The late ’60s were a time when rock legends seemed larger than life, and nobody played louder, harder, or with more raw electricity than Jimi Hendrix. And according to Classic Rock Magazine, on this day in 1968, Hendrix dropped a cover that changed the way people heard Bob Dylan’s“All Along the Watchtower.”
Dylan’s version, released just months earlier, was poetic and haunting in its own right. The lyrics paint pictures of wildcats growling, winds howling, and horsemen closing in. You can almost feel the unease creeping close, but there’s only so much tension one harmonica and an acoustic guitar can deliver.
Then came Hendrix. From the first raw blast of guitar and drums, it was clear his take wasn’t just a cover; it was an exclamation point on the times. Those strings were like alarms going off, a warning siren for a world spinning straight into a storm. Dylan had written the words, but Hendrix made you feel the chaos.
Once the song hit the airwaves, it exploded. Fans and critics alike immediately called it a masterpiece, and even Dylan himself admitted Hendrix had tapped into the song’s true power.
Hendrix’s version continued to define the era. In Forrest Gump, decades later, it was his screaming guitar that carried Tom Hanks’ character through the smoky chaos of the Vietnam War.
Jimi Hendrix had an uncanny ability to take someone else’s work and reinvent it so completely that it became his own. With “All Along the Watchtower,” he didn’t just reinterpret Dylan’s apocalypse; he gave it color, thunder, and fire. Fifty-seven years later, the song still strikes with the same urgency.
You can listen to Hendrix’s version here.
Jimi HendrixPhoto by Walter Iooss Jr. via Getty Images
3 More Jimi Hendrix Top Cover Songs
“All Along the Watchtower” might be the most famous, but it wasn’t Hendrix’s only unforgettable cover. According to Guitars Exchange, Hendrix had a way of taking classics and spinning them into something special.
“Hey Joe,” though recorded initially by Billy Roberts, Hendrix’s version became his first hit single and still ranks as one of his defining tracks.“Like a Rolling Stone” is another Dylan classic, which Hendrix turned into a searing live performance, especially memorable from the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.“Let the Good Times Roll” is a blues standard that showcases Hendrix’s roots and his ability to blend raw emotion with fiery guitar work.So, if you’re scrolling through playlists today, maybe hit play on them all. Just don’t be surprised if Hendrix shakes your speakers the way he shook the world in ’68.
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