Same but different

“Make you feel my love” is one of my favourite songs of all time. To me, it’s not just a song with a heart-touching melody, it is a love poem that contains deep meaning. Though it is written with simple words, the images it creates are powerful and sensory.

“When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears“

This song leaves me deeply affected every time I listen to it. I think it is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

“I’ve known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong”

Since Adele recorded a cover of this song and included it in her first album “19”, which was one of the best selling albums of 2011, the song caught everyone’s attention again. Countless of musicians, artists and YouTubers began to create numerous covers for this wonderful song more than ever.

I suppose, given Adele’s popularity, there may be quite a few people perhaps don’t know “Make you feel my love” is actually a Bob Dylan song. It was beautifully written by the poetic genius Bob Dylan and appeared in his 1997 album “Time out of mind”.

I not only love the original version of this song, but I also love Adele’s live performance on Letterman in 2011 as well as a few other covers I discovered on YouTube. They are the same but different, indeed, very different. I love Dylan’s casual and unrestrained style, Adele’s incredible and powerful voice, Ed Sheeran’s airy and lighthearted tune, Billy Joel’s typical “Piano Man” type soft-rock style, and this year’s one of the America’s Got Talent’s performers Marty Brown’s overwhelming affection and his “country” voice. It is indeed not easy to decide which one I like best.

Here are my favourite versions of the song. Enjoy.

original by Bob Dylan

 

Adele – live on David Letterman’s late night show

 

Ed Sheeran – live on UStream

 

Billy Joel – his compilation album “Greatest Hits Volume III”

 

Marty Brown – America’s Got Talent Season 8 (2013)

 

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven’t made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I’ve known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I’d go hungry, I’d go black and blue
I’d go crawling down the avenue
There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rollin’ sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain’t seen nothing like me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn’t do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love

 

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