Noah Kahan's 'Georgia on My Mind' cover for ESPN's 2025 Masters coverage is good, actually

Yahoo

27-03-2025

Once again, the internet is unnecessarily mad about something totally benign.
To advertise for coverage of the 2025 Masters, ESPN is using a cover of Ray Charles' "Georgia on My Mind" by beloved folk rocker Noah Kahan.
The brief sample of Kahan's cover sounds pretty great at first listen, as the "Stick Season" artist was an inspired choice to bring the song to life for a new audience. It's definitely an unexpected change-up, but a good one.
Well, some fans on social media weren't nearly as kind to Kahan's cover, and they let their voices be known in the comments to ESPN's video promotion. We'll let you parse through a few unhappy customers below.
ESPN launches its annual @TheMasters 'Georgia On My Mind' campaign 🎶Featured in 2025, 2x GRAMMY nominated singer-songwriter @NoahKahanCoverage begins April 9 with the Masters Par 3 Contest⛳️ Noon ET, ESPN+ & @DisneyPlus | 2p ET, ESPN🔗https://t.co/qcUXMRulHs | @ESPNMusic pic.twitter.com/NDWIiXq3nf
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) March 24, 2025
I don't dislike Noah Kahan… but I had to fix this for them https://t.co/FUU6Hm9yaQ pic.twitter.com/BzaFSVxEYV
— Jon Tweets Sports (@jontweetssports) March 25, 2025
there's a lot of people dunking on this because it stinks I just wanted to add my voice and agree that it stinks https://t.co/S86fNOzYiP
— Grant McGalliard (@grantmcgalliard) March 25, 2025
This cover stinks, baby https://t.co/pgtITxwnVY
— Nick White (@Nick_White11) March 26, 2025
Love Noah, but this ain't it at all https://t.co/vbYChnjTin
— Aodhán Doyle (@AodhanDoyle) March 25, 2025
'Georgia On My Mind' by Ray Charles is the only version that should ever be recognized https://t.co/2LA3YR4yT6
— Ryan Hile (@Ryan_Hile) March 25, 2025
Okay, there are more comments like the ones above, and people are certainly entitled to their opinions. Switching up on traditions historically never goes well, as people are quite hesitant to change in spaces they find comfort.
However, Kahan is a tremendously talented artist who does Charles' iconic song justice, even with this ad snippet. Kahan hailing from Vermont doesn't mean he can't cover "Georgia on My Mind" for an ESPN Masters promotion.
After all, the South is a wonderful melting pot of people and experiences, and Kahan lived in Nashville for a time. He summed up beautifully the appeal of spending time in Music City.
"I feel like it's really Nashville that's the only place I've ever felt truly at home," Kahan told The Tennessean in 2023. "I've been in a lot of places, but a lot of them I felt like an outsider. Nashville is one place that I felt like I belonged and I really love it there."
That's what The Masters is about, isn't it? People from all over gather to Augusta to celebrate an event that feels just like home. Picking Kahan for such a cover feels just right in that context.
However, getting mad on the internet about things like this is a pastime, and people are well within their right to dunk on this cover if they wish. However, we'll give Kahan's rendition a hole-in-one, and we'll enjoy listening to the full version whenever it's released.
Maybe it'll grow on its detractors over time?
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Noah Kahan's 'Georgia on My Mind' cover for The Masters is good, actually