“Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” is the second song on Led Zeppelin’s debut album. It is a folk rock standard, covered previously by such luminaries as Joan Baez, though Zeppelin’s version is the most well-known.
This week, Miley Cyrus decided to take the song out for a spin. She posted the result to her Soundcloud:
This release came shortly after Cyrus revealed, via her Instagram account, that she also wants to cover Canadian folk icon Leonard Cohen.
Previously, the 21-year-old has covered Bob Dylan (“You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”) and The Smiths (“There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”).
The news is nothing if not interesting, given Cyrus’ penchant for attention grabbing that borders on shtick. A folk / classic rock covers album, or even just a cover or two, brings to mind Lady Gaga’s recent collaboration with Tony Bennett, and calls into question the likelihood of a bid, on Cyrus’ part, for artistic integrity.
It might also be worth pointing out that Led Zeppelin themselves, upon their forceful arrival in 1969, were treated with great disdain by critics, many of whom saw their bombast as mere posturing, and neither real music, nor art.
By way of comparison with Cyrus’ track, here’s the Zeppelin version of the song:
Thoughts?
