There’s one big problem that bands face when they cover The Beatles. How are you gonna match that legendary vocal line? Many have tried and failed, but there was one trio that hit the mark for John Lennon’s 75th Birthday Concert. None other than Chris Stapleton, Sheryl Crow, and The Killers’ Brandon Flowers formed a powerhouse vocal trio to sing Lennon’s greatest love song, “Don’t Let Me Down.”
Chris led the band with a husky and playful vocal that brought the soul big time to Lennon’s late Beatles career masterpiece. You know you’re really cooking when Sheryl Crow and Brandon Flowers are down for being your backing vocalists! But Brandon also got to shine with a bluesy lead vocal in the second and third verses. Sheryl wove in and out with creative vocal ad libs that brought a new flavor to the classic. The Music Man has to say this is the definition of a killer vocal trio!
Fan channel CrowVideoTV2 uploaded the trio’s performance of “Don’t Let Me Down” at Madison Square Garden to YouTube, where it hit a hefty 4.5 million views. Fans thought the trio hit the mark and added comments such as “Chris Stapleton has a cracking voice, that’s undeniable, but Sheryl Crow complements him beautifully in this song” and “Three voices you wouldn’t really imagine to put together, worked really well in my opinion. Sounds great!”
Chris Stapleton has turned his talents to performing Lennon’s songs more than once. He delivered another memorable Beatles cover when he hit the stage to sing “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.” Chris tackled the song with two of the biggest names in country, the great Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. The boys are so stoked to sing this one together, and the smiles they share together at several points are such a vibe.
The Beatles released “Don’t Let Me Down” on April 11, 1969, as the B-side to their single “Get Back.” The Music Man readers may recall that John Lennon wrote the song, inspired by his relationship with Yoko Ono.
The Beatles tracked “Don’t Let Me Down” during the sessions for the Let It Be album. However, quite bizarrely, producer Phil Spector removed it from the album track listing. It’s quite hard to understand how such a brilliant song could be left to languish as a B-side for so many years. I suppose it’s safe to say Phil has been known for his lapses in judgment in a number of areas, not just on track listings.
In the decades since, “Don’t Let Me Down” has been included on multiple Beatles compilation albums, and on the 2021 special edition of Let It Be.