Entertainment
This Iconic Singer Covered Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” and It Outshined the Original
Adele is no stranger to emotionally charged performances, with a strong penchant for transforming songs into deeply personal experiences. She has delivered several hits throughout her extensive career, including beloved songs like “Chasing Pavements,” “Rolling in the Deep,” “Set Fire to the Rain,” “Someone Like You,” “Hello,” “When We Were Young,” “All I Ask,” and “Easy on Me.” All these tracks are powerful in their own right, performed by Adele with such heartfelt emotion that you can truly feel every word she’s singing. She is, in fact, a well-known sentimental singer-songwriter, with fans sometimes joking that she sounds like someone who has been through countless divorces. And somehow, that’s Adele’s strength — which is why, when she covered Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love,” fans and critics alike immediately took notice.
Released in 2008 as part of her debut studio album 19, “Make You Feel My Love” holds a unique place in Adele’s discography, as it is the only track on the album that she did not write herself. Yet, she delivers it in a way that feels entirely her own — as if every lyric were drawn directly from her own life experiences. Originally penned and performed by Dylan on his 1997 album Time Out of Mind, the song is a heartfelt folk-rock ballad, a simple yet powerful confession of love, expressing unwavering devotion. Dylan’s version conveys this through his trademark understated style, but Adele’s interpretation elevates the track, making listeners truly feel the emotion behind each line. Arguably, it was through Adele’s version that listeners finally felt every word and actually believed in it. A strong gift that feels so singular to the singer herself.
Adele Introduced “Make You Feel My Love” to a New Generation of Listeners
While Adele’s version is perhaps the most widely known today, she was far from the first artist to cover Dylan’s classic. Billy Joel, for example, lent his voice to the song, and numerous other artists have delivered their own interpretations over the years, including Trisha Yearwood, Boy George, Ed Sheeran, Michael Bolton, Garth Brooks, Bryan Ferry, Neil Diamond, Joan Osborne, Elkie Brooks, Ane Brunvoll, and even Pink. Each rendition brought a unique perspective to Dylan’s timeless lyrics. However, Adele’s rendition has become the most popular, so much so that some listeners initially assumed it was her own composition. Her heartfelt performance introduced the song to a huge, younger audience, particularly to those who hadn’t followed Dylan’s work closely. In doing so, she brought a timeless classic into modern times and ensured that Dylan’s songwriting reached listeners who might otherwise have never experienced it. On covering the song, Adele said in an interview: “The lyrics are just amazing and sum up exactly what I’d been trying to say in my songs. It’s about regretting not being with someone, and it’s beautiful.”
57 Years Ago Today, Jimi Hendrix Covered a Bob Dylan Song So Well that He Influenced Dylan Himself
Years after this famous cover was released, Dylan adapted his live performances to sound more like Hendrix’s version.
Adele was just one of many artists who have dared to offer their own renditions of Bob Dylan classics. Over the years, numerous musicians have put their unique stamp on his work. Some of the most celebrated covers include The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s rendition of “All Along the Watchtower,” Elvis Presley’s “Tomorrow Is a Long Time,” Guns N’ Roses’ “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” Johnny Cash and June Carter’s “It Ain’t Me Babe,” Bryan Ferry‘s, “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” Joan Baez‘s “Love Is Just a Four Letter Word,” Sheryl Crow‘s “Mississippi,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Chimes of Freedom,” Cher’s “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You,” My Chemical Romance’s “Desolation Row,” and more. By joining this distinguished list, Adele not only demonstrated her own remarkable vocal ability but also helped introduce Dylan’s timeless work to a whole new generation of listeners, solidifying her place among the greatest artists to reinterpret his music.
Adele’s version was met with critical acclaim, with various music critics heaping praise on her emotional delivery and vocal performance. And it takes a rare talent to make a song already beloved entirely her own. Indeed, Adele’s interpretation elevated the track beyond a simple cover, transforming it into a defining moment in her early career. Her version of “Make You Feel My Love” stands as a testament not only to her vocal prowess but also to her remarkable ability to connect with listeners.
