I'll Take Care of You, Various Artists.

This is one of those really old numbers which loads of bands go on to cover, and so many versions are great, I often listen to them in one go. I think the original, or an early version at least, was by the Bobby "Blue" Band, and the name of that band sums up the mood of the song completely:

The first version I heard was by Mark Lanegan, and it was also the title of his covers album. His voice (as I've mentioned before) just has so much soul, and his deep growl fits this song wonderfully, reminding you of old men with so many regrets in an old smoky bar, it's really minimalist but delicately moving:

Finally, there was a version made by Gil Scott-Heron (which was again remixed by Jamie from The xx) in which the strings are the most evident change. It seems much more cinematic than the original, very exaggerated, but again so much soul runs through it. You can tell Gil's had years of living, and so much time to encounter similar situations. He's lived, and that's what gives the song such a raw and earnest tone. With the re-mixed version, it has this 90's disco vibe, with a modern dub-step twist, making it a completely new song. It seems really jarring after listening to all the other versions, but once you settle into it, it's really impressive. In the final few seconds, there's a man who whispers 'fucking hell', as if he can't deal with the emotion of his situation. A really subtle way to being this song into the 21st century, plunging you to how you might feel in a club when your depressed and have had a wee too much:

I find it amazing that a song can mean so much to so many great musicians, that they can rework it with so much passion. A song can have its own meaning to everyone, as you can hear from these examples, and I find it really interesting in how artist's try to differentiate, or acknowledge different aspects of the initial version. It's really affecting to listen to all the little differences between these songs, and while I don't expect anyone to listen to all four in one go, it surprisingly doesn't get boring, instead it's even more interesting. It possibly lends a greater insight into an artist's concerns than listening to their original songs. I can't decide which version is my favourite, but it's no wonder that this song has inspired so many talented singers.