Production
After “Hazel,” Dylan chooses a slow tempo to express his memories of childhood. “Something There Is About You” allows Robbie Robertson to dominate the instrumental parts with his distinctive guitar playing, especially in the introduction. The sound of his six-string is mainly achieved by a combination of chorus and flanger effects and vibrato. Unfortunately, he may be a little bit too assertive, and in the end overshadows his bandmates. Garth Hudson’s organ and Richard Manuel’s piano could have been stronger.
This autobiographical song was recorded in three takes on November 6, 1973. The last take was chosen for Planet Waves. Dylan performed the song for the first time at the inaugural concert of the American tour in 1974 at Chicago Stadium. “Something There Is About You” is the second single, with “Tough Mama” on the B-side, excerpted from Planet Waves. The song only reached number 107 on the Billboard charts in the United States.
Forever Young
(slow version)
Bob Dylan / 4:57
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Robbie Robertson: guitar
Richard Manuel: piano
Garth Hudson: keyboards
Rick Danko: bass
Levon Helm: drums
Ken (?): congas
Forever Young (Continued)
(fast version)
Bob Dylan / 2:49
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Robbie Robertson: guitar
Levon Helm: mandolin
Garth Hudson: keyboards
Rick Danko: bass
Richard Manuel: drums
Recording Studio
The Village Recorder, West Los Angeles, California / Studio B: November 8, 1973 (slow version) / November 14, 1973 (fast version)
Technical Team
Producers: Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, and Rob Fraboni
Sound Engineer: Rob Fraboni
Genesis and Lyrics
Dylan was inspired by his son (perhaps Jesse, born in 1966) to write this beautiful song. In the liner notes included with the album Biograph, he says, “‘Forever Young,’ I wrote in Tucson. I wrote it thinking about one of my boys and not wanting to be too sentimental. The lines came to me, they were done in a minute… I certainly didn’t intend to write it—I was going for something else, the song wrote itself—naw, you never know what you’re going to write. You never even know if you’re going to make another record, really.”12 But beyond that, “Forever Young” is for all children. It is a hope that they grow up according to the education they have received, that they achieve their goals during an often difficult life, and that they be guided by truth. This is the price, sings Dylan, that they will always be young and that they will resist the “winds of changes.” There is no hidden meaning here. The song is one of the most accessible in Dylan’s repertoire. Roddy Woomble (singer of the Scottish band Idlewild): “Allen Ginsberg said something along the lines that this song should be sung every morning by every child in every school in every country. Which is such a nice idea, because the song is so hopeful, hardly cryptic whatsoever, very plainly encouraging people to find their own truth… ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ might be Dylan’s masterpiece, but ‘Forever Young’ is his national anthem.”106 This is one of Dylan’s most famous songs. He has performed it nearly five hundred times since the concert in Chicago on July 3, 1974.
Production (Slow Version)
“Forever Young” is one of three Bob Dylan songs composed before he entered the studio with the Band on November 2, 1973. A very intimate demo had been recorded in June with acoustic guitar (see the Biograph liner notes). During the sessions for Planet Waves, thirteen takes were recorded throughout November: one each on November 2 and November 5, five on November 8, one on November 9, and finally five on November 14. Thirteen takes in two different tones and tempos: in D for the slow version and G for the fast version. Which arrangement to pick for the album? Rob Fraboni tells us, “There was this guy called Ken, who was a friend of theirs visiting. We only did one take of the slow version of ‘Forever Young.’ This take was so riveting, it was so powerful, so immediate, I couldn’t get over it.”89 After the session, Dylan and the Band listened to it from beginning to end without a word. When it was over everyone just left the room. Fraboni followed them, and returned a while later with Ken to listen to the recording. Fraboni recalls, “We were like one minute or two into it, I was so mesmerized by it again I didn’t even notice that Bob had come into the room, and I felt somebody standing behind me… So when we were assembling the master reel I was getting ready to put that [take] on the master reel. I didn’t even ask. And Bob said, ‘What’re you doing with that? We’re not gonna use that.’ [I replied,] ‘You’re crazy. Why?’ Well [it turns out] during the recording… Lou Kemp and this girl came by and she had made a crack [about “Forever Young”] to him, ‘C’mon, Bob, what! Are you getting mushy in your old age?’ It was based on her comment that he wanted to leave [that version] off the record.”89 Fraboni defended the recording and convinced Dylan to reconsider his position and to include both versions on the LP. The slow version featured is on side one, last track, and the faster version is the first track on side two.
The slow version is harmonically quite different and richer than the demo made in June. The arrangements are excellent, Dylan and the Band being in perfect harmony. Dylan provides an expressive vocal, backed by the talent of each musician. Hudson’s keyboard parts are outstanding in their diversity and finesse, complemented by Manuel’s piano. Bass and drums provide an effective rhythm, highlighted by the mysterious Ken on the congas. Finally, Robertson offers a beautiful acoustic arrangement, with the same sound treatment of chorus/flanger pedal used throughout the album. Note Dylan’s excellent harmonica (in D) part, in perfect harmony with the Hudson keyboards. A perfect piece, apparently the fifth take executed on November 8.
Production (Fast Version)
The fast version is very close to the demo recorded in June. This time Richard Manuel is on drums and Levon Helm on mandolin with a quite unrecognizable sound. At the beginning of the song, he plays rhythm while Robertson is at the saturated guitar. Although this version is very well executed, it is a bit less successful than the first. Richard Manuel’s drumming is not as good as Levon Helm’s. Dylan’s riffs on harmonica (in C) strengthen the country-rock color. The arrangement was recorded on November 14 in five takes during the last session for the album. Listening to this new version, it feels executed quickly to reassure Dylan, who could not decide which tempo he preferred. The second attempt appears on Planet Waves.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
Rod Stewart also wrote (with Jim Cregan and Kevin Savigar) a song called “Forever Young” (extract from Out of Order in 1988), reaching number 12 on the US charts. Did Rod Stewart plagiarize Dylan? His manager, Arnold Stiefel, asked Dylan before the release of the album. Dylan replied “no problem” but later requested 50 percent of the royalties.
Dirge
Bob Dylan / 5:36
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, piano Robbie Robertson: guitar
Recording Studio
The Village Recorder, West Los Angeles, California / Studio B: November 14, 1973
Technical Team
Producers: Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, and Rob Fraboni
Sound Engineer: Rob Fraboni
Genesis and Lyrics
If “Forever Young” is the most touching song on the album Planet Waves, “Dirge” is the darkest and the most enigmatic. The song starts with the line, “I hate myself for lovin’ you.” Of whom or what is he thinking? The folk movement? One woman in particular? Drugs? The last line of the fourth verse, “I’ve paid the price of solitude, but at least I’m out of debt” might be addressed to critics who once adored him, but then criticized him sharply after the release of Self Portrait. But Dylan has overcome adversity, and his song ends with an optimistic line, “Lady Luck, who shines on me, wil
l tell you where I’m at.”
Production
Bob Dylan wrote “Dirge” during the sessions for Planet Waves. A first take was probably recorded on November 10, 1973. But the master take used on the album is from November 14. Rob Fraboni: “Bob went out and played the piano while we were mixing. All of a sudden, he came in and said, ‘I’d like to try “Dirge” on the piano.’ We had recorded a version with only acoustic guitar and vocal a few days earlier… We weren’t ready at all, we were mixing. But we put up a tape and he said to Robbie, ‘Maybe you could play guitar on this.’ They did it once, Bob playing piano and singing, and Robbie playing acoustic guitar. The second time was the take.”103
Dylan is majestic. His interpretation is on a par with his strongest songs, the last dating from the album John Wesley Harding. The vocal is dark; his intonation is full of emotion. Playing piano, he delivers a version characterized by Fraboni as, “another one of those incredible, one-time performances.”103 Robertson’s acoustic guitar with a slight delay provides excellent support and gives the piece an essential bluesy touch. He plays the “mandolin” trills that he particularly likes.
For the mix, Fraboni notes, Dylan “wanted a kind of barroom sound from the piano” and a “raunchy vocal sound.” Fraboni and Robertson mixed “Dirge” immediately after recording it. It is perhaps the most beautiful song on Planet Waves.
IN YOUR HEADPHONES
Due to the intensity of the recording, Robbie Robertson is caught singing the notes of his guitar solo at 4:56!
You Angel You
Bob Dylan / 2:54
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Robbie Robertson: guitar; Richard Manuel: piano; Garth Hudson: keyboards; Rick Danko: bass; Levon Helm: drums / Recording Studio: The Village Recorder, West Los Angeles, California / Studio B: November 5, 1973 / Producers: Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, and Rob Fraboni / Sound Engineer: Rob Fraboni
Genesis and Lyrics
After the darker overtone of “Dirge,” Dylan returns to a much more optimistic mood with “You Angel You,” a fine example by the eclectic songwriter. This song, which could be described as minor, is just a friendly pop song, another aspect of Dylan’s style. But Dylan was not really proud of it, as he confided the 1985: “I might have written this at one of the sessions probably, you know, on the spot, standing in front of the mike… it sounds to me like dummy lyrics.”12
Production
“You Angel You” was recorded on November 5, 1973, in one take. Although the song is good, it suffers from a lack of work. For instance, in the second line, Dylan makes an error and does not rectify it. Instead of singing, “You’re as fine as anything’s fine,” he sings, “You’re as… got me under your wing.” It is curious that no one asked him to redo it. Similarly, the group has some difficulties with the arrangement. Despite good individual performances, it quickly becomes messy in some places. The piece simply lacks careful production. “You Angel You” does not sound right, and could not be saved in the mix.
To date, Dylan has performed “You Angel You” twice onstage: January 14, 1990, at the Recreation Hall in State College, Pennsylvania, and February 8, 1990, at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.
Never Say Goodbye
Bob Dylan / 2:54
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Robbie Robertson: guitar; Richard Manuel: drums (?); Garth Hudson: piano (?); Rick Danko: bass; Levon Helm: drums (?) / Recording Studio: The Village Recorder, West Los Angeles, California / Studio B: November 2, 1973 / Producers: Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, and Rob Fraboni / Sound Engineer: Rob Fraboni
Genesis and Lyrics
“Never Say Goodbye” was written several months before the recording sessions for Planet Waves. After Dylan had left the East Coast for Malibu in California, Roger McGuinn visited him. He wanted to collaborate with him again and perhaps repeat the success of “Ballad of Easy Rider. “[W]e were trying to write a song together and I asked him if he had anything, and he said he had one that he started, but he was probably gonna use it himself, and he started playing ‘Never Say Goodbye.’”66 “Forever Young,” “Nobody ’Cept You,” and “Never Say Goodbye” are the three demoed songs recorded during an informal session in June 1973.
“Never Say Goodbye” is a song about a love song rather than a straightforward love song. It is also a song about childhood, a recurring theme in Planet Waves. The “twilight on the frozen lake,” “north wind,” and “dreams… made of iron and steel” refer to Duluth, Minnesota, Dylan’s hometown on the shores of Lake Superior, known at the time mostly for its steel industry.
Production
Five months after the demo, Dylan recorded “Never Say Goodbye” with the Band. Seven takes were performed the first day of the sessions; the last was selected for Planet Waves. Rob Fraboni recalls this recording: “They initially came in on Friday, November 2, to get set up and to get a feel for the studio. We did use one song we recorded that day.”103
“Never Say Goodbye” served somehow as a kind of test, as much for the musicians as for the sound recording. Levon Helm seems absent from the recording. Apparently, Richard Manuel handles the drums. Thus, Hudson plays piano, while Dylan, Danko, and Robertson play their respective instruments. The introduction on acoustic guitar is quite unusual for Dylan; the sound recalls harmonies like Jimmy Page’s. But the overall performance lacks rigor. “Never Say Goodbye” has never been performed onstage.
Wedding Song
Bob Dylan / 4:42
Musician
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Recording Studio
The Village Recorder, West Los Angeles, California / Studio B: November 9 or 10, 1973
Technical Team
Producers: Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, and Rob Fraboni
Sound Engineer: Rob Fraboni
Genesis and Lyrics
“Wedding Song” is one of the most touching declarations of love that Bob Dylan ever wrote, a kind of “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” reprise. In this new romantic invocation addressed to his wife Sara, he confesses, “I love you more than ever, more than time and more than love” and “[I] love you more than life itself”; thanks to Sara, he is able to say “goodbye to haunted rooms” and acknowledge that “when I was deep in poverty you taught me how to give”; Sara has given him children, and he sings, “You saved my life.” Another confession, this time about his artistic career, comes when he sings in the sixth verse: “It’s never been my duty to remake the world at large / Nor is it my intention to sound a battle charge.”
“Wedding Song” closes Planet Waves. The following album, Blood on the Tracks, chronicles their marital breakdown after eleven years together. It is therefore tempting to perceive in “Wedding Song” the first indication of this separation.
Some claim it is a song about redemption through love, as Dylan paints an idyllic portrait of his wife with ambiguous words here and there (“Your love cuts like a knife”) that can actually raise doubts. In 1978, he explained to Jonathan Cott the line “Your love cuts like a knife”: “Well it’s bloodletting, it’s what heals all disease.”20 But what disease is he talking about? Is he lovesick or ill and not be able to feel the love he thought he could give? As usual, Dylan offers different readings of his songs.
Production
If “Dirge” and “Forever Young” were the last two songs recorded during the first session of the mixing, “Wedding Song” was the last song selected by Dylan for Planet Waves. The recording was done in one take on November 9. The studio sheet mentions November 9, but the master tape box November 10. Dylan returns to the tone of his first records, simultaneously playing guitar and harmonica (in F) and delivering an interpretation of very high quality. Rob Fraboni recalls, “[A]round noon, Bob said, ‘I’ve got a song I want to record later… I’m not ready right now. I’ll tell you when.’… [A]ll of a sudden he came up and said, ‘Let’s record.’ So he went out in the studio, and that was ‘Wedding Song,’ the cut that ends the album… [U]sually he wouldn’t sin
g unless we were recording. That’s the way he was… [This time] he asked, ‘Is the tape rolling? Why don’t you just roll it.’ So I did, and he started singing, and there was no way in the world I could have stopped him to say, ‘Go back to the top.’ It was such an intense performance. If you listen to the record, you can hear noises from the buttons on his jacket. But he didn’t seem to care.”103 The day of mixing, Fraboni says, “I mentioned re-cutting it to eliminate the button sounds, at one point, and Bob said, ‘Well, maybe.’ But he never said yes, so we let it go.”103 These noises can be easily heard in each harmonica part, especially the last one at 4:13!
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
“Wedding Song” is named after a song from The Threepenny Opera (German title: Die Dreigroschenoper) by dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill: “Hochzeitslied” in the original version, “Chanson de noces” or “Epithalame des pauvres” in the French version.
Bob Dylan All the Songs Page 54