At a time when Garth Brooks could seemingly do no wrong as a commercially successful recording artist, he took "To Make You Feel My Love," a recent song written by Bob Dylan for his award-winning 1997 album Time Out of Mind and first recorded by pop sensation Billy Joel, and turned it into a chart-topping country single that was included on a successful film's soundtrack.
Brooks' version first appeared on the soundtrack for 1998 film Hope Floats—Or, the second-best film featuring Sandra Bullock in a cowboy hat. His future wife Trisha Yearwood recorded her own version of the song for the film's soundtrack.
The above performance comes from Brooks' appearance at the 1999 ACM Awards.
Brooks' recording later appeared as a bonus track on 1995's Fresh Horses when Brooks reissued his catalog for his first Limited Series box set. The No. 1 single netted two Grammy nominations: One for Brooks (Best Male Country Vocal Performance) and another for Dylan (Best Country Song).
Despite his modern status as a classic rock legend, Dylan's music often overlaps with country music. As one of the young faces of the 1960's folk revival, Dylan's initial audience happened to be the college students keeping older country music and bluegrass styles in vogue as Music City went uptown. By the decade's end, he recorded albums in Nashville with some of the city's most storied session musicians and even cut a duet with the Man In Black himself, Johnny Cash. Stretches of Dylan's career since his Nashville sessions, including a run as a Christian artist, would probably get classified now as Americana.
Read More: Trisha Yearwood Can't Stand Garth Brooks' Constant Whistling
Brooks' gorgeous interpretation gets overshadowed by his other sentimental offerings ("Unanswered Prayers," "The Dance") and his rock-driven greatest hits. For most younger fans holding off on their Dylan phase, it's probably recognizable because of Adele's version on her 19 album (as "Make You Feel My Love") or other recent covers by Kelly Clarkson and Joan Osborne.
[sweeps="https://bit.ly/3pGvtZl"]
This story was previously published on May 1, 2020.
"To Make You Feel My Love" Lyrics
When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong
I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love
The storms are raging on the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
Though winds of change are throwing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love
To make you feel my love
Now Watch: Craig Morgan Leaves Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson in Tears After Singing 'The Father, My Son and the Holy Ghost' on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show'
