Dylan Covers: The Times They Are a-Changin'

The Beach Boys: The Times They Are a-Changin'
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This protest song has been covered by a ton of artists including Simon and Garfunkel, Nina Simone, and Joan Baez, but I personally think the Beach Boys version has an interesting resonance. This cut is off the Beach Boys Party album, a contractual obligation but still a gem that musn't be overlooked. The change I think of when Al Jardine sings this song is not political, but cultural. Although they would release the best album of all time following Party, the Beach Boys would sadly become irrelevant and out of style. In this track, you can hear the naiveté and irreverence in the face of "important" music that would help the Boys become cultural dinosaurs.

'The Beach Boys,' under Mike Love and known as "America's Band," probably wouldn't have brought this cover out when they performed at the Republican National Convention.