Iconic Collaboration by Elvis Costello and Mumford & Sons

Collaboration is the essence of great music. The best of it unites, inspires, is thought provoking and timeless – and perhaps makes us move just a little bit. Very few collaborative efforts that we’ve come across have hit on so many of those factors, as does this amazing impromptu performance in which Elvis Costello and Mumford & Sons craft a delightful mashup of songs by two icons of music history – Bruce Springsteen and Woody Guthrie. Bruce’s The Ghost of Tom Jode has become a classic since it was released in 1995 on the highly acclaimed album of the same name.
Inspired by John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” and “The Ballad of Tom Joad” by Woody Guthrie, the song speaks to The Boss’ identification with 1930s-style social activism and desire to give a voice to the disenfranchised. The mashup also touches on Guthrie’s “Do Re Mi” which deals with the experiences and reception of Dust Bowl migrants when they arrived in California. Enjoy this raw performance recorded by the ONE organization in their new campaign to capture the spirit of the protest song.

Elvis Costello / Mumford & Sons

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