Listen: Ke$ha takes on Bob Dylan's 'Don't Think Twice, It's Alright'
It's for a good cause, but does that make it OK?
Ke$ha
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?
News From Our Partners
-
Best Alicia Keys Instagram Photos – Picture Perfect
Taylor Swift Fan Arrested for Swimming Near Her Rhode Island Beach House
Taylor Swift vs. Pink vs. Rihanna vs. Beyonce: Whose Tour Costume Do You Like Best? – Readers Poll
-
'Riddick' Trailer: Vin Diesel Is What Goes Bump in the Night
'The Simpsons' Taps Kristen Wiig For Guest Arc As FBI Agent
CBS Fall 2013 Schedule: 'Mike & Molly' to 2014, More Comedy Thursday, and 'Hawaii' to Friday
-
The Telefile - TNT & TBS Upfront 2013: Reaping What Other Networks Sowed
The Telefile - Fall TV 2013: What's On When
The Telefile - New Girl: Wedding Do's and Don'ts
-
In Pictures: The Stars of Star Trek Into Darkness
Digital Multiplex: The Last Stand, Side Effects, and More
RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Ambitious, Time-Jumping Epic Cloud Atlas
-
What to Watch Tonight: The Season Finales of Arrow, CSI, and Supernatural
Grimm "The Waking Dead" Review: Dead On Arrival
CBS's 2013-2014 Season: New Nights for Person of Interest and Hawaii Five-0, More Comedy on Thursdays
-
Tolerability Index: This week we're barely putting up with The Killing
TV Roundtable: When My Boys tested its prickly chemistry by inviting some new faces to the poker table
The Walkthrough: The New Girl showrunners on topping season two’s big kiss (Part 5 of 5)
-
'Star Trek' Baddie Benedict Cumberbatch Reveals Role's Biggest Challenge
Cannes Film Festival 2013: Our Must-See Movies
'Star Trek Into Darkness': The Secret Behind The Sounds
-
Demi Moore & Ashton Kutcher in $10M Tug of War
'Captain America: The Winter Soldier': Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie Spotted in D.C. (VIDEO)
Katie Holmes Attracts the Wrong Kind of Attention on 'Mania Days' Set
Latest Posts
-
'They Don't Know' featured on next album, 'X'Wednesday, May 15, 2013
-
'X Factor' judge's material doesn't always match her strong pipesTuesday, May 14, 2013
-
Charles Kelley tries to mend his broken heartTuesday, May 14, 2013
-
Singer records some of seventh set on the roadMonday, May 13, 2013


Comments
Option 1
Comment instantly as a guest GuestOption 2
Option 3
Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupJohan
December 15, 2011 at 3:49AM EST Reply to CommentDon'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$ha performing it, and because we hear her vocal with no tricks and we hear her sensitivities and heartache, but because she shows us a side to this song we've never heard before. It's like it's a totally new song, not just a new version of it. She takes a "F-you" song from Dylan and makes it not angry but sad and sweet and vulnerable. I applaud this version but also I boo your critique. Usually I find you spot-on, Melinda. What went wrong with you here??
Johan
December 15, 2011 at 3:50AM EST Reply to CommentWrite a comment...Don't agree at all, nor do such reputable sources as Rolling Stone, Spin, Time Magazine, EW, etc. etc. etc. This version is stunning and surprising. Not only because it's Ke$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??
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