Ilsey & Bon Iver – “Heart Of Gold” (Neil Young Cover)

Ilsey & Bon Iver – “Heart Of Gold” (Neil Young Cover)

Ilsey Juber is thus far known more as a songwriter than a performing artist. Juber, who sings under the mononym Ilsey, has credits on songs like “All Night” from Beyoncé’s Lemonade, the ubiquitous “High Hopes” by Panic! At The Disco, and Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus’ “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart” among other collaborations with Ronson and Cyrus. Back in 2021, she featured on “Mimi,” a track from Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon’s guest-heavy Big Red Machine album How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last. Today she’s teamed up with Vernon once again.

Ilsey’s new cover of Neil Young’s chart-topping “Heart Of Gold” is co-credited with Bon Iver, and it’s produced by Bon Iver’s longtime collaborator BJ Burton, one of the more inventive and accomplished producers on the indie rock scene. This cover is not one of Burton’s signature sonic refractions, though; it’s definitely got Bon Iver vibes but pretty much plays things straight.

A statement from Ilsey:

This song has always spoken to me in a deep, personal way. There’s something about the plaintive melody and the simple, evocative lyrics that go straight to the heart of what we all feel. The image of a miner searching for a precious metal- searching for love, connection, something true…it’s a difficult, often frustrating process, but the reward is so worth it. I kept coming back to the thought and the song. I listened on repeat one day before meeting up with Justin and BJ and it just felt right to see if we could play it in a new way, that felt like us, and would do it justice.

Listen below.

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