Ranking Every Time Patti Smith Covered Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan's discography is full of enough stellar pieces of songwriting to invite a wide array of covers, including songs that vastly outperformed his original versions, so it's no wonder that his longtime friend and fellow music icon Patti Smith tried her hand at Dylan songs many times. Smith has covered Dylan a total of nine times to our count, plus one honorable mention, and in this list, we'll rank each of these performances. Some tracks are memorable rock 'n' roll classics, some are folk standards, and some are deep cuts. Smith employed a number of different styles across these covers, showcasing her versatility as an artist. 

Smith's interest in Dylan's songs is clearly of a special variety, with her covers spanning decades of music from the '60s to the '80s, though most of the songs she's covered were from Dylan's folky early '60s. Each entry is a good song in its own right, and even with some mistakes during the performances, the power of the music is still crystal clear. Here is every Patti Smith cover of a Bob Dylan song, ranked. 

This first entry is only debatably a cover, as Patti Smith performed it alongside Bob Dylan himself in 1995. "Dark Eyes" was originally featured on "Empire Burlesque," a relatively forgotten Dylan album, in 1985, but the song is arguably the highlight of the record. This performance took place in Philadelphia in December, and Smith's and Dylan's voices blend beautifully in this rendition. Their chemistry in this soft acoustic performance — the second-earliest entry on this list — must have amplified Smith's interest in covering Dylan's songs, both classics and deep cuts. 

This first official entry on the list is among the most recent of Patti Smith's Bob Dylan covers, and also among her most obscure. On November 16, 2024, Smith performed "Man in the Long Black Coat," a track from Dylan's 1989 album "Oh Mercy," in Kingston, New York. Over a subtle instrumental, Smith delivers a mellow but moving performance of this mysterious track, which evokes an especially noir feeling. It's an enjoyable listen, but amid stiff competition — especially Smith's covers of more classic tracks — "Man in the Long Black Coat" will lead off this list with a relatively high bar. 

"The Wicked Messenger" is another lesser-known Bob Dylan song, hailing from his 1967 album "John Wesley Harding." He also re-recorded the song on "Shadow Kingdom" in 2023. Patti Smith's cover from a 1995 performance in Michigan is eclectic and harsh, with vocals that are distorted over a grungy instrumental. It's a very different take on "The Wicked Messenger," but Smith's cover finds a distinct tone that brings a new dimension to the song — though it is without the heights of some of the other Dylan covers to come. Still, it is a spirited performance and an enjoyable listen for fans of either artist. 

This studio-recorded cover was featured on 2012's "Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International," an album commemorating Dylan's career by various artists, including Patti Smith. "Drifter's Escape," like the previous entry, was originally released on "John Wesley Harding," and Smith's rendition brings it to life with a modern folk rock sound. It's well produced and smooth, as it's Smith's only officially released Dylan cover, making its quality stand out, but her anthemic live performances of Dylan classics still act as better covers. 

This revered protest song is one of the best from Bob Dylan's early career, vividly marking the tumultuous moment it was written in. It hasn't lost any bite today, including on Patti Smith's 2025 cover in Rome. Originally included on "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," "Masters of War" is an eerie and stripped-back composition with the main focus being the lyrics, and Smith's version is true to this vision. It's a bit more of a spoken-word-meets-outlaw-rock rendition, without the pure musical appeal of some of this list's higher entries, but Smith's "Masters of War" remains relevant and is undoubtedly worth a listen. 

Patti Smith's fondness for Bob Dylan's 1964 album "The Times They Are A-Changin'" will be on further display toward the top of our list, and "One Too Many Mornings" is a lesser-known track from that stellar album. Sharing a similar driving melody to the album's iconic title track, "One Too Many Mornings" is a quiet folk song that Smith absolutely did justice during a spring 2022 performance. Smith is clearly as in awe of the music as the audience, taking her time in and out of the song's verses over a tender guitar loop.

This underrated Bob Dylan song that you might not have heard was covered by Patti Smith in a manner very true to the original. "Changing of the Guards" was released in 1978 on Dylan's "Street-Legal," and Smith's cover is from a 2007 live performance. The warm, blues rock sound is mellow and catchy as Smith riffs over Dylan's epic lyrics. She's clearly lost in the music throughout the performance, and in staying true to most of the song's original sound, Smith dutifully captures the beauty of "Changing of the Guards" in a cover that is only rivaled by her renditions of certified Dylan classics. 

Bob Dylan's most recognizable song — which never hit No. 1 but became an essential piece of pop culture anyway — was perhaps a no-brainer to cover for Patti Smith, who took on the track at the 2005 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. The original version of "Like a Rolling Stone"" was the leadoff track on "Highway 61 Revisited" in 1965, and we don't see a lot of intended difference between the two, as Smith puts on her best nasally Dylan voice in a passionate performance. The live instrumentation keeps the warmth of the original, and the iconic song feels right at home under Smith's guidance. 

This original song is a staple of folk music, and one of the most important songs of Bob Dylan's career since its release in 1963 on "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan." "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" was covered by Patti Smith in 2016 at Dylan's Nobel Prize ceremony, and she delivers an unforgettable performance just months before her 70th birthday. Despite a song-stopping mistake a couple of minutes into the song, Smith powers on and embodies the mystical power of the song backed by excellent instrumentation by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. This moment was important for both Dylan and Smith, and this performance of "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" matches accordingly. 

To top this list, Patti Smith brings an undeniable greatness to this moving folk tune. Sharing a melody with the similarly popular "Girl From the North Country," "Boots of Spanish Leather" was originally featured on "The Times They Are A-Changin,'" released in 1964. Smith covered the song in 2011 in France, backed by only an acoustic guitar. Her command over the song's swelling melody is mesmerizing, and this meditative tune stands above the rest of her Dylan renditions as a transformative take on the classic song. Smith also performed the song in 2018 and 2022, making it a favorite of ours and hers — a fitting entry to top this list.