All I Really Want to Do

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"All I Really Want to Do"
All I Really Want to Do sheet music.jpg
Cover of the M. Witmark & Sons sheet music
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album Another Side of Bob Dylan
ReleasedAugust 8, 1964 (1964-08-08)
RecordedJune 9, 1964
Genre Folk
Length4:04
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Bob Dylan
Producer(s) Tom Wilson

"All I Really Want to Do" is a song written by Bob Dylan and featured on his Tom Wilson-produced 1964 album, Another Side of Bob Dylan . [1] [2] It is arguably one of the most popular songs that Dylan wrote in the period immediately after he abandoned topical songwriting. [3] Within a year of its release on Another Side of Bob Dylan, it had also become one of Dylan's most familiar songs to pop and rock audiences, due to hit cover versions by Cher and the Byrds. [3]

Contents

Song information

"All I Really Want to Do" was first released on Dylan's 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan . The song was also included on the Dylan compilations Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II in 1971 and the 3-disc edition of Dylan in 2007. [4] In addition, two live versions of the song have been released: one, recorded in 1978, on Bob Dylan at Budokan and the other, recorded in 1964, on The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall . [4]

Dylan wrote the song in 1964 and recorded it in one take on June 9, 1964. [5] Like other songs on Another Side of Bob Dylan, "All I Really Want to Do" was inspired by Dylan's breakup with Suze Rotolo. [6] "All I Really Want to Do" opens the album with a different attitude than Dylan's previous album, The Times They Are a-Changin' ; a playful song about a relationship rather than a finger-pointing political song. [6] Musically simple, though playful, "All I Really Want to Do" is essentially a list of things, physical and psychological, that Dylan does not want to do or be to the listener [3] (perhaps a woman, but just as likely his audience as a whole).[ citation needed ] Dylan laughs at some of his own jokes in the song, as he parodies typical "boy meets girl" love songs. [7] One interpretation of the song is that it is a parody of male responses to early feminist conversations. [8] Along with another Another Side of Bob Dylan song, "It Ain't Me, Babe," "All I Really Want to Do" questioned the usual assumptions of relationships between men and women, rejecting possessiveness and machismo. [9] The song's chorus features Dylan singing in a high, keening yodel, likely inspired by Hank Williams or Ramblin' Jack Elliott, while disingenuously claiming that all he wants to do is to be friends. [3] "All I Really Want to Do" sees Dylan experimenting with the conventions of the romantic pop song by constructing rhymes within lines and also rhyming the end of every line with the end of the following line. [3]

The first known live concert performance of "All I Really Want to Do" was at the Newport Folk Festival on July 26, 1964. [5] It remained part of Dylan's concert set list for his all acoustic shows in 1965. [5] It returned to Dylan's concert sets in 1978, when Dylan sang it at the end of most shows to the melody of Simon and Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)". [5] [8] For those shows, he often revised the lyrics, incorporating mischievous verses such as: [5]

I ain't lookin' to make you fry
See you fly or watch you die
And I don't want to drag you down
Chain you down or be your clown

Cher version

What really got me most was Dylan coming up to me and saying, "They beat you man," and he lost faith in me. He was shattered. His material had been bastardized. There we were, the defenders and protectors of his music, and we'd let Sonny & Cher get away with it.

— Roger McGuinn [15]

The Byrds' version of the song is noticeably different in structure to Dylan's. It begins with Jim McGuinn's jangling guitar introduction (played on a 12-string Rickenbacker guitar) and features a substantially changed, ascending melody progression in the chorus, made more attractive by the band's angelic harmonies. [3] In addition, the band completely changed the melody to one of the song's verses, in order to turn it into a Beatlesque, minor-key bridge. [3] Although McGuinn sang lead on most of the song, rhythm guitarist David Crosby sang lead on the middle eight.[ citation needed ]

Reaction to the single in the press was generally positive, with Billboard magazine commenting "another hot pop, folk-flavoured Bob Dylan tune is offered by the dynamic group." [17] Cash Box said that "the rousing, rhythmic Bob Dylan-penned romancer is given a funky soulful sendoff" and that it should become a hit similar to "Mr. Tambourine Man." [30] Record World felt it was a "fitting and proper sequel to 'Mr. Tambourine Man.'" [31] In the UK, Penny Valentine, writing in Disc , opined "I think this is a marvelous song, but, Byrds fan though I have always been, I prefer the Sonny & Cher [ sic ] recording." [18] In the NME , Derek Johnson also praised the single, predicting it would be a UK number one, and commenting "The pattern is much the same as before, with those familiar high-register harmonies – clearly influenced by the West Coast surf sound...coupled with strident twangs throughout, rattling tambourines, and crashing cymbals." [18]

In addition to appearing on the Byrds' debut album, the song is included on several Byrds' compilation albums, including The Byrds' Greatest Hits ; The Original Singles: 1965–1967, Volume 1 ; The Byrds ; The Essential Byrds ; The Byrds Play Dylan ; and There Is a Season . [12]

Charts

"All I Really Want to Do"
Cher-all i really want to do s.jpg
West German picture sleeve
Single by Cher
from the album All I Really Want to Do
B-side "I'm Gonna Love You"
ReleasedMay 1965 (1965-05)
Genre Folk rock [10] [11]
Length2:59
Label Imperial
Songwriter(s) Bob Dylan
Producer(s) Sonny Bono
Cher singles chronology
"Ringo, I Love You"
(1964)		"All I Really Want to Do"
(1965)		"Where Do You Go?"
(1965)
Audio sample
"All I Really Want to Do" (Cher version)
Chart (1965)Peak
position
U.K. ( Record Retailer ) [17] 4
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [17] 40

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References

  1. ↑ Williams, Paul. (2004). Bob Dylan: Performing Artist 1960-1973: The Early Years. Music Sales Ltd. p. 107. ISBN   1-84449-095-5.
  2. ↑ "Another Side of Bob Dylan". AllMusic . Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "All I Really Want to Do – Song Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  4. 1 2 "All I Really Want to Do album appearances". Bob Dylan Official Website. Archived from the original on 1 December 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Heylin, Clinton (2009). Revolution in the Air. Chicago Review Press. pp. 202–203. ISBN   978-1-55652-843-9.
  6. 1 2 Gill, Andy (1998). Don't Think Twice, It's All Right. Thunder Mouth's Press. p. 56. ISBN   1-56025-185-9.
  7. ↑ Shelton, Robert (1997). No Direction Home. Da Capo Press. p. 219. ISBN   0-306-80782-3.
  8. 1 2 Trager, Oliver (2004). Keys to the Rain. Billboard Books. pp. 10–11. ISBN   0-8230-7974-0.
  9. ↑ Gray, Michael (2000). Song and Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan. Continuum. p. 4. ISBN   0-8264-5150-0.
  10. ↑ Einarson, John; Furay, Richie (2004). For What It's Worth: The Story of Buffalo Springfield (Updated ed.). New York City: Cooper Square Press. p. 67. ISBN   978-0-8154-1281-6.
  11. ↑ Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "The Byrds - "Mr. Tambourine Man". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. pp. 77–78.
  12. 1 2 "All I Really Want to Do – Byrds' Version". AllMusic . Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  13. ↑ "All I Really Want to Do – Cher". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  14. ↑ Brown, Tony. (2000). The Complete Book of the British Charts. Omnibus Press. p. 156. ISBN   0-7119-7670-8.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 81–83, 182. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  16. ↑ Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965-1973). Jawbone Press. pp. 28–29. ISBN   978-1-906002-15-2.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965-1973). Jawbone Press. p. 39. ISBN   978-1-906002-15-2.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965-1973). Jawbone Press. p. 57. ISBN   978-1-906002-15-2.
  19. ↑ "R.P.M. Play Sheet" (PDF). Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  21. ↑ "CHER". Official Charts. 1965-08-18. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  22. ↑ "Top 100 1965-08-14". Cashbox Magazine . Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  23. ↑ "Top 100 – Bekijk de Top 100 van 1965". Dutch Top 40 (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 – 1965" . Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  25. 1 2 Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 543–545. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  26. ↑ Rogan, Johnny. (1996). Mr. Tambourine Man (1996 CD liner notes).
  27. ↑ Whitburn, Joel. (2008). Top Pop Singles 1955-2006. Record Research Inc. p. 130. ISBN   978-0-89820-172-7.
  28. ↑ Brown, Tony. (2000). The Complete Book of the British Charts. Omnibus Press. p. 130. ISBN   0-7119-7670-8.
  29. ↑ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. p. 104. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  30. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 26, 1965. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  31. ↑ "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Record World. June 26, 1965. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
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