hipolito's blog: Ke$ha Calls Bob Dylan Cover 'An Emotional Purging'

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Ke$ha Calls Bob Dylan Cover 'An Emotional Purging'

Pop singer sings 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right' for Amnesty International anniversary album.
By Jocelyn Vena

Ke$ha
Photo: Getty Images

It's hard to associate Ke$ha with songs about anything other than hot guys, body glitter and partying. But she's defying her usual topics of interest for human rights organization Amnesty International. The singer is one of the many musicians on the org's Chimes of Freedom compilation of Bob Dylan's music, out January 24.

When MTV News spoke with K-Dollar Sign last week about her all-star remix of "Sleazy," she also opened up about switching gears vocally and emotionally for her version of Dylan's classic "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right."

"I mean, I think it's pretty well known that he's one of, if not my most, favorite artists of all time and ... one of the most amazing lyricists as well — the original storyteller," she explained. "So I love Bob Dylan and this was just, like, a dream. When they asked me to do a cover, I was just, like, salivating and going through all my records. It was so fun. It was the best homework assignment you could possibly have."

K's version of Dylan's song is a slow-burning, heartbreaking ode to the already heartbreaking classic, where she channels Dylan through lyrics like "Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say/ To try and make me change my mind and stay/ We never did too much talkin' anyway/ So don't think twice, it's all right."

Ke$ha had originally intended to record another Dylan track, but when she heard that someone else had their sights set on it, she settled on "Don't Think Twice," prompting a catharsis she could never have imagined.

"This song was kind of an accident. I sat down and this is the first take that I ever sang," she recalled. "I just sat down on my bed for the first time after months of being on tour and I just started crying, and it was kind of like an emotional purging, and you can hear it on the record."

In addition to Ke$ha and her contribution, the album will feature 75 other Dylan classics recorded by nearly 80 artists including Adele, Miley Cyrus, "Glee" star Darren Criss, My Chemical Romance, Evan Rachel Wood and Sugarland. The album pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International.

Related Videos