Critic Barney Hoskyns described "It Makes No Difference" as "an artlessly simple country-soulballad."[1] The Band biographer Craig Harris considers it "one of pop music's saddest songs."[2] Music critic Nick DeRiso similarly states that "The Band, as a whole, has never constructed a sadder moment, nor one with more direct specificity."[3] The song's theme is the singer's inability to get over a failed relationship.[2] Among the metaphors used to portray the singer's sadness are images of weather, such as the sun never shining, constant rain and clouds hanging low.[2]
Critics have attributed much of the success of "It Makes No Difference" to Rick Danko's lead vocal.[1][3] Hoskyns considers that "there is something so elemental" in how Danko expresses his loss that it "transcends self-pity".[1] According to DeRiso, Danko's vocal manages to express the "lonesome bottom of this song while retaining its sense of reckless emotional abandon," without ever sounding resigned to his fate.[3]Levon Helm and Richard Manuel add harmony vocals on the chorus, adding to the sense of pain.[1][3] Hoskyns and DeRiso also credit Robertson's and Garth Hudson's "anguished" guitar and saxophone solos for complementing the effect of the vocals.[1][3] According to DeRiso, Danko, Hudson and Robertson are all "walking the same fine line — Danko, between torment and utter heartsick disaster; Hudson and Robertson between stabbing attempts at redemption and a reluctant acceptance."[3]
According to Robertson, "I wrote this song specifically for Rick to sing and when we first started discovering the possibilities, it kept expanding to more levels of emotion. What Garth and I could add to finalize the statement of this song was purely instinctual."[3]
According to The New Rolling Stone Album Guide critic Mark Kemp, "It Makes No Difference" is one of three songs on Northern Lights – Southern Cross, along with "Ophelia" and "Acadian Driftwood," on which "Robertson reclaims his reputation as one of rock's great songwriters.[5] Hoskyns considers it and "Acadian Driftwood" to be "the most moving songs Robertson had written in five years."[1]Allmusic critic Rob Bowman claims that it "might be the best romantic ballad ever done by the group."[6] The Sarasota Herald-Tribune described the song as "poignant" and praised its eloquence as being worthy of a Grammy Award.[7]Pittsburgh Post-Gazette critic Ed Masley considers "It Makes No Difference" to be "Robertson's best song," praising its majesty and "heartbreaking soul."[8]
Solomon Burke covered "It Makes No Difference" on his 2005 album Make Do with What You Got.[12] Deming praises his version for bring the song "to vivid and passionate life that's thrilling to hear."[12]My Morning Jacket covered "It Makes No Difference" on the 2007 tribute albumEndless Highway: The Music of The Band.[13] Ben Windham of The Tuscaloosa News particularly praised the lead vocal and "biting guitar" of this version.[14] My Morning Jacket also covered the song on Love for Levon in 2012.[15]Over the Rhine covered the song on their 2013 album Meet Me at the Edge of the World.[16] AllMusic critic James Christopher Monger praised their version as "a soulful, Carole King-inspired take.".[16] Post-punk group the Mekons also covered the song on their F.U.N. 90 EP from 1990. Trey Anastasio covers the song with his band, the Trey Anastasio Band. Shannon McNally covered the song on her 2017 album Black Irish produced by Rodney Crowell. The Icicle Works covered the song on their 1986 EP ‘Up Here In The North of England’. Eric Clapton performed a cover of it at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada on September 10, 2023, in tribute to the passing of Robbie Robertson[17]
^The Band: A Musical History (CD). The Band. Capitol Records. 2005. 72435-77409-0-6 CCAP77409-6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
