Watch Jeff Tweedy Cover Angel Olsen & Sharon Van Etten’s “Like I Used To”
During quarantine, Jeff Tweedy started doing Instagram Live performances in a series he called The Tweedy Show. Along the way, he’s covered some great songs. He paid tribute to John Prine after his death; in another, he did a whole covers set with takes on My Bloody Valentine and Neil Young. Jeff Tweedy, as you might expect, is someone who recognizes a great song. And on his most recent Tweedy Show, he covered what is, in fact, a truly great song.
As you might recall: Last month, some kind of fan fiction wormhole opened up and gifted us with “Like I Used To,” a collaboration between indie titans Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten. A lot of times a song arriving with the burden of that level of expectation can’t possibly live up to the hype, but “Like I Used To” pretty much exceeds it. It’s gorgeous, it’s moving, it’s a fucking banger. It also topped our list of favorite songs that week.
Apparently Tweedy is a fan too. In the very beginning of the new Tweedy Show, he offers his characteristically homespun acoustic approach on the track, with his son Spencer backing him up on drums. Here’s one master of classicist-leaning songwriting recognizing the mastery of two other classicist-leaning songwriters. Check it out below.