The product of Bob Dylan’s new singing style and a parallel decision to write more straightforward lyrics, “Lay Lady Lay” was his biggest hit in 4 years, since “Like a Rolling Stone” went to #2 on Billboard in 1965. Because of its relative accessibility – how very unlike ’60s Dylan it is – it is one of the Top 15 most-covered Dylan songs. For most artists, that wouldn’t be a lot of covers, but because it’s Dylan, it means there are hundreds.
Anglo-Irish singer-songwriter and cellist Bird, aka Janie Price, provides a new spin on this oft-covered song by putting her cello at the center of her version. Though she is otherwise faithful to the song, her cello and other choices give this version a subtle new spin.
Bird’s cover begins with pizzicato and the use of the cello as a percussion instrument. Wordless choral vocals are also part of the mix and help take the part of the organ and pedal steel guitar in the original. Price adds conventional cello playing, and it sounds like other string instruments are added to the mix as the cover progresses. There is also some limited guitar somewhat buried in the mix and what sounds like a mandolin. The guitar mostly comes to the fore during the bridge. (The bridge is also where she takes her biggest diversion from the original.)
Though it’s an acoustic cover, the massed strings and vocals give it the feel of something grander. Though it’s a pretty traditional version, the various cello parts in particular give this interpretation enough little quirks to make it enjoyable. Check it out:
