It doesn’t get much better than Willie Nelson covering The Beatles.
Willie released his 97th studio album, A Beautiful Time, this past Friday on his 89th birthday, and it’s fantastic.
Though there’s plenty of original songs and co-writes by the red headed stranger, he included a couple covers, as well, like Leonard Cohen’s “Tower Of Song.”
And as of Friday, we finally got to hear his rendition of The Beatles’ classic “With A Little Help from My Friends.”
Originally written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, it features lead vocals by drummer Ringo Starr and was the second track from their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Of course, Joe Cocker’s 1969 Woodstock performance might be the version that sticks in people’s minds, as his arrangement became a big hit when it was released the year before.
It was then reissued as a Beatles single in the late ’70s, and although it was never a top 10 hit or saw massive radio success, it became an extremely well-known song by the band and one that Ringo performed often in concert, both with his bandmates and as a solo artist.
You know Willie had to give it a country twist, and the man has still got it… not that it was ever in question, but he will always be a cut above everybody else in the game while he’s making music:
And the original:
Over the weekend, Willie joined fellow Texas legend George Strait at the new Moody Center in Austin, Texas to perform a few tunes for the crowd:
A Beautiful Time tracklist:
1. I’ll Love You Till the Day I Die
2. My Heart Was a Dancer
3. Energy Follows Thought
4. Dreamin’ Again
5. I Don’t Go to Funerals
6. A Beautiful Time
7. We’re Not Happy (Till You’re Not Happy)
8. Dusty Bottles
9. Me and My Partner
10. Tower of Song
11. Live Every Day
12. Don’t Touch Me There
13. With a Little Help From My Friends
14. Leave You With a Smile
