Mumford & Sons and Elvis Costello turn in a stripped-down version of Bruce Springsteen”s “Ghost Of Tom Joad,” complete with banjo and accordion as part of Agit8, a initiative launched by U2″s Bono meant to pressure governments into taking action against poverty at the upcoming G8 Summit in Northern Ireland.
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An off-shoot of Bono”s ONE Campaign, Agit8 features works from musicians, actors, artists and musicians performing classic protest songs in an effort to reignite the issue of poverty. Other artists taking part include Ed Sheeran, who is covering Bob Dylan”s “Masters Of War,” Matisyahu and Bob Marley”s “Redemption Song.”
Bruce Springsteen”s “Ghost Of Tom Joad” has taken on a continued life of its own since The Boss originally wrote it in the mid-’90s, primarily through Rage Against the Machine”s version and Rage guitarist”s Tom Morello”s incendiary version of the song (Morello has frequently guested with Springsteen and even became an honorary member of the E Street Band when he filled in for Steven Van Zandt in Australia earlier this year).
M&S and Costello throw in a little bit of Woody Guthrie’s “Do Re Mi,” which, not surprisingly, fits in perfectly with Springsteen’s tale.