Most people honestly think Adele wrote it. Or maybe they remember the Billy Joel version from the radio. But for a massive chunk of country music fans, the definitive version of "To Make You Feel My Love" belongs to Garth Brooks. It’s funny because if you search for just to feel my love garth brooks, you’ll find a million different ways people try to remember the title. Is it "Make You Feel My Love"? "To Feel My Love"? Whatever you call it, the song is a masterpiece of restraint from a guy known for smashing guitars and flying across stadiums on wires.
The Phone Call That Changed Everything
Garth wasn't looking for a Bob Dylan cover. In fact, he was pretty deep into his own lane when Forest Whitaker called him up. Whitaker was directing a little movie called Hope Floats starring Sandra Bullock. He wanted Garth for the soundtrack.
Garth was skeptical.
He didn't really want to do a cover song for a movie. But when Whitaker told him it was a Dylan track, Garth’s tone changed. You don't really say no to Bob Dylan. Especially not when the song is this good. Garth has always been a guy who respects the craft of songwriting above everything else. He famously said Dylan is a genius because he shoots "straight from his heart to yours."
💡 You might also like: How to Watch The Wolf and the Lion Without Getting Lost in the Wild
Deciphering the "Dylan Hieroglyphics"
Here is a weird bit of trivia: Garth Brooks couldn't actually understand the lyrics when he first heard the demo.
Dylan sent over a plain silver CD with his name scribbled on it. No lyric sheet. No notes. Just Bob being Bob. Garth sat there, sliding the disc into the player, and started panicking. He couldn't make out the words. He actually went out and bought every Dylan CD he could find, trying to match the "noises" he heard to the lyrics in the booklets.
It didn't work. Dylan doesn't usually put lyrics in his CD packaging.
📖 Related: Is Lincoln Lawyer Coming Back? Mickey Haller's Next Move Explained
Eventually, legendary producer Don Was stepped in. He told Garth that Billy Joel had just recorded the song for his Greatest Hits Volume III album. Garth ran out, grabbed the Billy Joel record, and finally—finally—he had a lyric sheet he could actually read. He took Joel’s clear vocals and Dylan’s raw instrumentation, mashed them together, and created the version that topped the country charts on August 1, 1998.
Why This Version Still Hits Hard
There’s a reason this song is played at every third wedding in America. It’s vulnerable. Garth’s performance is sparse. In an era where country music was getting bigger and louder, he stripped everything back.
- The Production: It’s mostly just a piano and Garth’s "definitively country" twang.
- The Lyrics: "I'd go hungry, I'd go blind for you... I'd go crawling down the avenue." That’s heavy stuff.
- The Movie Tie-in: Hope Floats was a massive emotional draw in 1998, and this song was its heartbeat.
Interestingly, Garth’s version isn't even the only one on that soundtrack. His wife, Trisha Yearwood, has a version on there too. It’s like a bookend for the film. Garth’s is the first track; Trisha’s is the last. If you look at the 1999 ACM Awards, Garth’s performance of the song is still cited as one of his best "quiet" moments.
👉 See also: Tim Dillon: I'm Your Mother Explained (Simply)
The Adele Confusion
You can't talk about this song without mentioning Adele. In 2008, she released her version on the album 19, and a whole new generation claimed it as theirs.
Garth actually tells a hilarious story about his youngest daughter, Allie. She came home from school one day, all excited, and told her dad he had to hear this "new" song by Adele.
"What's it called?" Garth asked.
"To Make You Feel My Love," she said.
Garth just looked at her. He’d had a Number 1 hit with it before she was even born. He jokes that they "haven't spoken since," but it highlights just how much a great song can morph over time. Whether it’s Dylan’s original folk-rock vibe, Billy Joel’s pop-piano style, or Adele’s soul-stirring ballad, the song remains indestructible.
Actionable Takeaways for Music Fans
If you're a fan of Garth Brooks or just someone who loves a good ballad, there are a few ways to really appreciate the history of this track:
- Listen to the "Big Three" back-to-back: Queue up Dylan’s original Time Out of Mind version, Billy Joel’s cover, and then Garth’s. You can hear how each artist interprets "vulnerability" differently.
- Check out the Hope Floats Soundtrack: It’s actually a 2x Platinum masterpiece. Beyond Garth, it has The Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, and Bryan Adams.
- Watch the 1999 ACM Performance: It’s on YouTube. If you want to see Garth at the height of his powers, doing something other than "Friends in Low Places," that’s the video to watch.
The song proved that Garth Brooks wasn't just a "hat act" or a stadium-filler. He was a master interpreter of song. Even if the world remembers Adele’s voice first, the country charts of 1998 will always belong to Garth’s version of Dylan’s genius.