Molly Tuttle Shares Neil Young Cover Featuring Old Crow Medicine Show

Singer-songwriter Molly Tuttle released a cover of Neil Young‘s “Helpless” featuring Old Crow Medicine Show. Proceeds from the recording will benefit WhyHunger’s Rapid Response Fund, which helps deliver “immediate economic relief and direct support to those most impacted by hunger and poverty during the COVID-19 crisis.”

Neil Young wrote “Helpless” for inclusion on a Crazy Horse album. However, he decided to first release the song with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on 1970’s Déjà Vu. “Helpless” has become one of Neil’s signature songs and has been played at many of his concerts over the past 50 years.

“‘Helpless’ is a song I’ve played for years, usually as an encore at my shows,” explained Tuttle in a statement. “I love when the audience sings along and we get a sense that we’re all connected. I recorded this version a couple years ago with Ryan Hewitt who produced my album, When You’re Ready, but we never found the right time to release it. It was like a lightbulb went off a couple months ago when we thought of asking Old Crow Medicine Show to play on it. Years after I recorded my parts, they went in and added exactly what the song had been missing.

“I have been a huge Old Crow fan since I was a teenager and obsessively listened to their records,” Molly added. “I started tearing up listening to the recording when they sent it back after playing on it. It’s surreal to get to do a song with a band that has influenced me so much. The harmonies they added on the chorus gave me chills and made me think of singing it with audiences at shows before quarantine started.”

Molly Tuttle decided to donate the proceeds from this version of “Helpless” to WhyHunger. “They are working to eradicate hunger at a systemic level and understand that food is a human right,” Tuttle noted. “Here’s a quote from their website that demonstrates why I have chosen to support this organization – ‘WhyHunger works to address the root causes of hunger such as poverty, racism, sexist, classism, homophobia and other forms of oppression and structural inequities that create disproportionate barriers to food and land access for communities.'”

“WhyHunger’s history is built on engaging artists using their voices to effect change,” added WhyHunger executive director Noreen Springstead. “There’s never been a more critical time to ensure the human right to nutritious food than there is now. Thank you to Molly for driving awareness and action with her beautiful rendition of ‘Helpless.'”

Stream Molly & OCMS’ “Helpless” below: