Apr 4, 2012 | 100 Days with Bob Dylan
Link to Song: Mississippi
Sheryl Crow Cover: Mississippi
What you should know about this song:
In 2009, Rolling Stone named “Mississippi” the 17th best song of the decade, calling it “A drifter’s love song that seems to sum up Dylan’s entire career, and a rambling classic that ranks up there with ‘Tangled Up in Blue’” Rolling stone also listed it as number 260 in it list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Sheryl Crow recording the song for her 1998 The Globe Sessions, before Dylan released it for Love and Theft. Crow altered the melody, phrasing and arrangement for her recording. The version received strikingly mixed reviews, some referring to it as “remarkable” and others as “forgettable, head-bopping pop.” The Dixie Chicks also tried their hand at covering this tune.
“It was really an honor to get to do it. you can listen to one of his songs and think it’s so simple, you don’t even realize how intricate it actually is – the arc of the melody, the way he uses just two or three chords but everything builds to a great release. Recording that song made me re-evaluate songwriting.” – Sheryl Crow*
*Source: “Dylan: 100 Songs and Pictures” by Fine Communications, Wikipedia
Photo Source: USA Today
Apr 3, 2012 | 100 Days with Bob Dylan
Link to Song: Not Dark Yet
What you should know about this song:
“Stark and uncompromising, this deceptively gentle song was one of the key tracks on Time Out of Mind,”* and since its debut in 1997 the song has taken on a number of different roles. It was included on the Wonder Boys soundtrack, used during the closing scenes of the documentary Why We Fight, and featured on the album Passion of the Christ: Songs Inspired By. The song has also inspired a number of cover versions by artists including Eric Clapton, Silversun Pickups, Jimmy LaFave, and Robyn Hitchcock.
“I try to live within that line between despondency and hope. I’m suited to walk that line, right between the fire.” – Bob Dylan, 1997*
*Source: “Dylan: 100 Songs and Pictures” by Fine Communications
Photo Source: Wikipedia
Apr 2, 2012 | 100 Days with Bob Dylan
Link to Song: Tryin’ To Get to Heaven
What you should know about this song: This song was highly acclaimed by critics upon the release of 1997’s Time Out of Mind album. Three years later, Dylan completely reworked the melody line for a stunning new version.
“What makes my songs different is that there’s a foundation to them. That’s why they’re still around. They’re not written to be performed by other people. But they’re standing on a strong foundation, and subliminally that’s what people are hearing.” – Bob Dylan, 1997
*Source: “Dylan: 100 Songs and Pictures” by Fine Communications
Photo Source: Johanna’s Visions
Apr 1, 2012 | 100 Days with Bob Dylan
Link to Song: Love Sick
What you should know about this song: The Time Out of Mind album released in 1997 was Dylan’s first release of original material in seven years. The opening track, “Love Sick,” is a “brooding essay on romantic disillusion.” Dylan debuted the song in concert the night before the album was released. He also performed it at the Grammy Awards ceremony in 1998.
“To think entertainers always have to be happy is a kind of shallow thing. in fact, I remember one of Bob’s quotes: ‘Happy? Anybody can be happy. What’s the purpose of that?'” – Pete Seeger
*Source: “Dylan: 100 Songs and Pictures” by Fine Communications
Photo Source: Expecting Rain
Mar 31, 2012 | 100 Days with Bob Dylan
Link to Song: Series of Dreams
What you should know about this song:
“‘Series of Dreams’ was a fantastic turbulent track that I felt should have been on the record [Oh Mercy]. But Dylan had the final word.” – Daniel Lanois, producer of Oh Mercy*
*Source: “Dylan: 100 Songs and Pictures” by Fine Communications
Photo Source: RockDock
