10 Greatest Covers Of Beatles Songs
8. Elbow - Golden Slumbers
“Golden Slumbers” is a song that feels as though it could have been written for Elbow lead singer Guy Garvey to put his stamp on over 50 years after its release. The Beatles’ version comes at the tail end of the majestic song cycle that caps off Abbey Road. Written and performed with bombast by McCartney, it’s a virtuoso performance packed into just over 90 seconds’ album time.
Garvey and Elbow only add an extra minute to the song, but they make the most of it. Like McCartney before him, Guy Garvey doesn’t necessarily have the nicest voice in the world, but makes up for it with an incredible, aching sincerity and down-to-earth quality.
The song’s lullaby credentials are questionable given the heft the band put into their rousing performance, but that’s to be expected with late period Elbow, a band incapable of anything but anthemic music. It’s a relatively faithful cover, choosing to highlight just how big this small song can be.
It loses points as it was recorded for a Christmas John Lewis advert, but this aside, it’s a magically effective combination of singer and song.