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Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.

Sam Cooke does it better than you

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Jan 19 2009, 11:43 AM ET Comment

I made it down to the concert, yesterday, on the mall. Was pretty awesome--I thought Garth Brooks was actually the highlight. White music, indeed! Anyway, worst moment was Jon Bon Jovi's take on Change Is Gonna Come. No one should ever cover that song again. Even, Anthony Hamilton, who I linked to a few weeks back. It's no slight to Bon Jovi to say this. He isn't qualified--nor is anyone else on the planet. Moreover, whenever people do the cover, they take the drums and horns that come in at that "I go to the movies part..." The song isn't the same without that. To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, let it be. You can only mar it.



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