Cover Me, Ben Harper: My Father’s House

At the 32nd annual Kennedy Center Honors (the highest honor the U.S. bestows on individuals who influence American arts and culture), an array of artists assembled to pay tribute to Bruce Springsteen.

All of the performances were gorgeous that night (see my post on Sting’s cover of “The Rising” for one of my favorites), but Ben Harper’s rendition of “My Father’s House” may have been the most heartfelt.

Bruce was visibly moved throughout Harper’s performance (as were the Obamas), and when Harper finishes the audience sits in rapt silence for what feels like an eternity before breaking Harper’s spell with their applause.

And yet… any true Springsteen fan couldn’t help notice that Harper’s version was very, shall we say, abridged. The song’s most devastating sequence (where the son finally summons the will to make peace wit his father only to learn his father was long gone) had been completely removed, most likely for timing reasons.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the only time Harper performed “My Father’s House.” He’s played it on at least a few other occasions, including during an in-studio appearance on French radio last year.

That performance was just as powerful and captivating as the one from nine years earlier, and better yet: the song is intact, with lyrics uncut.

Enjoy Ben Harper’s definitive cover of “My Father’s House” below.

You can buy Harper’s version of “My Father’s House” in streaming or CD single form; both benefit Artists for Peace and Justice.