Jun 012010
 

Generations of young people have grown up on Shel Silverstein’s poetry, but many may not know he was also a prolific songwriter. When not churning out classic anthologies like Where the Sidewalk Ends, he penned hits for Johnny Cash (“A Boy Named Sue”) and Dr. Hook (“The Cover of the Rolling Stone”). Twistable, Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein cements Silverstein’s songwriting legacy with fifteen new covers by artists old (Kris Kristofferson, John Prine) and new (My Morning Jacket, Andrew Bird).

Cover Me is proud to premiere a selection from the compilation. Three-time Grammy winner Lucinda Williams spins an alt-country yarn in “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan.” A hit for Marianne Faithfull, in Williams’ hands the song becomes an atmospheric country weeper. The sparse production and ominous bass drum propel the bored housewife’s tale towards a haunting ending. Stream it below, then tell us what you think in the comments!


CONTEST:
We’ve got a copy of the CD to give away. Post your email address in the comments for a chance to win. Contest stays open until Monday, June 7.

Twistable, Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein hits stores June 8 from Sugar Hill Records. View the full track list below.

01. My Morning Jacket: “Lullabies, Legends and Lies”
02. Andrew Bird: “The Twistable, Turnable Man Returns”
03. John Prine: “This Guitar Is for Sale”
04. Dr. Dog: “The Unicorn”
05. Kris Kristofferson: “The Winner”
06. Sarah Jarosz with Black Prairie: “Queen of the Silver Dollar”
07. Bobby Bare, Jr. with Isabella Bare: “Daddy What If”
08. Black Francis with Joey Santiago: “The Cover of the Rolling Stone”
09. The Boxmasters: “Sylvia’s Mother”
10. Ray Price: “Me and Jimmie Rodgers”
11. Todd Snider: “A Boy Named Sue”
12. Lucinda Williams: “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan”
13. Bobby Bare: “The Living Legend”
14. Nanci Griffith: “The Giving Tree”
15. My Morning Jacket: “26 Second Song”

Cover Me is now on Patreon! If you love cover songs, we hope you will consider supporting us there with a small monthly subscription. There are a bunch of exclusive perks only for patrons: playlists, newsletters, downloads, discussions, polls - hell, tell us what song you would like to hear covered and we will make it happen. Learn more at Patreon.

  35 Responses to “Lucinda Williams Covers “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan” (Cover Me Premiere)”

Comments (34) Pingbacks (1)
  1. Darker and more atmospheric than I expected – the production is more what I’d expect from an Emmylou version – which changes the tone a bit, but it’s gorgeous, of course.

    And what a nice coup! Been watching this album slowly emerge – happy for you that you got one of the pre-release tracks!

  2. Very powerful. Not having heard the original version, I have nothing with which to compare it. But if the rest of the album is as good, then I look forward to it.

  3. Great tune! I am jone’sin for ya Lu!! It has been such a long time.
    plz. come back to nebraska! bons

  4. count me in

  5. great cover. love Lu

  6. Hauntingly beautiful: The production, the wonderful vocals! Lucinda’s version is definitely on a par with Marianne Faithfull’s original version, which is not very easy to achieve!!
    chroesch55@hotmail.com

  7. Can’t wait to hear the whole album! sararoxyoursox@gmail.com

  8. Marvellous version played it over and over, `nuff said.
    Our wonderful LU hits the target yet again.
    And yes I agree this could easily be bigger that the Marianne Faithfull version.

  9. I’d love to hear the whole CD.

  10. I’d love a copy.

    ken_sears37@msn.com

  11. I would so love one. karla.kampars@gmail.com

  12. Absolutely fantastic. I’m really looking forward to the whole collection. Shel was a lyrical great.
    ryinyang12003@yahoo.com

  13. Sounds awesome.

  14. Oh yeah! Me wanna win too! hans_mestdach@yahoo.com

  15. Love the Lucinda track, can’t wait to hear the whole album.

  16. Can’t wait for the album. When did this idea come up. Great artists/songs.

  17. nice – good old Lucinda Williams – ordered this straight away

  18. el_gary@hotmail.com
    love all the work you do. thanks!!

  19. Cool tune. Would love to hear the entire CD.

  20. I can’t wait for this album to be officially released. Shel’s work rocked my elementary school library!
    mreigner at gmail dot com

  21. Thanks – love to hear Lucinda Williams’ take on anything

  22. A Renaissance CD!

  23. love the new site! congrats!

  24. Fantastic.

  25. I LOVE IT LOVE IT

  26. Awesome tunes

  27. Sing it Lu. Can’t wait for the new prose.

    Halifax, Nova Scotia

  28. My all time favorite Song writer and Singer!!!
    Such depth……………
    Thank you, Thank you LUCINDA!!!!

  29. Love it!!!

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