Cannes Film Festival 2013

Listen: Ke$ha takes on Bob Dylan's 'Don't Think Twice, It's Alright'

It's for a good cause, but does that make it OK?

<p> Ke$ha</p>
<div id="myEventWatcherDiv" style="display:none;"> </div>

 Ke$ha

Credit: Dan Steinberg/AP

Are you a fan of Music News?

Sign up to get the latest updates instantly.

Ke$ha raised eyebrows when it was revealed her cover of Bob Dylan’s classic “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” would be included on the massive 76-song compilation, “Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan,”  coming out Jan. 24.

She is joined by such artists as Adele, My Morning Jacket, and Miley Cyrus on the set, which benefits Amnesty International.

We’re all for the great cause and we applaud her for participating in such a worthy endeavor. Admittedly, unless some miracle occurred, there was really no way that this was a marriage that was going to work. Should we stop now since we’ve said something nice... because here it comes.  Her cover of “Don’t Think Twice,” which you can hear snippets of in the below video, courtesy of Rolling Stone, is, if it’s possible, even worse that we’d imagined.  She’s overwrought and distraught and mistakes pausing and singing really slowly for emoting. She has talked often about her love for Dylan, and she tells Rolling Stone that she thought about turning the song into a suicide note of sorts. That information is helpful, but it doesn't make the interpretation any better.

In this video, she reveals her method: “I pulled up my Garage Band on my laptop and just sang through the song once...And by the end of it I was just crying hysterically alone on my bed.” We felt that way too after listening to her version.

Ke$ha, whose recently leaked material has featured her singing more than talking,  has every right, of course, to record the Dylan classic in anyway she wants, but has she listened to the original? Part of what makes Dylan’s take so devastating is the breeziness that he tries, unsuccessfully, to impart as he heads on down the road, knowing full well that he couldn’t provide the woman with what she needed. The key is the last paragraph, when he turns downright bitter about her “wasting his precious time” although he still tries to shrug it off.

We keep trying to embed it, but, no kidding, our computer won't let us. So here's the link here.

What are your thoughts?

 

Comments

  • Option 1

    Comment instantly as a guest Guest
  • Option 2

    Connect
  • Option 3

    Login or create a HitFix account Login Signup
  • Default-avatar

    Johan

    Don't agree at all, nor do such reputable sources as Rolling Stone, Spin, Time Magazine, EW, etc. etc. etc. This version is stunning and surprising. Not only because it's Ke$ha performing it, and because we hear her vocal with no tricks and we hear her sensitivities and heartache, but because she shows us a side to this song we've never heard before. It's like it's a totally new song, not just a new version of it. She takes a "F-you" song from Dylan and makes it not angry but sad and sweet and vulnerable. I applaud this version but also I boo your critique. Usually I find you spot-on, Melinda. What went wrong with you here??

    December 15, 2011 at 3:49AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    Johan

    Write a comment...Don't agree at all, nor do such reputable sources as Rolling Stone, Spin, Time Magazine, EW, etc. etc. etc. This version is stunning and surprising. Not only because it's Ke$ha performing it, and because we hear her vocal with no tricks and we hear her sensitivities and heartache, but because she shows us a side to this song we've never heard before. It's like it's a totally new song, not just a new version of it. She takes a "F-you" song from Dylan and makes it not angry but sad and sweet and vulnerable. I applaud this version but also I boo your critique. Usually I find you spot-on, Melinda. What went wrong with you here??

    December 15, 2011 at 3:50AM EST Reply to Comment
    • Default-avatar

      melinda Johan-- I went back and listened a few times after reading your comment to see if there was something I'd missed... Nope. I'm not saying she didn't dissolve into tears as she recorded this or that her reaction isn't genuine, but it doesn't move me a bit. She sounds like she's trying to see her vulnerability too hard. She wants to show us that this party girl has feelings, really, really sad ones. Just not for me.

      December 19, 2011 at 4:39PM EST

Get Instant Alerts on Music News

Latest Posts
More Posts
Recent Activity on Facebook
Most Popular on Facebook
Top Stories From Around the Web