“Both Sides Now”: Folk-Rock Authorship, Interpretation, and the Cover Version

Abstract

Many 1960s folk-rock hits were not original, but neither were they referred to as cover versions. Cover versions were “inauthentic,” but folk-rock repertoire was defined by songs by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, interpreted by performers like the Byrds and Judy Collins. “The House of the Rising Sun” exemplifies adaptation via “trad. arr.”; “Mr. Tambourine Man” demonstrates “folk process” blending with Tin Pan Alley; and “Both Sides Now” highlights early rock critics’ questioning of folk values via discussion of interpretive women folksingers. The way each song was framed within contemporary cultural discourse highlights how “folk” or rock as “folk culture” acted as an ideological smokescreen for competing versions of rock music.

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