A change is gonna come: 5 stellar renditions of the powerful classic

25 Jul

ranked at no.3 on rolling stone magazine’s “500 greatest songs of all time” (2021), sam cooke’s 1964 classic is one of the most moving songs in music history.

As an artist, Sam Cooke was compelled to write about his experiences and the struggle of those around him. Actively travelling across the US during the civil rights movement, Cooke and his entourage were subjected to mistreatment and racial abuse in several states, driving him to speak out against injustice through his music.

Appearing on the 1964 album, “Ain’t That Good News”, the single was a modest hit in comparison to some of his previous releases, however, the song has since been deemed a culturally, historically and aesthetically important piece of music [1]. Now, almost sixty years on, musicians all over the world have attempted to replicate Cooke’s soul and passion through their own artistry.

Here are 5 artists that have delivered incredible renditions of the classic.

GRETA VAN FLEET

Greta Van Fleet bring a very rich, heavier rock style to this classic. In today’s world, I’d like to think that this would have been a rendition Cooke would have enjoyed, or performed himself in a stadium setting, in some shape or form.

Josh Kiszka is and will forever be known for his soaring vocals, but his deliverance in this song is arguably the strongest and most impassioned out of all the tracks within the EP this cover is included on (“From The Fires”). The band grant the song a further anthemic, ethereal quality through the use of an intricately placed choir, and a fuller range of instruments, as opposed to the original’s bare boned, “in the moment” quality.

The bridge in particular, is a powerful highlight moment of the rendition:

LIAM ST. JOHN

Liam St. John is the king of “stripped-back” covers and renditions of his original work, and his take on the 1964 classic is no exception.

Keeping the bare, piercing quality offered by Cooke, St. John’s vocals and guitar playing still brings an exceptional level of originality to the piece. Telling the story with clarity and devotion, it’s fair to say that Cooke speaks a little through St. John in this rendition. Perfectly flavouring the cover with his signature vocal runs and crisp vibrato, the artist delivers a wonderful and respectful rendition.

This is also a version you can enjoy on Spotify:

JAC ROSS

Comprised of just vocals and piano, Jac Ross also maintains the stripped-back character of the song, but offers a different artistic flair to Liam St. John. Whilst St. John is firmly grounded in a roots-rock and blues aesthetic, Jac Ross dips deeper into the soul genre, making it a considerably similar version to Cooke’s.

A warm and heavenly take on the classic, a user in the comments noted how the artist truly lets the song “breathe”:

JAN klose, neil chapman and soroja

This version was kindly suggested to me by a user on Quora, who expressed incredible fondness for this decade-old rendition, which he filmed himself at a charity concert in Ontario.

What seeps through so strongly in this cover, is the passion and understanding between each musician, who had never performed as a collective before. This rendition was essentially a result of a somewhat spontaneous live jam, which in a way, beautifully satisfies what Cooke and fellow artist-activists wanted: Music positively bringing people together.

“Jamming for the first time together; Jann Klose vocals; Neil Chapman guitar and the band Soroja with Joe Agnello on Electric Bass, Frank Gennuso on Hammond B3 organ, Dave Breckels on drums, and Michael Massaro on Tenor Saxophone. Stephen Leacock Theatre, Keswick, Ontario. Video is a little shaky but it's for the ears, not the eyes”

STAN WALKER

Stan Walker’s rendition is one that draws out the grit and anger within the original. Included on his aptly named album, “Truth & Soul”, he combines lead and backing vocals with Stevie Ray Vaughan-esque electric guitar to bring a rough contemporary sound to the classic:

If you enjoyed these acts, you might like our “covers” playlist. Stream below!