(Alvan Meyerowitz) Every once in a while, there seems to be a highly acclaimed, famous songwriter who is covered by other music artists ad nauseum. Most of the time it’s someone with folk sentimentalities, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young. But sometimes a more pop oriented songwriter, like Prince, can make a huge impact on other musicians as well. These covers can not only be hits for the latter, but also the gateway to newer/younger music fans discovering the original songwriter. When I was in middle school, the 2002 collaborative cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ by the Counting Crows with Vanessa Carlton was my intro to the popular song. In fact that cover was also how I discovered Joni in general. Imagine my surprise when I later learned the blonde Canadian’s original 1970 version wasn’t a mellow, soft rock tune—like the 2002 cover—but an upbeat, acoustic ditty. A few years later when I was in high school, I watched Michael Wadleigh’s classic rockumentary
Thank You so much Megan, this is amazing, you have so much talent.