Tommy Emmanuel & Mike Dawes Cover the 1975's "Be My Mistake"

Tommy Emmanuel and Mike Dawes Cover the 1975’s “Be My Mistake” (premiere)

Guitar virtuosos Tommy Emmanuel and Mike Dawes create a gorgeous rendition of The 1975’s “Be My Mistake”, a single from Accomplice Series Vol. 3.

Jonathan Frahm / 20 September 2022

Guitar luminaries Tommy Emmanuel and Mike Dawes join together for a gorgeous acoustic interpretation of the 1975’s hit ballad, “Be My Mistake”. The arrangement is approached with trademark restraint. For decades, Emmanuel has let heart and substance surmount flash, and Dawes is a forthcoming virtuoso cut from the same cloth. Both allow the original song’s melancholy to overtake the complexities of their arrangement, bringing an emotional core to an impressive display of fingerstyle and percussive guitar techniques.

Their cover is the third single from an upcoming five-song EP, Accomplish Series Vol. 3, due out by Emmanuel on 23 September via CGP Sounds. The performance was filmed live by Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard for Neighborhoods Apart, with audio recorded by Dylan Allredge.

Emmanuel says, “Mike brought this song to my attention, and he had it all arranged and worked up as a solo piece. Everything he was doing was just what it needed, so I only had to find some space to add a few ideas and stay out of his way. Hopefully, I embellished enough to create some beauty. Recording with our engineer, Marc DeSisto in Los Angeles, was a happy, creative experience that recording should be. We found our mojo in our different sounding guitars and styles, put them together, and let them mesh. I hope you all enjoy the music.”

Dawes says,” ‘Be My Mistake’ is probably my favorite cut from the record. This 1975 cover was the only new arrangement we didn’t record live together in the studio. Instead, as Tommy hadn’t heard it before, I played my rhythm guitar part in one take whilst he listened. He then listened to playback to further acknowledge the structure. Then, he sat down and just nailed it. This moment captured is a testament to Tommy as the greatest player out there. Every touch and delicate phrase sits with such an iconic character. Note his amazing mandolin impression in the second half. A beautiful way to conclude a special record that has been a privilege to create.”