Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands

Last updated

"Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album Blonde on Blonde
ReleasedJune 20, 1966 (1966-06-20)
RecordedFebruary 16, 1966
Studio Columbia A, Nashville, Tennessee
Length11:23
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Bob Dylan
Producer(s) Bob Johnston
Audio
"Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" on YouTube

"Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. First released as the final track on Dylan's seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde (1966), the song lasts 11 minutes and 23 seconds, and occupies the entire fourth side of the double album. The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. The recording session began at 6 pm on February 15, 1966, at Columbia Studio A, Nashville, Tennessee, but Dylan worked on the lyrics for several hours while the experienced Nashville session musicians hired to accompany him stood by. Four takes were recorded in the early hours of February 16; the final recording was released on Blonde on Blonde. The music is a waltz in 6/8 time.

Contents

Some writers have concluded that the song refers to Joan Baez, although most agree that it was composed for Dylan's wife Sara Lownds. Dylan refers to writing the song for his wife in his track "Sara" (1975). Commentators have pointed to literary allusions in "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" which include William Blake's 1794 poem "The Tyger", Algernon Swinburne's 1866 poem "Dolores", and verses of the Bible.

Dylan's lyrics polarized critics. On its release, several reviewers found them impenetrable, but rated the song favorably. Later writers often agree with this, praising the sound, dismissing the lyrics, and rating the song as amongst Dylan's best work.

Dylan has never performed the song in concert. It has been covered by a variety of artists, including Baez, on Any Day Now (1968), and Richie Havens, on Mixed Bag II (1974). Dylan's version has been cited as an influence by the former Pink Floyd bassist and songwriter Roger Waters, and George Harrison wrote that the track influenced aspects of the Beatles song "Long, Long, Long".

Background and recording

Bob Dylan (left) with his tour manager Victor Maymudes (center) and Robbie Robertson in Sweden in April 1966, between the recording and release of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" Bob-Dylan-arrived-at-Arlanda-surrounded-by-twenty-bodyguards-and-assistants-391770740297.jpg
Bob Dylan (left) with his tour manager Victor Maymudes (center) and Robbie Robertson in Sweden in April 1966, between the recording and release of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"

Bob Dylan began to record his seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde , in New York in October 1965. Frustrated by slow progress in the studio, Dylan agreed to the suggestion of his producer Bob Johnston and moved to Columbia's A Studio on Music Row, Nashville, Tennessee, in February 1966. Bringing with him Robbie Robertson on guitar and Al Kooper on keyboard, Dylan commenced recording with experienced Nashville session players. [1] [2]

On February 15, following the move to Nashville, a session began at 6 pm, but Dylan simply sat in the studio working on his lyrics, while the musicians played ping-pong and chatted. [3] Dylan's biographer Clinton Heylin described Dylan writing the song across three recording sessions that had been booked; guitarist Charlie McCoy later recalled that it was unprecedented for him and the other musicians to be booked and paid for their time but not play. [4] Finally, at 4 am, Dylan called the musicians in and outlined the structure of the song. [3] Dylan counted off and the musicians attempted his composition, "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". Drummer Kenny Buttrey recalled that after the second chorus, "everybody's just peaking it up 'cause we thought, Man, this is it ... This is gonna be the last chorus and we've gotta put everything into it we can. And he played another harmonica solo and went back down to another verse", meaning that the group had to revert to a less intense style. [3] Several minutes later into the song, Buttrey said he was thinking, "... we peaked five minutes ago. Where do we go from here?" [5]

Four takes of the song were recorded, three of which were complete. [6] [7] The first-take version lasted 10 minutes and seven seconds. [8] After an incomplete take two, used to familiarise the musicians with the intended tempo, the third take was just over 12 minutes long. [9] The fourth take clocked in at 11 minutes, 23 seconds, and would occupy the entire fourth side of the double album. [3] The Dylan scholar Michael Gray writes that for the first verse, only the opening line of the album version was significantly different from the first-take lyrics, which started with "With your mercury eyes in the months that climb". [10] [lower-alpha 1] He regards the other lyrical changes between different takes as minor. [12] Daryl Sanders, author of a 2020 book about the making of Blonde on Blonde, remarks that several people present at the studio "have remembered recording 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' in one take, and that has become part of the mythology surrounding the song". [7]

Charlie McCoy (pictured in 1990) later recalled that "We came in at two, and he started to write the song, and four a.m. the next morning he said, 'Okay, I'm ready to record.' After you've tried to stay awake 'til four o'clock in the morning, to play something so slow and long was really, really tough." Charlie McCoy03.JPG
Charlie McCoy (pictured in 1990) later recalled that "We came in at two, and he started to write the song, and four a.m. the next morning he said, 'Okay, I'm ready to record.' After you've tried to stay awake 'til four o'clock in the morning, to play something so slow and long was really, really tough."

The song was released on Blonde on Blonde on June 20, 1966. [2] [6] [7] [14] The recording session was released in its entirety on the 18-disc Collector's Edition of The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966 in 2015, with the first take of the song also appearing on the six-disc version of that album. [15]

When Dylan played the song to his biographer Robert Shelton, shortly after recording it, he claimed it was the best song that he had ever composed. [16] Around the same time, Dylan played the as-yet-unreleased album track with journalist Jules Siegel present, describing it as "old-time religious carnival music". [17] Siegel described Dylan as excited by his own track. [18] In 1969, Dylan related to Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner, "I just sat down at a table and started writing ... And I just got carried away with the whole thing ... I just started writing and I couldn't stop. After a period of time, I forgot what it was all about, and I started trying to get back to the beginning." [19]

The music is a waltz in 6/8 time. [20] The music critic Alex Ross wrote that the refrain [is] a rising and descending arc, made up of successive notes in D-major. [21] Both the song and the album contain musical and thematic influences from country music. The music scholar Keith Negus wrote that the "timbre of the vocals, the texture of the instruments, [and] the ballad style" on the album are reminiscent of country music, particularly on "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands", "Visions of Johanna" and "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)". [22] Negus describes the song's structure as five cycles each of two verses followed by a chorus, with "musical components that ... can be represented as [a a b a a b c c d e e]". [23]

Each verse consists of a list of the sad-eyed lady's attributes, complemented by a sequence of rhetorical questions about the Lady which are never answered within the song. [24] [25] Thus, the first verse begins:

With your mercury mouth in the missionary times
And your eyes like smoke and your prayers like rhymes
And your silver cross, and your voice like chimes
Oh, who do they think could bury you? [26]

The critic Ian Bell contends that people who "say that 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' is a mere jumble of images miss a poet attempting, in the ancient manner, to count the ways of love ... and to put the mystery of inviolability and passion into words." [27]

Critical comments

Subject

Critics generally agreed that Dylan wrote "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" about his wife, Sara, [28] and some have remarked on the similarity of "Lowlands" to "Lownds", Sara's previous surname. [29] Shelton wrote that "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" was a "wedding song" for Sara Lownds, whom Dylan had married on November 22, 1965, only three months prior to recording the song. [30] [31] Heard by some listeners as a hymn to an other-worldly woman, [32] for Shelton "her travails seem beyond endurance, yet she radiates an inner strength, an ability to be re-born. This is Dylan at his most romantic." [31] Sara's maiden name was Shirley Noznisky; her father, Isaac Noznisky, was a scrap metal dealer in Wilmington, Delaware. Critics have suggested a link between "sheet metal memories of Cannery Row" and the business of Sara's father, as well as the quote "with your sheets like metal and your belts like lace". Similarly the line "your magazine husband who one day just had to go" could be a reference to Sara's first husband, the magazine photographer Hans Lownds. [33]

In "Sara", a song Dylan wrote and recorded in 1975, he gave another account of the origin of "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands", singing: [34]

Stayin' up for days in the Chelsea Hotel,
Writin' "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" for you. [26] [35]

The couple had lived in the Chelsea Hotel in 1965. [34] In his 2009 book Bob Dylan in America, historian Sean Wilentz comments that "Sara" appears to be an insincere attempt at reconciliation after the couple had split, with the lines from the later song giving the impression that Dylan "thought he was handing her some kind of trophy, by telling the whole world that she alone was the muse behind his masterpiece". [36] Lester Bangs provided a hostile critique of the recording in his review of Dylan's 1975 album Desire . Noting Dylan's claims in "Sara" to have written "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" in the Chelsea Hotel, Bangs remarked that he had been reliably informed that Dylan had composed the song "wired out of his skull in the studio, just before the songs were recorded ... Those lyrics were a speed trip, and if he really did spend days on end sitting in the Chelsea Hotel sweating over lines like 'your streetcar visions which you place on the grass', then he is stupider than we ever gave him credit for." [37]

Joan Baez has sometimes been suggested as the song's subject; [38] [39] Baez herself thought that the song was about her; since 1959 she had included a song called "Lowlands" in her repertoire, and her version was included on the album Folksingers 'Round Harvard Square (1959). [40] [41] The Canadian poet Stephen Scobie argues that this potential link contributes to a case for the song being about Baez, but concludes that it is not possible to be sure about who Dylan refers to in the song. [42]

Literary allusions

Wilentz, discussing the song, comments that Dylan's writing had shifted from the days when he asked questions and supplied answers in the traditional folk-ballad idiom. Like the verses of William Blake's "The Tyger", Dylan asks a series of questions about the sad-eyed lady but never supplies any answers. [25]

 Who gave thee thy wisdom? what stories
  That stung thee, what visions that smote?
Wert thou pure and a maiden, Dolores,
  When desire took thee first by the throat?

Algernon Swinburne, "Dolores", ll. 41–44; cited in Ricks (2004) [43]

Who among them do they think could carry you?
 ...Who among them can think he could outguess you?
 ...But who among them really wants just to kiss you?
 ...Who among them do you think could resist you?

Lines from "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"; cited in Ricks (2004) [43]

The literary critic Christopher Ricks compares both the imagery and the meter of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" to a poem by Algernon Swinburne, "Dolores", published in 1866. Ricks describes Swinburne's poem as an "anti-prayer to his anti-madonna, an interrogation that hears no need why it should ever end". Ricks writes that "Dolores moves ... 'To a tune that enthralls and entices', as does 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands'." Ricks makes the point that "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" lists attributes in the same way that "Dolores" does. Ricks describes the way in which Dylan's song attributes so many objects and qualities to the sad-eyed lady as "part inventory, part arsenal, these returns of phrases are bound by awe of her and by suspicion of her". [24]

Throughout his career, Dylan has referenced biblical language, imagery and characters in his songs. [44] [45] The mention of "kings of Tyrus" suggests to Scobie and Ricks that the Book of Ezekiel is alluded to. [24] [46] Scobie argues that Ezekiel is associated with denouncing Tyrus more than other prophets are, [46] and Ricks considers that based on a selection of verses, Ezekiel must be the "sad-eyed prophet", particularly as he is unable to cry. [24] [47] The phrase "no man" is repeated in both the song's chorus, in "Where the sad eyed prophet says that no man comes", and several times in the biblical book. [24] Tyrus is described in Ezekiel as "a merchant of the people for many isles"; this chapter of Ezekiel lists many commodities and luxuries which Tyrus trades in, including tin, iron, silver, honey, emeralds, wine, and spices. Thus, for Ricks, Tyrus is "one huge warehouse of hubris", perhaps hinted at by the "warehouse eyes" in Dylan's song. [24] The repeated mention of gates in the song may reference a phrase from Ezekiel: "This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it." [24] [48] Gray argues that the Book of Ezekiel influenced the language of several of Dylan's songs, including "Gates of Eden" (1965), "Angelina" (1981), and "Dignity" (1989). [49]

Favorable responses

Poet Allen Ginsberg (right), pictured with Dylan in 1973, thought "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" was "a good poem all by itself". Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan by Elsa Dorfman.jpg
Poet Allen Ginsberg (right), pictured with Dylan in 1973, thought "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" was "a good poem all by itself".

Several contemporary reviewers found the lyrics of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" impenetrable, but still reviewed the track favorably. Ralph Gleason wrote in the San Francisco Examiner that "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" was "a ghostly enigma". [50] He reported that the Beat poet Allen Ginsberg had said the song stood independently as a good poem, which Gleason called a top-tier commendation. [50] The Village Voice critic Richard Goldstein found that "all that is necessary to appreciate the willowy beauty of its lyrics is to think closely of a personal sad-eyed lady and let the images do the rest", [51] and The Boston Globe reviewer Ernie Santosuosso commented that "It's Dylan at his most esoteric best in this wailing tribute filled with sense-boggling word figures." [52] The song was described in Melody Maker as "an appealing hymnic chant" on a par with the best of Dylan's recent work. [53]

In a later review, the critic Andy Gill feels the work, recorded in the early hours of the morning, has a nocturnal quality similar to "Visions of Johanna". [35] Al Kooper, who played organ on the track, agreed, describing the song in a 2005 interview with Mojo magazine as "the definitive version of what 4 am sounds like". [54] Gill comments on the "measured grace and stately pace" of the song's rhythm, characterizing the mood of the song as being as much like music for a funeral as for a wedding. Gill remarks that although the song contains a lot of enigmatic imagery, it lacks the jokey nihilism that characterizes much of the rest of Blonde on Blonde. [35] The musicologist Wilfrid Mellers argues that Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands stands with "Mr. Tambourine Man" as one of the "most insidiously haunting pop songs of our time". [55] Mellers claims that Dylan has succeeded in concentrating contradictory qualities into the Lady, remarking that it is impossible to assess "whether the Lady is a creature of dream or nightmare; but she's beyond good and evil". [55] He contends that "the song even erases Time ... it enters a mythological once-upon-a-time where the clock doesn't tick". [55] For Paul Williams, the song is not typical of Dylan's canon as the melody initially draws the listener's attention, rather than the lyrics. Williams opines that the song "has an almost unearthly beauty". [56]

In his book Bob Dylan's Poetics: How the Songs Work, historian and literature scholar Timothy Hampton comments that Dylan's delivery of the track's chorus creates a sense of distance between singer and audience. [57] He adds that this was a technique employed on several Blonde on Blonde tracks. [57] Hampton notes that Dylan sings ahead of the beat; thus, making it difficult to sing in time with him. [57] Scobie praises Dylan's delivery, giving the example of the relatively "prosaic and drab" written lyric "And you wouldn't know it would happen like this", which "soars" when sung by Dylan. [58] In 1981, the literature scholar David Pichaske wrote that "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" was one of Dylan's most widely applauded songs, although all efforts to explain its appeal had been found wanting; [59] he noted the use of alliteration and assonance in the song, and suggested that the sound of the track might be more important than the imagery in it. [59] In 1969, Williams had made similar comments, writing that he found the song affecting, despite being unable to decipher the lyrics, and that while he could appreciate the song on an emotional level, he was unable to articulate why. [60]

The song has received praise from other commentators who have assessed the track against others in Dylan's oeuvre. Jim Beviglia rated the song as Dylan's best in his 2013 book Counting Down Bob Dylan: His 100 Finest Songs, referring to it as the best love song of all time and considering it the prime example of Dylan's combination of words and music, and performance. [61] In 2015, the song was ranked 27th on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs". [62] In a 2020 article for The Guardian , Alexis Petridis ranked it the ninth-greatest of Dylan's songs, and felt that "its understated sound, cyclical melody and devotional lyrics" provided persuasive evidence that the track was a "masterpiece". [63]

Negative and ambivalent responses

The Variety review of Blonde on Blonde in 1966 noted that "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" had a side of the double album to itself, and called it "one of [Dylan's] more pretentious poetic flights, which in this case is an imposition on the patience of his most dedicated fans". [64] Six years later, the broadcaster, writer, and critic Clive James wrote that Dylan's "unstable sense of organization is most readily noticeable in the long songs that don't justify their length", citing "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" as an example, and complaining that the album was effectively three sides long rather than four. [65]

Some later commentaries have been critical of the song's lyrics while praising the music or performance. The cultural critic Paul Morley comments that opinions on "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" ranged from it being the finest love song of all time to it being an overambitious caricature of a love song. [66] Ross argued that the lyrics of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" become increasingly hard to fathom, writing that in the second-to-last verse, Dylan's meaning clouds over: "'They wished you'd accepted the blame for the farm.' What farm? What happened to it? Why would she be to blame for it?" [67] Ross further interrogates Dylan's imagery, asking:

What are "warehouse eyes", and how can one leave them by a gate?  ... But the music makes you forget them. The melody of the refrain—a rising and descending scale, as in "Danny Boy"—is grand to begin with, but in the fifth verse Dylan makes it grander. As the band keeps playing the scale, he skates back up to the top D with each syllable." [67]

Heylin, like the Variety review, has described "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" as "pretentious", but also as "a captivating carousel of a performance". [68] He suggests that Dylan was driven to create a song that would reach a new level of writing and performance. Heylin quotes from Dylan's San Francisco press conference on December 3, 1965, when he stated he was interested in:

... writing [a] symphony ... with different melodies and different words, different ideas ... which just roll on top of each other ... the end result being a total[ity] ... They say my songs are long now. Some time [I'm] just gonna come up with one that's gonna be the whole album." [68]

The Dylan scholar Michael Gray changed his opinion of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". In the 1972 edition of his book Song & Dance Man: The Art of Bob Dylan, Gray concludes that the song is "unsuccessful, and rather grandly so, inasmuch as it is offered on the album, as something of extraspecial importance, and yet no one, subsequently, has, after any thought, really accepted it as such." [69] In a footnote to this passage, written for the 2000 edition of his book, Gray remarked that he felt "embarrassed" at his earlier assessment, adding that although the song's lyrics were flawed, "the recording itself, capturing at its absolute peak Dylan's incomparable capacity for intensity of communication, is a masterpiece if ever there was one." [70]

Live performances and legacy

Dylan has never performed the song in concert, although during the "Woman In White" sequence of Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara , a live performance can be heard in the background. Dylan, accompanied by Scarlet Rivera on violin, Rob Stoner on bass, and Howie Wyeth on drums, recorded this version at a rehearsal during the Rolling Thunder Revue in 1975. [68]

Joan Baez (pictured in 1966) covered "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands", which some people thought was about her, for her 1968 album Any Day Now. Joan Baez 1966.jpg
Joan Baez (pictured in 1966) covered "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands", which some people thought was about her, for her 1968 album Any Day Now .

Baez covered the song for her 1968 album Any Day Now . Harper Barnes of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch felt that "without apparent narcissism, [Baez] beautifully sustains 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' for more than 11 minutes." [38] It was less well received by Raymond Lowery of The News and Observer , who found it "interminable". [71]

Richie Havens included a seven-minute version on his 1974 album Mixed Bag II, which was described by Joe Sornberger of the Edmonton Journal as an "upbeat, almost funky love tribute" that kept the spirit of the original despite being much shorter than Dylan's original. [72]

The French alternative rock band Phoenix recorded a live, five-minute acoustic cover for the German magazine Musikexpress that Rolling Stone reviewer Daniel Kreps felt was true to the original despite the reduced duration. [73] Similarly, Kevin Richards in American Songwriter wrote that it retained the "wistful melancholy" of Dylan's version. [74]

A version by the Old Crow Medicine Show was described as "mid-tempo ... almost celebratory" by Wayne Bledsoe in the Knoxville News Sentinel . [75]

Andrew Stafford of The Guardian felt that Emma Swift's cover on her 2020 album Blonde on the Tracks was consistently elegant. [76] Conversely, Hal Horowitz in American Songwriter wrote that her rendition, lacking the compelling musical accompaniment of the Blonde on Blonde version, became rather dull. [77]

Cover versions of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"
ArtistReleaseYearApproximate length
Joan Baez Any Day Now 196811:18 [78]
Richie Havens Mixed Bag II19747:52 [79] [80]
Phoenix For Musikexpress magazine2010Nearly 5 minutes [73]
Old Crow Medicine Show 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde 20179:27 [81]
Emma Swift Blonde on the Tracks 202011:57 [82]

In his 1980 autobiography, I, Me, Mine , George Harrison says that the song's chord changes influenced the music of his Beatles song "Long, Long, Long", which he wrote and recorded in October 1968 for the album The Beatles , also known as "The White Album". Harrison wrote: "I can't recall much about it except the chords, which I think were coming from 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' – D to E minor, A, and D – those three chords and the way they moved." [83]

Tom Waits said of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" in 1991: "It is like Beowulf  ... This song can make you leave home, work on the railroad or marry a Gypsy. I think of a drifter around a fire with a tin cup under a bridge remembering a woman's hair. The song is a dream, a riddle and a prayer." [84]

In a radio interview with broadcaster Howard Stern in January 2012, former Pink Floyd songwriter Roger Waters said, "'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' changed my life ... When I heard that, I thought, 'If Bob can do it, I can do it' ... it's a whole album side! And it in no way gets dull or boring. It becomes more and more hypnotic." [85]

Personnel

Album credits according to Daryl Sanders (musicians) [86] and Richard Buskin (technical): [87]

Performers

Technical

Notes

  1. Gray comments that for "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands", as with other Dylan songs, the lyrics on the official website differ from "the words we all hear on the albums." [11]

Footnotes

  1. Sounes 2001 , p. 200
  2. 1 2 Irvine, Troy (January 14, 1968). "Record swing: Dylan's back". The Arizona Republic . p. 4-N. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Wilentz 2009 , pp. 118–119
  4. Heylin 2021 , pp. 390–391
  5. Heylin 2003 , p. 241
  6. 1 2 Björner, Olof (March 1, 2017). "Columbia Music Row Studios, Nashville, 16 February 1966". Still on the Road. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Sanders 2020 , p. 149
  8. Sanders 2020 , p. 150
  9. Sanders 2020 , p. 152
  10. Gray 2021 , p. 231
  11. Gray 2021, p. 232
  12. Gray 2021 , pp. 234–240
  13. Unterberger 2002, p. 258.
  14. Heylin 2017 , p. 288
  15. "Bob Dylan – The Cutting Edge 1965–1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12". Bob Dylan's official website. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  16. Shelton 2011 , p. 249
  17. Heylin 2009 , p. 296
  18. Heylin 2009 , p. 296
  19. Wenner, Jann (November 29, 1969). "Bob Dylan Talks: A Raw and Extensive First Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  20. Janowitz, Bill. "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands: Song Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  21. Ross 2011 , p. 295
  22. Negus 2008 , p. 86
  23. Negus 2008 , p. 135
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ricks 2003 , pp. 97–108
  25. 1 2 Wilentz 2009 , p. 126
  26. 1 2 Dylan 2004, p. 369
  27. Bell 2012 , p. 443
  28. Black, Johnny (2023). "Southern Discomfort". Mojo: The Collectors Series: Bob Dylan 1941–2022. p. 106. Consensus has it that the 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' was Dylan's new wife, Sara.
  29. Trager 2004 , p. 532
  30. Gray 2006 , p. 198
  31. 1 2 Shelton 2011 , p. 227
  32. Shelton 2011 , p. 224
  33. Gray 2006 , p. 198
  34. 1 2 Heylin 2021 , p. 373
  35. 1 2 3 Gill 1998, pp. 106–107
  36. Wilentz 2009 , p. 164
  37. Bangs 1990 , p. 212
  38. 1 2 3 Barnes, Harper (January 31, 1969). "Dylan by Joan Baez". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . p. 2D. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  39. Sounes 2001 , p. 200
  40. Margotin & Guesdon 2022 , p. 239
  41. Strong 2010 , p. 11
  42. Scobie 1991 , p. 186
  43. 1 2 Ricks 2003, p. 97
  44. Spargo & Ream 2009 , pp. 91–92
  45. Mai 2021 , p. 160
  46. 1 2 Scobie 1991 , p. 89
    • Ezekiel 13:2: "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy."
    • Ezekiel 25:15:17: "Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry ..."
  47. Ezekiel 44:2
  48. Gray 2006 , p. 224
  49. 1 2 3 Gleason, Ralph (July 31, 1966). "Dylan's 'Blonde' Broke All the Rules". San Francisco Examiner . p. TW.31. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  50. Goldstein, Richard (June 1966). "Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde (Columbia)". The Village Voice .
  51. Santosuosso, Ernie (August 7, 1966). "Taking Those Boots Out Walkin' Again". The Boston Globe . p. 68. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  52. "Album Reviews". Melody Maker . August 13, 1966.
  53. Sanders 2020 , p. 153
  54. 1 2 3 Mellers 1972 , pp. 402–403
  55. Williams 2004 , p. 188
  56. 1 2 3 Hampton 2020 , p. 103
  57. Scobie 1991 , p. 33
  58. 1 2 Pichaske 1981 , p. 285
  59. Williams 1969 , pp. 65–66
  60. Beviglia 2013 , pp. 184–185
  61. "100 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs". Rolling Stone . May 24, 2020 [2015]. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  62. Petridis, Alexis (April 9, 2020). "Bob Dylan's 50 Greatest Songs – Ranked!". The Guardian . Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  63. "Presley's 'Paradise,' Bob Dylan, Kay Starr's 'Tears,' Sarah Vaughan, Ros, Paul Butterfield Top New LPs". Variety . July 6, 1966. p. 38.
  64. James 2004 , p. 106
  65. Morley 2022 , p. 186
  66. 1 2 Ross, Alex (May 2, 1999). "The Wanderer". The New Yorker . Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  67. 1 2 3 Heylin 2009 , pp. 294–296
  68. Gray 1972 , p. 204
  69. Gray 2000 , pp. 155–158
  70. Lowery, Raymond (March 16, 1969). "Records". The News and Observer . p. 4V. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  71. Sornberger, Joe (December 28, 1974). "Richie Haven's Mixed Bag is Just That – Mixed Pieces". Edmonton Journal . p. 2D. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  72. 1 2 Kreps, Daniel (January 26, 2010). "Phoenix Cover Bob Dylan's 'Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands'". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  73. Richard, Kevin (2010). "Phoenix Slay Bob Dylan's 'Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands'". American Songwriter . Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  74. Bledsoe, Wayne (April 21, 2017). "Old Crow Medicine Show, Los Straitjackets Reinterpret Classics". Knoxville News Sentinel . Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  75. Stafford, Andrew (April 9, 2020). "Emma Swift: Blonde on the Tracks Review – Illuminating, Intimate Bob Dylan Covers". The Guardian . Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  76. Horowitz, Hal (2020). "Emma Swift Mines Gold in Dylan's Deep Catalog". American Songwriter . Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  77. Beale, Michael (April 23, 1969). "It's a 'Moody' Milestone". Birmingham Evening Mail . p. 3. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  78. "Mixed Bag II". Spotify. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  79. "Mixed Bag II: Richie Havens". AllMusic . Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  80. "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands: Emma Swift". AllMusic . Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  81. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "50 Years of Blonde on Blonde: Old Crow Medicine Show". AllMusic . Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  82. Everett 1999 , p. 204
  83. Hilburn, Robert (May 19, 1991). "The Impact of Dylan's Music 'Widened the Scope of Possibilities'". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on December 26, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  84. Sanders 2020 , p. 144
  85. Sanders 2020 , pp. 276, 279–280
  86. Buskin 2012 , p. 40

Book sources

Related Research Articles

<i>Blonde on Blonde</i> 1966 studio album by Bob Dylan

Blonde on Blonde is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as a double album on June 20, 1966, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions began in New York in October 1965 with numerous backing musicians, including members of Dylan's live backing band, the Hawks. Though sessions continued until January 1966, they yielded only one track that made it onto the final album—"One of Us Must Know ". At producer Bob Johnston's suggestion, Dylan, keyboardist Al Kooper, and guitarist Robbie Robertson moved to the CBS studios in Nashville, Tennessee. These sessions, augmented by some of Nashville's top session musicians, were more fruitful, and in February and March all the remaining songs for the album were recorded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Along the Watchtower</span> 1967 song by Bob Dylan

"All Along the Watchtower" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his eighth studio album, John Wesley Harding (1967). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. The song's lyrics, which in its original version contain twelve lines, feature a conversation between a joker and a thief. The song has been subject to various interpretations; some reviewers have noted that it echoes lines in the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 21, verses 5–9. Dylan has released several different live performances, and versions of the song are included on some of his subsequent greatest hits compilations.

"4th Time Around" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the 12th track on his seventh studio album Blonde on Blonde on June 20, 1966. The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. Commentators often interpret it as a parody of the Beatles' 1965 song "Norwegian Wood ". John Lennon composed "Norwegian Wood" after being influenced by the introspective lyrics of Dylan. Lennon later reflected on his feelings of paranoia when Dylan first played him "4th Time Around".

"Visions of Johanna" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan on his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde. Several critics have acclaimed "Visions of Johanna" as one of Dylan's highest achievements in writing, praising the allusiveness and subtlety of the language. Rolling Stone included "Visions of Johanna" on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1999, Sir Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, listed it as the greatest song lyric ever written.

"Absolutely Sweet Marie" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released on the third side of the double album and Dylan's seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde (1966). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. It was recorded at around 1:00 am on March 8, 1966, at Columbia Studio A, Nashville. Some commentators have interpreted the song as being about sexual frustration.

Sara Dylan is an American former actress and model who was the first wife of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. In 1959, Noznisky married magazine photographer Hans Lownds; during their marriage, she was known as Sara Lownds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat</span> 1967 song by Bob Dylan

"Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released on the second side of his seventh studio album Blonde on Blonde (1966). The song was written by Dylan, and produced by Bob Johnston. Dylan has denied that the song references any specific individual, although critics have speculated that it refers to Edie Sedgwick, who Dylan had spent time with in December 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again</span> 1966 song by Bob Dylan

"Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde (1966). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. It has nine verses, each featuring a distinct set of characters and circumstances. All 20 takes of "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" were recorded in the early hours of February 17, 1966, at Columbia Records's A Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with the last take selected for the album. This version also appears on Dylan's second compilation album, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II (1971).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Dylan</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter. Often considered to be one of the greatest songwriters in history, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his 60-year career. He rose to prominence in the 1960s, when songs such as "The Times They Are a-Changin'" (1964) became anthems for the civil rights and antiwar movements. Initially modeling his style on Woody Guthrie's folk songs, Robert Johnson's blues and what he called the "architectural forms" of Hank Williams's country songs, Dylan added increasingly sophisticated lyrical techniques to the folk music of the early 1960s, infusing it "with the intellectualism of classic literature and poetry". His lyrics incorporated political, social and philosophical influences, defying pop music conventions and appealing to the burgeoning counterculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just Like a Woman</span> 1966 song by Bob Dylan

"Just Like a Woman" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde (1966). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. Dylan allegedly wrote it on Thanksgiving Day in 1965, though some biographers doubt this, concluding that he most likely improvised the lyrics in the studio. Dylan recorded the song at Columbia Studio A in Nashville, Tennessee in March 1966. The song has been criticized for sexism or misogyny in its lyrics, and has received a mixed critical reaction. Some critics have suggested that the song was inspired by Edie Sedgwick, while other consider that it refers to Dylan's relationship with fellow folk singer Joan Baez. Retrospectively, the song has received renewed praise, and in 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Dylan's version at number 232 in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. A shorter edit was released as a single in the United States during August 1966 and peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single also reached 8th place in the Australian charts, 12th place on the Belgium Ultratop Wallonia listing, 30th in the Dutch Top 40, and 38th on the RPM listing in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainy Day Women Nos. 12 & 35</span> Song by Bob Dylan

"Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Columbia Records first released an edited version as a single in March 1966, which reached numbers two and seven in the US and UK charts respectively. A longer version appears as the opening track of Dylan's seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde (1966), and has been included on several compilation albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Want You (Bob Dylan song)</span> 1966 song by Bob Dylan

"I Want You" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as a single in June 1966, and, later that month, on his seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde. The song was written by Dylan, and produced by Bob Johnston. The song has been interpreted as a straightforward expression of lust, although critics have highlighted that the symbolism of the song is complex. It was the last song recorded for Blonde on Blonde, with several takes recorded in the early hours of March 10, 1966. It was included on Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits (1967). The song has received a largely positive critical reception, with a number of commentators highlighting Dylan's use of imagery, although some of the meanings are obscure.

"She Belongs to Me" is a song by Bob Dylan, and was first released as the second track on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The song may be about a former girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, or fellow folk singer Joan Baez, contemporary siren Nico, or Sara Lownds, the woman that Dylan would wed in November 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pledging My Time</span> 1966 single by Bob Dylan

"Pledging My Time" is a blues song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde (1966). The song, written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston, was recorded on March 8, 1966 in Nashville, Tennessee. Dylan is featured on lead vocals, harmonica, and guitar, backed by guitarist Robbie Robertson and an ensemble of veteran Nashville session men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)</span> 1966 single by Bob Dylan

"One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as a single on February 14, 1966, and as the fourth track on his seventh studio album Blonde on Blonde in June of that year. The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. It is the narrator's account of a burned-out relationship. It was recorded at Columbia studio A in New York on January 25, 1966, with Dylan and other musicians developing the song through over twenty takes during the session.

"To Ramona" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, first released on his fourth studio album, Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964). The song was written by Dylan, and produced by Tom Wilson. The lyrics were started at the May Fair Hotel in London in May 1964, and finished during a week-long stay in the Greek village of Vernilya later that month. Dylan recorded all the tracks for the album, including the song, in a single three-hour session on June 9, 1964, at Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, New York. Its narrator advises Ramona, who is preparing to return to "the South", not to follow the advice of others. Critics have suggested several different people as inspirations for the song, including Joan Baez, Suze Rotolo, and Sara Lownds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine</span> 1966 song by Bob Dylan

"Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine", or "Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine)", is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was released as the first track on side three of his seventh studio album Blonde on Blonde (1966). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. Dylan recounted that he had probably written the song after the end of a relationship. The song's narrator criticizes the lies and weakness of a woman, and says that he finds it hard to care. The final verse establishes that the woman has been unfaithful to the narrator by having a relationship with another man, as he suspected all along.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obviously 5 Believers</span> 1966 song by Bob Dylan

"Obviously 5 Believers" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the last track of side three of his double album Blonde on Blonde (1966), and was the B-side to the single release of "Just Like a Woman" for releases in America and some other countries. The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. It was recorded at Columbia Music Row Studios, in the early morning hours of a March 9–10, 1966 session. Four takes were recorded, although the first two were incomplete. It has been interpreted as a blues song about loneliness, with critics noting similarities in melody and structure to Memphis Minnie's "Chauffeur Blues". Dylan's vocals and the musicianship of the band on the track have both received critical acclaim, although the track has been regarded as insubstantial by some commentators.

"Temporary Like Achilles" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan that was released on side three of his double album, Blonde on Blonde (1966). The song was written by Dylan, and produced by Bob Johnston. It was recorded at Columbia Studio A, Nashville, Tennessee on March 9, 1966. The song is a blues number that incorporates elements of Dylan's incomplete "Medicine Sunday", which he had recorded with members of the Band in New York in October 1965. The song describes a narrator's frustration at being kept waiting by a woman that he wishes to be romantically involved with, who is guarded by "Achilles". Some critics have suggested that the song references the Iliad.

"I Pity the Poor Immigrant" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was recorded on November 6, 1967, at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, produced by Bob Johnston. The song was released on Dylan's eighth studio album John Wesley Harding on December 27, 1967.