If you were around in the mid-90s, you remember the sheer ubiquity of Sheryl Crow. She was everywhere. You couldn't walk into a grocery store or turn on a radio without hearing the slide guitar of "All I Wanna Do." But tucked away in the chaotic peak of her early fame is a recording that most casual fans have completely wiped from their memory: her reggae-tinged, somewhat controversial cover of Led Zeppelin’s "D'yer Mak'er."
It wasn't a radio single. It didn't have a big-budget music video with Sheryl skating through Los Angeles. Honestly, it’s one of those tracks that exists as a time capsule for a very specific moment in alternative rock history when everyone—and I mean everyone—was trying to pay tribute to the gods of classic rock.
The Encomium Era: Why This Cover Exists
In 1995, Atlantic Records put together a tribute album called Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin. This wasn't some low-budget indie compilation. It was a massive industry play. You had Hootie & the Blowfish, Stone Temple Pilots, 4 Non Blondes, and even Robert Plant himself (collaborating with Tori Amos) on the tracklist.
Sheryl Crow was tapped to handle "D'yer Mak'er."
Now, if you know your Zeppelin lore, "D'yer Mak'er" is already a weird song. It’s from Houses of the Holy (1973), and even within the Zeppelin fandom, it’s a "love it or hate it" track. The title is a pun on the word "Jamaica" (pronounced with a British accent, it sounds like "Did-ja-make-her"). It was Zeppelin’s attempt at reggae, which John Paul Jones famously hated because he thought Bonham’s drum beat was too heavy and "un-reggae."
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So, Sheryl enters the studio with producer Bill Bottrell. This is the same guy who helped craft the "Tuesday Night Music Club" sound. They had a choice: lean into the rock side or double down on the island vibe.
They chose the island.
Breaking Down the Sound of Sheryl Crow D'yer Mak'er
The version Sheryl Crow delivered is, in many ways, more "reggae" than the original. While Bonham played those legendary, booming triplets that felt like a freight train, Bottrell and Crow opted for a lighter, sunnier, and decidedly "beachy" atmosphere.
Crow's vocals are raspy. They're lived-in. She doesn't try to mimic Robert Plant’s high-pitched wails. Instead, she brings that "Sheryl Crow" cool—a sort of detached, sunglasses-on-at-noon vocal performance that actually fits the breezy nature of the song.
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- Vocals: Sheryl Crow
- Guitars and Drums: Bill Bottrell
- Bass: Dan Schwartz
It’s a tight arrangement. It feels like a late-night jam session in a studio filled with cigarette smoke and expensive gear. But here’s the thing: people were divided. Some critics at the time thought it was a "delightful" reimagining. Others felt it was a bit too "Starbucks-ready" for a band as heavy as Zeppelin.
The Live Evolution and the 2 Meter Sessions
If you want to hear the real version of this song, you have to look past the Encomium studio track. In 1996, Sheryl went to the Netherlands for a show called "2 Meter Sessions."
She performed "D'yer Mak'er" live, and it’s arguably better than the record. You can see the chemistry with her band. It feels less like a tribute obligation and more like a song she actually enjoyed playing. In that live setting, the grit in her voice comes out. It’s less "pop star" and more "rock-and-roll survivor."
There’s also an unofficial release floating around titled D'yer Mak'er: Open Your Heart, which captures a 1994 show at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. It’s a bootleg, basically. The quality is "fair," as the collectors say, but it proves that this song was a staple in her setlist during the era when she was becoming a global superstar.
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Why People Still Search for This Today
Why does the Sheryl Crow D'yer Mak'er cover still pop up in search results three decades later?
Mostly because it’s a weird collision of two worlds. You have the ultimate 70s rock band and the ultimate 90s female solo artist. For Zeppelin purists, it's a point of contention. For Sheryl fans, it's a deep cut that showcases her versatility before she moved into the more polished country-rock sounds of her later career.
Also, let’s be real. The song is catchy. Whether you like the reggae beat or not, that "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh" hook is an earworm that won't leave.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to add this to your collection or just want the best listening experience, here's the move:
- Find the Original CD: You can find Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin at almost any used record store for about five bucks. It’s worth it just for the Hootie and STP tracks, too.
- Check the Deluxe Edition: If you're a digital listener, the song was later added to the Deluxe Edition of Tuesday Night Music Club. It fits surprisingly well alongside tracks like "Leaving Las Vegas."
- Watch the 2 Meter Sessions: Head over to YouTube and find the 1996 Dutch TV performance. It’s the definitive version of her singing this song.
- Listen for the Production: Pay attention to Bill Bottrell’s drum work on the studio version. He’s trying to bridge the gap between 70s analog and 90s crispness. It’s a masterclass in mid-90s engineering.
Sheryl Crow has always been a bit of a chameleon. She started as a backup singer for Michael Jackson, became a pop-rock icon, and eventually a country mainstay. Her "D'yer Mak'er" cover is a small, fascinating window into the moment when she was just starting to realize she could do whatever she wanted—even if that meant covering a polarizing Led Zeppelin reggae song.