Assignment 1: Cover Song

Cover: "Tell Me That It Isn't True" - Bob Dylan, Nashville Skyline (1969)

I considered a number of ideas before deciding on “Tell Me That It Isn’t True” off Bob Dylan’s unique 1969 Album, Nashville Skyline. It was difficult for me to find a song I truly loved, but was also willing to change. I played around with some Taylor Swift covers where I altered the lyrics but kept the melody and structure in an attempt to highlight the promise of a song otherwise obscured by it’s silly words, but didn’t find the exercise ultimately worthwhile. I also created a folk version of “Kids of the Black Hole” by 80’s punk legends Adolescents, which was interesting, but not satisfying to play. Finally I decided to cover my favorite songwriter and transform his foray into country into a prototype of my (arguably) favorite genre: power-pop. The Byrds performed a similar action to great success, particularly with their rendition of “My Back Pages,” which I consider one of the first great power-pop songs (alongside Beatles classics “Eight Days a Week” and “And Your Bird Can Sing”). The chords and melody in my version are essentially the same, with the exception of some minor flourishes that help it capture the power-pop feel. The key of the song has also been changed to F major to better suit my vocal range.