Jim James - "I Just Wasn't Meant For These Times"

Ahead of the release of his upcoming covers album Tribute to 2, My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James has released his take on The Beach Boys’ wistful Pet Sounds track, “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times.” Inspired while listening to the master tapes for Isaac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul, James layered his vocals over a sample of Hayes’ “By the Time I Get To Phoenix,” which is itself a cover of a Jimmy Webb song made famous by Glenn Campbell. Of the choice to cover “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times,” James said in a statement:

‘I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times’ is a song that has spoken to me very deeply from the first time I heard it. So often, many of us just feel like we don’t fit in, like somehow we were dropped into the wrong life at the wrong time. This song has such a beautiful way of resonating with that energy and relating to the pain of life on earth, but also offering hope and comfort in the beautiful sounds of togetherness.

Tribute to 2 will also feature James’ take on Bob Dylan, Sonny & Cher, Willie Nelson, and more. The album will be released in tandem with a reissue of his George Harrison cover album, Tribute To. Listen to his cover of “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” and view a full track listing for Tribute to 2 below.