Bob Dylan All the Songs
Page 48
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios / Studio E, New York: June 5, 1970
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineers: Don Puluse and Ted Brosnan
Genesis and Lyrics
“Went to See the Gypsy” is about an encounter with Elvis Presley, one of the major points of reference for the young Dylan. According to Clinton Heylin, Dylan and Sara went to Las Vegas during the winter of 1970 to visit Dylan’s uncle. While in Las Vegas they attended a show performed by the King at the International Hotel. According to Heylin, they went backstage after the show to meet the King. However, Dylan refuted this hypothesis in 2009, telling Douglas Brinkley from Rolling Stone magazine, “I never met Elvis, because I didn’t want to meet Elvis.”96 He explained that he was afraid to see Elvis the way he had become. “I wanted to see the powerful, mystical Elvis that had crash-landed from a burning star onto American soil. The Elvis that was bursting with life. That’s the Elvis that inspired us to all the possibilities of life. And that Elvis was gone…” It is possible, even likely, that this song is the expression of a dream encounter dating back to early adolescence. As the last lines of the last verse reveal, “But the gypsy was gone / And that pretty dancing girl / She could not be found / So I watched that sun come rising / From that little Minnesota town.” As has been noted in some sources, Presley might have had some German gypsy ancestors who had emigrated to the United States in the eighteenth century.
Production
On New Morning, Dylan, unlike on his other albums, played piano for more than half of the titles, including “Went to See the Gypsy.” Sometimes the piece lacks rigor. The drum part has difficulty distinguishing itself (around 2:04). But it all works rather well, and this is the first time an instrumental coda is the heart of one of the songwriter’s songs. Before cutting this fourth and final take on June 5, Dylan had already recorded seven takes during the Self Portrait sessions on March 3, 4, and 5, 1970 and another cut on May 1 in a duet with George Harrison. The demo of March 3 is available on The Bootleg Series Volume 10: Another Self Portrait. Among the four takes recorded on June 5 is a very intimate one where Dylan provides vocals and electric piano (see Another Self Portrait). Note that overdubs were made in Nashville on July 23; presumably these were not used.
IN YOUR HEADPHONES
At 1:14 the drums disappear for four beats. The sound engineer’s error?
Winterlude
Bob Dylan / 2:23
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, piano; Ron Cornelius: guitar; Al Kooper: guitar (?); Charlie Daniels: bass; Russ Kunkel: drums; Hilda Harris, Albertine Robertson, and Maeretha Stewart: chorus / Recording Studio: Columbia Recording Studios / Studio E, New York: June 5, 1970 / Producer: Bob Johnston / Sound Engineers: Don Puluse and Ted Brosnan
Genesis and Lyrics
Dylan probably wrote this snowy interlude during the winter of 1969–1970, at his home in Woodstock, away from the poisonous atmosphere of the big city. Once again, the songwriter deliberately spreads confusion. Behind this ode to nature, “Winterlude” is a love song directed at a woman: “You’re the one I adore, come over here and give me more.” Is it a woman? Or an angel? “Oh, I see… the angel beside me.” Perhaps an implicit reference to the Holy Trinity. In this case, “Winterlude” is the Holy Spirit, the spirit of God. Unless the songwriter is using satire…
Production
Bob Dylan’s waltz for this “winter interlude” would have fit on Nashville Skyline, with its family atmosphere by the fire. Playing piano, he sings for the first time on the album in a rather reverberated voice. Ron Cornelius plays an exquisite part on classical guitar (nylon strings), and probably Al Kooper on the electric joins him in the last verse (1:18). The piece includes a female chorus, well suited to this atmosphere: “Winterlude, this dude thinks you’re fine.”
“Winterlude” was recorded on June 5, 1970. Five takes were made, the fourth selected for New Morning. “Winterlude” is a minor song in Bob Dylan’s vast repertoire. It was never performed live.
If Dogs Run Free
Bob Dylan / 3:39
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals; Maeretha Stewart: scat; Ron Cornelius: guitar; David Bromberg: guitar; Al Kooper: piano; Charlie Daniels: bass; Russ Kunkel: drums / Recording Studio: Columbia Recording Studios / Studio E, New York: June 5, 1970 Producer: Bob Johnston / Sound Engineers: Don Puluse and Ted Brosnan
Genesis and Lyrics
New Morning was received as a comeback album after the poor reception and “wanderings” of Self Portrait. “If Dogs Run Free,” like several major works on previous albums, was written under the influence of the Beat poets. The title also refers to the poem “Dog” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. While Ferlinghetti writes, “The dog trots freely in the streets,” Dylan sings, “If dogs run free, then why not we / Across the swooping plain?” The song refers to Beat poetry when Dylan sings this wonderful line in the last verse: “In harmony with the cosmic sea / True love needs no company.” “If Dogs Run Free” celebrates the freedom given us by Mother Nature.
Production
After the waltz “Winterlude,” Dylan here makes a surprising foray into mainstream jazz. In Chronicles, he writes, “For one of these sets of lyrics, Kooper played some Teddy Wilson riffs on the piano. There were three girl singers in the room, who sounded like they’d been plucked from a choir and one of them did some improvisational scat singing. The whole thing was done in just one take and called ‘If Dogs Run Free.’”1 This was Maeretha Stewart who improvised on the idea by Al Kooper. Kooper later said, “Maeretha stepped up and did a fantastic job… I especially enjoyed playing lounge-type, tongue-in-cheek piano.”42 Kooper’s performance was absolutely stunning. Dylan, meanwhile, does not sing, but does a voice-over and plays no instrument. With a walking bass, a rhythm guitar with a muffled sound, drums played with brushes, and an acoustic guitar solo, this version is diametrically opposed to the one on Another Self Portrait, which is a country-rock ballad with a totally different harmony and melody. These two variants are among the three takes of June 5, the last being the final. Dylan sang it for the first time in concert in Münster, Germany, on October 2000 and more than a hundred times since then.
HARD ON DOGS!
According to the Rolling Stone rankings, “If Dogs Run Free” is one of the ten worst Bob Dylan songs.
New Morning
Bob Dylan / 3:58
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Ron Cornelius: guitar
David Bromberg: guitar
Al Kooper: organ, French horn (?)
Charlie Daniels: bass
Russ Kunkel: drums
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios / Studio E, New York: June 4, 1970
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Don Puluse
Genesis and Lyrics
“New Morning” is one of the songs composed for Archibald MacLeish’s play Scratch. In Chronicles, Dylan writes, “The play was dark, painted a world of paranoia, guilt and fear—it was all blacked out and met the atomic age head on, reeked of foul play. There really wasn’t much to say or add to it.”1 It’s understandable why the collaboration with the famous playwright came to naught. Dylan’s “New Morning” is anything but paranoid or anxious. The song that gives its name to the album is an exaltation of country life—the “back to the land” movement dear to an entire generation. A rooster crowing, a marmot running near a stream, the sun bringing a new dawn… Dylan could legitimately have doubts. He sings, “This must be the day that all of my dreams come true.”
Should we take this rosy picture literally? “New Morning” does not appear to have a hidden meaning. In Chronicles, Dylan says about the album, “Message songs? There weren’t any. Anybody listening for them would have to be disappointed. As if I was going to make a career out of that anyway. Regardless, you could still feel the anticipation in the air… Maybe there
were good songs in the grooves and maybe there weren’t—who knows? But they weren’t the kind where you hear an awful roaring in your head… It’s not like I hadn’t any talent, I just wasn’t feeling the full force of the wind. No stellar explosions.”1
Production
Dylan expresses his joy about living in the country with a hoarse voice, reminiscent of Rod Stewart. Led by a very strong band, this version was the last of the three takes recorded on June 4, 1970. It was improved on July 13 by the addition of various overdubs, including a horn part (this version appears on Another Self Portrait). This initiative is due to Al Kooper, who took control of the production in Bob Johnston’s absence. The result is very convincing, the arrangements reminiscent of Blood, Sweat & Tears, a band formed by Kooper and Steve Katz among others in 1967. But Dylan left those overdubs out of the final mix. The sound was probably too rhythm and blues for him. Note a brief acoustic guitar solo overdub by David Bromberg at 2:45.
Dylan performed this song for the first time onstage during a concert in New Orleans on April 19, 1991, as part of the Never Ending Tour.
IN YOUR HEADPHONES
A short musical phrase is heard at 1:57. This may be a French horn played by Al Kooper.
Sign On The Window
Bob Dylan / 3:41
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, piano
Ron Cornelius: guitar
Al Kooper: organ, Moog synthesizer (?)
Charlie Daniels: bass
Russ Kunkel: drums
Hilda Harris, Albertine Robinson, and Maeretha Stewart: chorus
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios / Studio B, New York: June 5, 1970
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Don Puluse
Genesis and Lyrics
On the eve of the 1970s, Bob Dylan’s new philosophy might well have come down to the final lines of “Sign on the Window”: “Build me a cabin in Utah / Marry me a wife, catch rainbow trout / Have a bunch of kids who call me ‘Pa.’” This philosophy was light-years away from what he had expressed in the previous decade, when he contributed to the consciousness raising of an entire generation. Yet even if he surprised his audience as much as he had when he converted to electric guitar five years earlier, in his new “country style” he had lost none of his poetic and musical abilities. Indeed, “Sign on the Window” is one of the pearls of the album, both for voice and Dylan’s piano playing as well as for the orchestration, sober and solemn and often close to gospel in style.
Production
Recorded on May 1 at Columbia’s Studio B in duet with George Harrison in four takes, “Sign on the Window” was reworked a month later on June 5. This beautiful ballad is gospel-tinged each time the female chorus sings. Dylan’s lyricism supports a very expressive interpretation of the tune. Ron Cornelius recalled, “Dylan had a pretty bad cold that week. You can hear it on [“Sign on the Window”], y’know, that bit about ‘Brighton girls are like the moon,’ where his voice really cracks up. But it sure suits the song. His piano playing’s weird… because his hands start at opposite ends of the keyboard and then sorta collide in the middle—he does that all the time—but the way he plays just knocks me out.”15 Al Kooper confirms, “Bob played some terrific piano.”42 Regrettably, he sometimes sings out of tune, especially on the bridge (around 1:47). Note at 2:09, flutes are heard in the instrumental break, presumably played by Kooper on a keyboard (Moog synthesizer?). Finally, as on “New Morning,” Kooper attempted to add strings and harp arrangements, but did not get the approval of his boss (the results can be heard on Another Self Portrait).
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
Some sources, Michael Krogsgaard in particular, when discussing the recording session on June 5, 1970, reference “What’s It All About.” The reason is simple: they are both the same song. “What’s it all about” is just the last line of the song: “That must be what it’s all about.”
One More Weekend
Bob Dylan / 3:11
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Ron Cornelius: guitar
David Bromberg: guitar
Al Kooper: piano
Charlie Daniels: bass
Russ Kunkel: drums
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios / Studio E, New York: June 3, 1970
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineers: Don Puluse and Ted Brosnan
Genesis and Lyrics
Marital happiness in the friendly countryside is the major theme of New Morning. “One More Weekend” is no exception. In the first verse, Dylan sings, “I’m lookin’ good to see you, yeah, and we can have some fun / One more weekend, one more weekend with you.” The only difference here is that happiness comes down to the couple. “We’ll go someplace unknown / Leave all the children home / Honey, why not go alone.”
Musically, however, “One More Weekend” stands out from all the other songs of the album. This is blues rock in the tradition of some songs on Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde (“Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat,” in particular).
Production
“One More Weekend” seems to bring back good memories. Dylan abandoned his crooner voice, returning to his rock intonation. Led by an effective rhythm part, shared brilliantly by Charlie Daniels and Russ Kunkel, Dylan and his bandmates settle into the groove. The three guitar parts are played by Dylan (electric rhythm), Bromberg (slide), and Cornelius (rhythm and solo) in perfect harmony. Bromberg’s blazing slide part and the bluesy solo by Cornelius ignite the song. Not to mention Al Kooper at the keyboard. Only one question: what is the instrument heard each time Bob sings “one more weekend”? Brass, saturated guitar, kazoo? Difficult to say.
“One More Weekend” was recorded in two takes on June 3, 1970. The second was used as the master for the album. The first was saved among the twelve songs for the album New Morning. Dylan has never performed the song onstage.
The Man In Me
Bob Dylan / 3:09
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, piano
Ron Cornelius: guitar
David Bromberg: guitar
Al Kooper: organ
Charlie Daniels: bass
Russ Kunkel: drums
Hilda Harris, Albertine Robinson, and Maeretha Stewart: chorus
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios / Studio E, New York: June 5, 1970
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineers: Don Puluse and Ted Brosnan
Genesis and Lyrics
Bob Dylan was perhaps never as spontaneous as he was during sessions for New Morning. There are no hidden meanings in most songs, but, as in the poetry of Walt Whitman, the album exudes an enthusiasm for the beauty of nature and the sensuality of his beloved. The working title of “The Man in Me” was, in this regard, as clear as the rivers of the Black Hills: “A Woman Like You.” Similarly, the first verse sounds like a beautiful declaration of love, dedicated to Sara: “Take a woman like you / To get through to the man in me.”
This does not stop the songwriter from skillfully exploiting the irony: “The man in me will hide sometimes to keep from bein’ seen / But that’s just because he doesn’t want to turn into some machine,” words that could be addressed to reporters as well as to executives in the music industry.
Production
Dylan’s quiet self-assurance also comes through in the actual recording, especially the “la la la” at the beginning and end of the chorus. It is quite confusing to hear the author of “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” express himself this way. “The Man in Me” nevertheless remains a very good song performed by a group at its best. Dylan sings and plays piano with relaxed confidence, accompanied by Bromberg on acoustic guitar and Cornelius on the electric. Kooper provides, as always, a very inspired organ part. The ensemble is rounded out by a solid rhythm part from K
unkel and Daniels. Indeed, Daniels’s bass is particularly impressive. The kitsch of “la la la” gives the song a dynamic and contagious optimism. Dylan is happy, and so are his listeners.
“The Man in Me” required two takes on June 5, 1970, one of which was chosen for the album. Dylan performed it live for the first time at Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo on February 20, 1978, in a version totally different from the one recorded for New Morning. This version is missing from the At Budokan album, which was recorded on February 28 and March 1.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
“The Man in Me” is featured in the soundtrack of Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1998 cult film The Big Lebowski. The song is prominent especially during the unforgettable opening title sequence.
Three Angels
Bob Dylan / 2:07
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar (?)
Ron Cornelius: guitar (?)
David Bromberg: guitar (?)
Al Kooper: organ
Charlie Daniels: bass
Russ Kunkel: drums
Hilda Harris, Albertine Robinson, and Maeretha Stewart: chorus
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios / Studio E, New York: June 4, 1970
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston