wicked Messenger
Waylon Jennings also did a cover. See Vol. 25 here: http://nobodysingsdylanlikedylan.blogspot.com/