Forever Young (Bob Dylan song)

Last updated
"Forever Young"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album Planet Waves
ReleasedJanuary 17, 1974
RecordedNovember 1973, California
Genre Rock
Length4:57
Label Asylum
Songwriter(s) Bob Dylan
Producer(s) Rob Fraboni
"Forever Young"
Forever Young cover.jpg
German single cover
Single by Bob Dylan
from the album Bob Dylan at Budokan
B-side "All Along the Watchtower" and "I Want You"
ReleasedJune 22, 1979
Genre Rock
Length5:27
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Bob Dylan
Producer(s) Don DeVito

"Forever Young" is a song by Bob Dylan, recorded in California in November 1973. The song first appeared, in two different versions, a slow-pace and a fast-pace, on Dylan's fourteenth studio album Planet Waves .

Contents

A demo version of the song, recorded in New York City in June 1973, was included on Dylan's 1985 compilation Biograph . In the notes included with that album, Dylan is quoted as saying that he wrote "Forever Young" in Tucson, Arizona, "thinking about" one of his sons and "not wanting to be too sentimental".

A live version of the song, recorded in Tokyo on 28 February 1978 and included on Dylan's album Bob Dylan at Budokan , was released as a European single in 1979.

Analysis

Written as a lullaby for his eldest son Jesse, born in 1966, Dylan's song relates a father's hopes that his child will remain strong and happy. It opens with the lines, 'May God bless and keep you always / May your wishes all come true', echoing the priestly blessing from the Book of Numbers, which has lines that begin: 'May the Lord bless you and guard you / May the Lord make His face shed light upon you.' Not wishing to sound 'too sentimental', Dylan included two versions of the song on the album Planet Waves, one a lullaby and the other more rock-oriented. [1]

In notes on "Forever Young" written for the 2007 album Dylan , Bill Flanagan writes that Dylan and the Band 'got together and quickly knocked off an album, Planet Waves , that featured two versions of a blessing from a parent to a child. In the years he was away from stage, Dylan had become a father. He had that in common with a good chunk of the audience. The song was memorably recited on American television by Howard Cosell when Muhammad Ali won the heavyweight crown for the third time'. [2]

Personnel

In live performance

According to his website, Dylan performed the song live 493 times between its live debut in 1974 and its last outing in 2011. [5] This includes a duet with Bruce Springsteen at the Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH in 1995. [6] Dylan also performed the song live on the Late Show with David Letterman in 1993. [7]

Rod Stewart version

Rod Stewart recorded a song titled "Forever Young" that was released as a single and included on his 1988 album Out of Order . Stewart's manager, Arnold Stiefel, said, "[I]t would be fair to say that while the melody and the music is not at all the same [as Dylan's song], the idea of the song is similar. The architecture of the lyrics of the song is very much from Dylan–there are definite similarities." The similarities were enough to cause Stiefel to contact Dylan, who requested a share of the royalties, and Stewart agreed. [8] His version charted at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, while it made #57 in the UK Singles Chart on its release in 1988, and #55 on re-release in 2013. [9]

Joan Baez version

In 1974 Joan Baez covered "Forever Young" as a single. It reached 13 on the US charts.

Louisa Johnson version

"Forever Young"
Louisa Johnson - Forever Young (Official Single Cover).png
Single by Louisa Johnson
Released13 December 2015
RecordedDecember 2015
Length3:23
Label
Songwriter(s) Bob Dylan
Producer(s)
Louisa Johnson singles chronology
"Forever Young"
(2015)
"Tears"
(2016)

In December 2015, Louisa Johnson, the winner of the twelfth series of The X Factor , released a cover version of "Forever Young" as her winner's single. It was released on December 13, 2015, immediately after Johnson won. [10] Johnson performed the song live on The X Factor final. [10] She also performed it on Text Santa . Johnson's version entered the UK Singles Chart on December 18 at number nine, and was the first X Factor winner single not to reach number one on UK Radio, however it was Top for 5 week on Official Physical Single Charts during Holiday 2015 to Early 2016. [11] The song has sold 99,648 copies in the UK as of June 2016. [12]

Track listing

CD single [13]
No.TitleLength
1."Forever Young" 
2."God Only Knows" 
3."Let It Go" 
4."Forever Young" (Instrumental) 

Chart performance

Chart (2015)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [14] 5
Scotland (OCC) [15] 2
UK Singles (OCC) [16] 9

UK Physical Singles Reached #1 for 5 weeks in a row, holiday season 2015 to early 2016.

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
United KingdomDecember 13, 2015

Parenthood

Dylan lent his name, voice, and song as the theme to the television show Parenthood . Lucy Schwartz sang "When We Were Young" in seasons 1–6 internationally. On August 31, 2010, Arrival Records/Scion Music Group released a soundtrack for Parenthood. The soundtrack includes both theme songs for Parenthood, "Forever Young" by Bob Dylan, and the international theme, "When We Were Young" by Lucy Schwartz. It also includes a cover of "Forever Young" performed by John Doe and Lucy Schwartz. Rhiannon Giddens and Iron & Wine covered "Forever Young" for the show's final episode on January 29, 2015. [17] The opening lyric "May God bless and keep you always" was used as the title for the series finale.

Children's Book

The lyrics to “Forever Young” were published as a children's book along with illustrations by illustrator Paul Rogers. Rogers's visual interpretation of “Forever Young” includes references to Bob Dylan's life and livelihood juxtaposed against the backdrop of the social and political climate. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alphaville (band)</span> German synth-pop band

Alphaville is a German synth-pop band formed in Münster in 1982. They gained popularity in the 1980s. The group was founded by singers Marian Gold, Bernhard Lloyd, and Frank Mertens. They achieved chart success with the singles "Forever Young", "Big in Japan", "Sounds Like a Melody", "The Jet Set", and "Dance with Me". Gold remains the only continuous member of Alphaville. They took their name from Jean-Luc Godard's movie of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knockin' on Heaven's Door</span> 1973 single by Bob Dylan

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Released as a single two months after the film's premiere, it became a worldwide hit, reaching the Top 10 in several countries. The song became one of Dylan's most popular and most covered post-1960s compositions, spawning covers from Eric Clapton, Guns N' Roses, Randy Crawford, and more.

<i>Planet Waves</i> 1974 studio album by Bob Dylan

Planet Waves is the fourteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on January 17, 1974, by Asylum Records in the United States and Island Records in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lay Lady Lay</span> 1969 song by Bob Dylan

"Lay Lady Lay", sometimes rendered "Lay, Lady, Lay", is a song written by Bob Dylan and originally released in 1969 on his Nashville Skyline album. Like many of the tracks on the album, Dylan sings the song in a low croon, rather than in the high nasal singing style associated with his earlier recordings. The song has become a standard and has been covered by numerous bands and artists over the years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quinn the Eskimo (Mighty Quinn)</span> Song by Bob Dylan

"Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)" is a folk-rock song written and first recorded by Bob Dylan in 1967 during the Basement Tapes sessions. The song's first release was in January 1968 as "Mighty Quinn" in a version by the British band Manfred Mann, which became a great success. It has been recorded by a number of performers, often under the "Mighty Quinn" title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All I Really Want to Do</span> 1964 song by Bob Dylan

"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. It is arguably one of the most popular songs that Dylan wrote in the period immediately after he abandoned topical songwriting. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Positively 4th Street</span> Original song written and composed by Bob Dylan

"Positively 4th Street" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, first recorded in New York City on July 29, 1965. It was released as a single by Columbia Records on September 7, 1965, reaching No. 1 on Canada's RPM chart, No. 7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song as No. 203 in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever Young (Alphaville song)</span> 1984 single by Alphaville

"Forever Young" is a song by German synth-pop band Alphaville from their 1984 debut studio album of the same name. The single was successful in Scandinavia and in the European German-speaking countries in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going</span> 1982 single by Jennifer Holliday

"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is a torch song from the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, with lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger. In the context of the musical, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is sung by the character Effie White, a singer with the girl group The Dreams, to her manager, Curtis Taylor Jr., whose romantic and professional relationship with Effie is ending. The lyrics to "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", often considered the show's signature tune, describe Effie's love for Curtis, both strongly devoted and defiant. She refuses to let Curtis leave her behind, and boldly proclaims to him, "I'm staying and you ... you're gonna love me."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Make You Feel My Love</span> 1997 song by Bob Dylan

"Make You Feel My Love", also known as "To Make You Feel My Love", is a song written by Bob Dylan for his album Time Out of Mind, released in September 1997. It was first released commercially in August 1997 by Billy Joel for his compilation album Greatest Hits Volume III.

<i>Out of Order</i> (Rod Stewart album) 1988 studio album by Rod Stewart

Out of Order is the fifteenth studio album by Rod Stewart, released in 1988. It features the hit singles "Lost in You", "Forever Young", "My Heart Can't Tell You No", and "Crazy About Her". The album was produced by Stewart and members of The Power Station: guitarist Andy Taylor, and bassist Bernard Edwards. Chic drummer Tony Thompson also plays on the record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Jackson</span> Musical artist

Leon Jackson is a Scottish singer. He finished first in the fourth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2007. Following his win, Jackson was the main star of his on-web series entitled Leon's Life, which ran from 2007 until 2008. Jackson's début album, Right Now (2008) finished the year as the 75th best-selling album in the UK, and included the singles, "Don't Call This Love", "Creative" and "Stargazing".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever Young (Rod Stewart song)</span> 1988 single by Rod Stewart

"Forever Young" is a song by British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart, first released on his 1988 album Out of Order. The song was a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #12, and #9 on the Canadian RPM Magazine charts.

The X Factor is a British television singing talent series. It was broadcast from 2004 to 2018. The winners, runners-up and other contestants of the show have seen varied levels of success, but have gone on to produce a total of 42 number ones and numerous UK chart hits. Sales figures show that artists from the show have sold around 30 million singles and over 18 million albums. One Direction have sold more than 65 million records worldwide, making them the most successful act to have ever appeared on any country's version of The X Factor and one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.

The British music charts are compiled by the Official Charts Company to measure sales of recorded music on compact disc and digital download.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clean Bandit</span> English electronic music group

Clean Bandit are an English electronic music group, formed in Cambridge in 2008. They have had four number 1 hits and ten top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart. They direct and produce their own music videos, many of which have been nominated for Brit Awards and VMAs, while two of them, "Symphony" and "Rockabye", each have over 1 billion views on YouTube, with Rockabye having reached over 2.7 billion views. The group currently consists of founder Grace Chatto and brothers Jack and Luke Patterson. Jack Patterson is the principal songwriter and has been awarded two Ivor Novellos for the writing of "Rather Be". Many of their projects are known for blending elements of both classical and dance music, and featuring guest vocalists. Notable collaborators include Marina, Demi Lovato, Jess Glynne, Anne-Marie, Sean Paul, Zara Larsson, Julia Michaels, Luis Fonsi, Ellie Goulding, Iann Dior and Mabel

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella Henderson</span> English singer and songwriter (born 1996)

Gabriella Michelle "Ella" Henderson is an English singer and songwriter. She competed in the ninth series of The X Factor UK in 2012, being the eighth contestant eliminated despite being a strong favourite to win. She signed with Syco Music shortly after, and released her debut studio album, Chapter One (2014), which reached number one in the UK. The album spawned the chart-topping single "Ghost", as well as the top 20 singles "Glow" and "Yours". Henderson went on a four-year hiatus in 2015. Her second studio album, Everything I Didn't Say, was released in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Over and Over Again</span> Song by English singer Nathan Sykes

"Over and Over Again" is a song by English singer Nathan Sykes. The song was written by Sykes, alongside Harmony Samuels, Carmen Reece and Major Johnson Finley, and was released in the United Kingdom on 18 October 2015 as the second single from his debut studio album Unfinished Business (2016). The song peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. A remix featuring American singer Ariana Grande was also released as a single on 15 January 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisa Johnson</span> English singer (born 1998)

Louisa Johnson, also known mononymously as Louisa, is an English singer. In 2015, she won the twelfth series of The X Factor. She subsequently released her winner's single "Forever Young", which peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart, and it was indeed #1 for 5 weeks in a row on UK Official Physical Single Charts between Winter holiday 2015 to early 2016. In 2016, she featured on Clean Bandit's UK top five single "Tears".

"Shut Up" is a song by English rapper Stormzy. The song was released independently for digital download in the United Kingdom on 11 September 2015 as the B-side to the "WickedSkengMan 4" single. It was produced by XTC and written by Stormzy. "Shut Up" was originally released as a freestyle video in May 2015 but gained popularity over the year.

References

  1. "Smashed Hits: Forever Young". BBC News. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  2. Shales, Tom (24 September 1978). "A Modest Proposal". The Washington Post . Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  3. Heylin, Clinton (1997). Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions, 1960-1994, pp. 95-99. MacMillan. ISBN   0-312-15067-9.
  4. "Bob Dylan - Planet Waves". Discogs. 17 January 1974.
  5. "Setlists | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  6. "Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen's beautiful duet on 'Forever Young'". 6 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  7. "Watch Bob Dylan's remarkable performance of 'Forever Young' live on Letterman, 1993". 6 August 2020. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  8. Goldstein, Patrick (June 26, 1988). "Rod Stewart Sounds an Echo of Dylan". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  9. "Forever Young". Official Charts Company . Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Copsey, Rob (13 December 2015). "Louisa Johnson wins The X Factor 2015 final, releases winner's single Forever Young". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  11. "Lowest chart entry for X Factor winner". BBC News. December 18, 2015.
  12. Sutherland, Mark (2 June 2016). "Clean Bandit get The X Factor for new single". Music Week . Intent Media. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  13. "X Factor champ Louisa Johnson is already in the Top Ten with Forever Young". www.radiotimes.co.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  14. "Chart Track: Week 52, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  15. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  16. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  17. "Rhiannon Giddens and Iron & Wine Perform Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" on NBC's "Parenthood" Series Finale - Nonesuch Records". Nonesuch Records Official Website. 30 January 2015.
  18. Dylan, Bob (2008-09-23). Forever Young. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN   978-1-4169-5808-6.