Throughout Colorado's past, though, the local music scene has celebrated Liverpool's finest. As proof, here are ten Beatles covers by Colorado artists that range from the wonderful to the whimsical to the downright weird.
DeVotchKa, “Girl”
DeVotchKa has always had a way with combining a wide range of influences and styles. None of that is preparation for the group's version of the Beatles' "Girl." Utilizing eerie, Eastern European folk vibes — not to mention Nick Urata's crooned vocals that sound as if they're emanating from the bottom of an alien ocean — the song is nothing short of a surrealist lullaby. There's even a bit of a hidden relevance to the group's rendition: In Russian, the word devochka means "girl."
Dressy Bessy, featuring Mike Mills of R.E.M., “What Is Life”
Okay, granted, "What Is Life" isn't a Beatles song; it's a solo George Harrison song. But Harrison wrote it while he was still in the Beatles and recorded it only a few weeks after the band broke up in April 1970. Technicalities aside, it would be criminal for this list to not include the confectionary cover of "What Is Life" by Denver power-pop band Dressy Bessy — a sunny, bouncy rendition of an already bubbly anthem. The fact that Mike Mills of R.E.M., a friend of Dressy Bessy's, chimes in on guest guitar only makes it that much shinier and happier.
Chris Fogal, frontman of the long-running Denver pop-punk outfit the Gamits, has never made his love of the Beatles (and classic pop in general) a secret. But he put his melody where his mouth is when the Gamits recorded a version of "There's a Place." It's not the most famous or obvious Beatles song to reproduce, and it's one of the few Fab Four tracks from the group's early, pre-psychedelic years that Colorado bands have tackled on record. In other words, "There's a Place" is a perfect vehicle for the Gamits' snotty energy.
Firefall, "Come Together"
Boulder's Firefall may not be pop royalty on the level of the Beatles, but the band's classic-rock pedigree is not too shabby; since forming in 1974, Firefall has counted members of the Byrds, Chicago and the Flying Burrito Brothers among its roster. In 2007, leader Jock Bartley — who now resides in Westminster — assembled an acoustic album titled Colorado to Liverpool: A Tribute to the Beatles. It's a solid record that's faithful to its source material, but Firefall really shines on its skeletal, bluesy run through "Come Together."
Green Druid, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”
Heavy-metal bands that love the Beatles? It's not as odd as you might think. Even the father of metal himself, Ozzy Osbourne, has gone on the record saying the Fab Four changed his life. It only makes sense, then, that local trio Green Druid — a band unabashedly influenced by Osbourne and Black Sabbath — covered one of the Beatles' heaviest songs, the appropriately titled "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," at Denver's Underground Music Showcase in 2023. And in true Green Druid fashion, it's, um, heavy.
John Denver, "Let It Be"
John Denver wasn't originally from Colorado, but he moved to Aspen in 1971, just as his career was starting to skyrocket. His 1971 album Poems, Prayers & Promises was his commercial breakthrough, after which he became one of the biggest music stars of the ’70s. The album contains some of his most famous hits, including "Sunshine on My Shoulders" — but it also sports a tender, angelic cover of "Let It Be," one of many Beatles songs he would wind up recording before his death in a plane crash in 1977.
Judge Roughneck, "Do You Want to Know a Secret"
The Beatles catalogue has proven to be infinitely adaptable over the decades, with musicians of almost every genre being able to evocatively interpret the legendary band's songs. That counts double for reggae: Some of the greatest renditions of Beatles tunes have come from reggae artists, from Marcia Griffiths to Toots and the Maytals. Colorado's own reggae and ska powerhouse, Judge Roughneck, pitched in on its 2015 release Pick You Up; the album's version of "Do You Want to Know a Secret" is slowed down and made slightly ominous in its romanticism. Judge Roughneck trombonist David Dinsmore died in March, but his life and musical legacy are being celebrated on January 11, 2025, at the Oriental Theater.
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, “Got to Get You Into My Life”
Vintage soul music is the bread and butter of Denver superstar Nathaniel Rateliff and his fiery band the Night Sweats. Yet the ensemble attacked the brassy, trippy pop of the Beatles in 2016 with its rendition of "Got to Get You Into My Life." It was recorded for a special episode of The Howard Stern Show in which the entirety of the Beatles' 1966 masterpiece Revolver was re-created by a handpicked assortment of bands. "Got to Get You Into My Life" may seem like it falls a bit outside of the Night Sweats' wheelhouse, but Rateliff and crew lean into the song's volcanic joy.
The String Cheese Incident featuring Les Claypool of Primus, "Taxman"
Paul McCartney's bass line on the Beatles' "Taxman" is one of the most unique and recognizable in rock history. Aptly enough, Primus's Les Claypool — one of the most unique and recognizable bassists in rock history — sat in with Colorado jam giant the String Cheese Incident during the group's cover of "Taxman" at a 2001 concert in Wisconsin. As one might expect, the rendition starts with an extended, instrumental workout of McCartney's indelible riff before Claypool dives into the vocal meat of the song (while sneaking in a few lyrics from the Beatles' "Something"). Claypool uncharacteristically keeps his trademark frantic fretwork to a minimum while mimicking McCartney; it feels like a sign of just how much he worships one of his bass idols.
Wesley Schultz of the Lumineers, “Honey Pie”
One of the most endearingly weird examples of a Denver musician covering the Beatles is Wesley Schultz's version of "Honey Pie." The frontman of the lauded indie-folk Lumineers didn't record his version with the entire band; instead, he reconstructed the song in a whimsical, lo-fi style for an episode of the animated show Beat Bugs in 2016. It might be the most naively psychedelic thing to appear on kids' TV since Teletubbies, but it also is an endearing tribute to one of the Beatles' most unhinged songs.
