Folk Rock
Congrats to Bob Dylan, who has just been awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature. He has been, indeed, the poet laureate of the Sixties generation.
This song, which was written by Bob Dylan, was the opening track of his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde. A shorter version, with the omission of the third and final verses, backed with “Pledging My Time” was also released in 1966. It was an international success, going to “#2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #7 in the U.K., #9 in the Netherlands, and #17 in Australia.
The song has been noted for a few things. One is that the title of the song does not appear in the lyrics. And then there was controversy about this being a “drug song” because of the line “Everybody must get stoned” and the general tipsy vibe of the track. (You make the call as to what that line means.) It also has a brass band arrangement, as Dylan and producer Bob Johnston were envisioning a Salvation Army style sound. There are plenty of other noises going on, and there are tales of the musicians being intoxicated on Leprechaun cocktails and weed. There are also those who claim everyone was sober.
The song has had numerous covers, including versions by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Sammy Hagar, Jessi Colter, Jimmy Buffett, and Lenny Kravitz, to mention a few.
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[…] other song by and performed by Bob Dylan: “Maggie’s Farm” and “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.” The trio of Peter, Paul and Mary do a beautiful rendition of Dylan’s […]
[…] other songs by Bob Dylan: “Lay, Lady, Lay” and “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.” For Peter, Paul and Mary’s beautiful rendition of Dylan’s […]