Bob Dylan covers Chuck Berry’s ‘Roll Over Beethoven’
On March 7th, Bob Dylan delivered a surprise cover of Chuck Berry’s ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ during a performance in Clearwater, Florida.
Dylan began his current run of dates on March 1st in Fort Lauderdale, where he was reportedly angered by a fan who screamed out, “Play something we know”. The legendary singer-songwriter responded to the shout in characteristic fashion by delivering a new arrangement of ‘When I Paint My Masterpiece’.
Now, Dylan has continued to mix things up by taking on Berry’s classic track ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, which was most notably covered by The Beatles in 1963. Other acts who have taken on the track include Electric Light Orchestra, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Additionally, during his first show in Clearwater, on March 6th, Dylan delighted audiences by delivering a unique take on Johnny Cash’s ‘Big River’, and seemingly, he plans to continue sprinkling his sets with unexpected covers.
Although Dylan had never previously covered ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, he has publicly declared his love for Berry.
During an interview with Rolling Stone in 1987, Dylan said: “Chuck Berry was a rock & roll songwriter. So I never tried to write rock & roll songs, ‘cause I figured he had just done it. When I started writing songs, they had to be in a different mold. Because who wants to be a second-rate anybody? A new generation had come along, of which I was a part – the second generation of rock & roll people. To me, and to others like me, it was a way of life. It was an all-consuming way of life.”
Dylan’s current set of tour dates is set to conclude on April 6th at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas. However, it won’t be long before he returns to the road as he is set to head out across America this summer alongside Willie Nelson for a series of huge outdoor shows. The pair will also be joined on the jaunt by John Mellencamp and Robert Plant.
Listen to Dylan’s cover of ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ below.
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