Starring in the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose, Willie Nelson also penned one of his most iconic songs for the movie. The film, which stars Nelson as a country singer who faces all the challenges of life on the road, “On the Road Again” was the staple on the soundtrack, and has remained one of the signature songs throughout his career.
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“On the Road Again” became Nelson’s ninth No. 1 on the country charts and remains one of his most well-known songs—and even earned him a Grammy for Best Country Song.
Surprisingly, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore of The Chipmunks‘ animated series were one of the first to cover the Nelson classic in 1981. Former late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien even delivered his own rendition of the song with The Legally Prohibited Band in 2010.
Throughout the decades, the song has even turned into a duet for Nelson, who has performed or recorded it with his Highwaymen Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson, along with Deana Carter, Sheryl Crow, and Vince Gill, Alanis Morissette, and more. In 2022, Nelson also performed the song live as a duet with Kacey Musgraves.
[RELATED: 6 Songs Willie Nelson Wrote That Were Made Famous by Other Artists]
“On the Road Again” has been reimagined by artists through folk, big bands, hard rock, and back into country music throughout the years. Here’s a look at five solid covers of Nelson’s hit crossing several different genres.
1. Rosemary Clooney (1994)
Under the direction of pianist John Oddo, Rosemary Clooney presented a jazzier, big band version of Nelson’s country crooner. Her reimagining of the song served as the opening track of her 1994 album Still on the Road.
2. Buckcherry (2002)
In 2002, Buckcherry went buck-wild on Nelson’s song for the NASCAR compilation called Crank It Up.
“That was me,” said vocalist Josh Todd. “My mother used to play a lot of country music when my sister and I were kids. She used to clean the house and I remember listening to a lot of Willie Nelson. We played around with the arrangement to make it more of a rock song. I don’t believe we’ve ever done that live.”
3. Phish (2013)
Mike Gordon and Trey Anastasio of Phish first covered “On the Road Again” during the band’s G.R.A.B. tour in 2006 and later reintroduced it into the set during their 2013 tour and again in 2017. The band has never officially recorded their cover of “On the Road Again.”s
4. Neil Young (2014)
On his 33rd album A Letter Home, Neil Young explores songs by Bruce Springsteen, The Everly Brothers, Gordon Lightfoot, and Bob Dylan, among others. The album also features covers of two songs by Young’s Farm Aid co-founder Nelson: “Crazy” and “On the Road Again.”
Young’s version of “On the Road Again” strips it back to a more roots base, with nothing more than harmonic and acoustic guitar. The track also features Jack White singing and playing some piano.
5. Jake Owen (2023)
Bringing it back to country Jake Owen brought a different twist to Nelson’s hit. Though the melody of the original remains the same, and Nelson is predominantly credited, Owen reworked some of the original lyrics to fit his narrative, centered not around the road but on a boat—again: On the boat again / I just can’t wait to get on the boat again / The life I love is drinking cold beer with my friends / Yeah I can’t wait to get on the boat again.
Owen’s play on Nelson’s song was released on his seventh album Loose Cannon in 2023.
Photo: Pamela Springsteen/Courtesy of Shock Ink
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