Untold Dylan: “I’ll let you be in my dream if I can be in yours”

———-

Reviews of every song Bob Dylan has written

That’s 552 reviews, plus over 300 other articles about Bob Dylan.  

This site has had over 950,000 page views in the past year.

The songs reviewed here have two things in common: we can find a recording of the song, and it appears the song was written by Bob Dylan.  If you know of any other song Dylan has composed of which there is a recording available somewhere, and can point us towards that, we’ll get onto it.  Just email Tony@schools.co.uk

The alphabetical list of all the songs reviewed on this site can be found here. It does include a few songs not written by Bob, but we are not aiming to review all the songs Dylan has performed.

We’ve also put the songs in the order of composition – see the link to “Dylan songs of the 60s” etc in the links under the picture above.

Here are the latest articles, arranged by series.  You can find a list of the latest new articles in the order published (but not the updates) with the latest at the top, on the right side of this page.  We’re about to start an index to updated reviews with notes on what was changed.

BOB DYLAN AT THE MOVIES

LATEST UPDATED REVIEWS.  We just started an index of these updates

Recent updates index

  • Shelter from the Storm.  With the addition of four videos of the song, plus the missing verse and a short debate on the meaning of mythopoeic and a comparison with Gormenghast, plus links to related articles.
  • On the road again – the forgotten song from “Bringing it all back home” revisited, with the original song of that name, Jack White’s reworking of the original, Heylin’s surprising approval, and three modern re-workings of Dylan’s post-modern crazy world.
  • It’s all right ma.  A second video added of a live performance so we have both an acoustic and band version with the review.
  • Everything is Broken: How a short track transmuted into post-modernist chill.   With three live videos, a cover version and more thoughts on why the song bounces along on the smashed remnants of society.

BOB DYLAN’S THEMES & SOURCES

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES IN THE PAST WEEK

THE INDEX OF CITATIONS   

Bob Dylan constantly references other authors and the Bible in his works, and we’ve dealt with this in a wide range of articles.  These are pulled together in a series of indexes, and those indexes are each listed below…

BOB DYLAN and CANADA – the expanded index

SONG REVIEWS: these finished our review of every Dylan song we could find. 

RECENT ARTICLES ON WRITERS WHO HAVE INFLUENCED DYLAN

Mr TAMBOURINE MAN

UNTOLD AND DYLAN: THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

There is an index of this subject in Bob Dylan’s Themes  and in Poets and themes within Bob Dylan’s work).

DYLAN AND BAUDELAIRE – Handy Dandy just published

BOB DYLAN and PAUL VERLAINE

DYLAN AND IT TAKES A LOT TO LAUGH: the series

DESOLATION ROW REVISITED twice

100 GREATEST COVER VERSIONS OF DYLAN SONGS EVER

This is a compilation of the nominations sent in by readers of the best cover version in alphabetical order.  We’re still happy to receive further nominations and will update the list again shortly.

DYLAN: THE LIGHTER SIDE:  (For more info on this aspect of the site please click here)

BOB DYLAN AND RELIGION – see also Bob Dylan’s Themes and  Poets within Dylan’s work

BOB DYLAN AND THE BIBLE: AN INDEX

We have several indexes of sources of Dylan’s inspiration – the index of sources from the Bible that Dylan uses has just been updated.

DYLAN’S FORGOTTEN GEMS.

The full index is here.  The last addition was Going to Acapulco

DYLAN – THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION:

The CHRONOLOGY files and complete index of reviews in alphabetical order

“Big Bill Broonzy had a song called “Key to the Highway.” “I’ve got a key to the highway / I’m booked and I’m bound to go / Gonna leave here runnin’ because walking is most too slow.” I sang that a lot. If you sing that a lot, you just might write, “Georgia Sand he had a bloody nose, welfare department wouldn’t give him no clothes…

Bob Dylan at the MusiCare Gala 2015

“You can never tell why someone’s gonna stick something in a song. You just gotta remember that the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts. You can’t expect to understand everything in every song.”

Theme Time Radio Hour

Everything worth doing takes time. You have to write a hundred bad songs before you write one good one. And you have to sacrifice a lot of things that you might not be prepared for. Like it or not, you are in this alone and have to follow your own star.”

Bob Dylan, October 2016.

What is on the site

Untold Dylan contains a review of every Dylan musical composition of which we can find a copy (around 500) and over 300 other articles on Dylan, his work and the impact of his work.

You’ll find an index to our latest posts arranged by themes and subjects on the home page.  You can also see details of our main sections on this site at the top of this page under the picture.

The alphabetical index to the 552 song reviews can be found here.  If you know of anything we have missed please do write in.  The index of the songs in chronological order can be found here.

We also now have a discussion group “Untold Dylan” on Facebook.  Just type the phrase “Untold Dylan” in, on your Facebook page or follow this link 

And please do note   The Bob Dylan Project, which lists every Dylan song in alphabetical order, and has links to licensed recordings and performances by Dylan and by other artists, is starting to link back to our reviews.

I would especially like to thank Pat Sludden for his tireless support and enthusiasm in keeping this project going, plus Larry Fyffe for the articles which take the whole site in new directions.

I am always happy to receive new material for the site and receive requests to look at specific songs from any era of Dylan’s writing – including looking again at songs already reviewed.   I love the challenge.   Email: Tony@schools.co.uk

Tony Attwood

TonyAttwood.info

This page had to be revised because of the growing number of links on it, and in that process earlier comments on this page were removed from the comments file.  Here are those (leaving aside a few of the ones that said it was all rubbish).

  1. Oded says:

    Hi

    Thanks for the great works here. after reading just a few, i must say this is insightful, and the “untold” seems to be a truthful adjective. i think i have read a few dozens of miles of Dylan cracking texts, still, I really enjoy your stuff.

  2. Jane Reeves says:

    Have been a fan of Dylan since 12 years of age, ( am now 45) I WISH I had read your website years ago. Have seen Bob twice live on stage (London) 2002 and 2005 . (HONESTLY…. I prefer the albums!) His “make scrambled eggs” of his songs and see if the die hard fans can figure it out – I can see WHY he does it to stave off extreme boredom´- but a small bit of me would like to hear “Between the Windows of the sea..where lovely mermaids flow”…and not spend ten minutes scrunching up my face and my mind to even i-d- Desolation Row!!
    I found your site today and will make note of it: but here is a question
    : maybe no-one (now living) knows;
    “What makes Robert Allan Zimmerman (aka bob Dylan)
    what makes him Smile or Laugh With Real Happiness?”
    I wish I knew

    sending you all best wishes and many thanks
    Jane Reeves

  3. everymanmediagroup says:

    We absolutely love your blog and find a lot of your post’s to
    be just what I’m looking for. Do you offer guest writers to
    write content for you? I wouldn’t mind writing a
    post or elaborating on a number of the subjects you write
    about here. Again, awesome site!

  4. TonyAttwood says:

    Everyman – sure do. Just write to me and tell me what song you would like to review. Tony.Attwood@aisa.org

  5. Thelonious says:

    “Series of Dreams” links to “Mozambique”

  6. ask says:

    Wonderful post! We will be linking to this particularly great post on our website.
    Keep up the good writing.

  7. David Griffiths says:

    I like your blog website.
    I’ve been a Dylan fan for a few years now. I really like your classifications which seem to be true. I cannot say that I have heard all Bob’s songs, so you may need some cooperation when it comes to organizing them all.
    I noticed that there is more song material published from the album “Tell tale signs”
    that I’ve just been listening to To-Day.One thing I looked for is the Poem He did about “Last thoughts on Woodie Guthrie”
    I would classify this as an enlightened protest,maybe,with distain for the world(worldliness) that most shallow folks look for satisfaction in. Hard to classify as it touches on a lot of the categories.
    Thanks once again!
    Dave.

  8. Tom Kirkpatrick says:

    Hi Tony,

    I continue to enjoy your analysis of Bob Dylan’s songs. I’m wondering if you would take a look at “Million Dollar Bash” — from the Basement Tapes.

    Best wishes

  9. TonyAttwood says:

    OK will do

  10. patrick powell says:

    I have long been a Dylan fan, growing into him and appreciating his work ever more as I get older. I came across your site by chance and read several entries and song interpretations and I must say that from what I have read of his recording methods – songs lyrics going through many iterations and very often be written on the hoof (as it were) I suspect you are overegging the pudding rather too much. For example, it is obvious to me that Dylan will often use a simile because it contains one word which gives him a good rhyme – and no more.

  11. http://kidshoodies.net/ says:

    Excellent blog post. I certainly love this
    website. Keep writing!

  12. Rick says:

    Most honest reviews of Dylan material, a breath of fresh air. Thank you.

  13. David Povey says:

    Hi Tony, is Brownsville Girl any sort of a challenge? It seems to be about a film, and the opening line is classic, along with “the swap meets [boot sales /garage sales] ’round here are pretty corrupt” which is one of my favourites. There is a strong resonance of Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs [Henry Porter] in the scene when Henry’s partner invites them to stay awhile. And probably much more, if its worth teasing it out. I do wish I knew more about the structure of music, as you do – I’ll have to be content with a life-long love of Bob Dylan. I missed his 1966 Australian tour (I was only 12) but have managed to catch his subsequent shows – yes, he is an enigma to some, however I’ve loved every concert so much. As someone comments elsewhere on your fabulous blog, in 100 years Dylan will be regarded as a great poet – by more than just his true fans. Thanks for the love you show to this music master. Its appropriate the Americans title their great musicians “Mister” – he is Mr Bob Dylan.

  14. Wolkowski says:

    New title available from Amazon.com catalogue:
    Bob Dylan: the spirit and the letter.
    Best regards
    Wolkowski
    Sorbonne universites upmc

  15. Raja Thuraisingham says:

    Just stumbled into your site yesterday.
    It’s a wonderful thing you have created. I’ve been a Dylan fan for 25 years but I’ve never read such insightful stuff.
    Keep it up!

    Raja

  16. Ravi says:

    Great site. Lovely committed work of true fan(s). All the very best.

  17. Rob Marenghi says:

    Hi guys, I love this site. If you or anyone else like early Bob/Nick Drake you may like my stuff. You can get a free song here – http://www.robmarenghi.com

    Best regards

    Rob

  18. TonyAttwood says:

    Well, Rob, I’ve restrained from making too much of my own music on this site, so I’m not sure, but since you have written in, I’ll let it go. But if other people start using the site to publicise their own music, what with me being all restrained about mine, I might just have to rethink. Tony

  19. Larry Fyffe says:

    Gives him a good rhyme and no more…obvious to some perhaps but not to me ..correct choice of words is extremely important to Dylan…and a rhyme can usually be found if needed….On the other extreme, there are those who are
    110 per cent so sure of their interpretation of what a Dylan song means that they twist and misconstrue the actual lyrics to such a degree as to be laughable in order to force-fit a wrong-headed idea into them.

    Chris Tillam says:

    Hey, Tony,
    love your work: just discovered the site, after a group of poetry readers I’m part of have nominated Dylan for this month’s reading.

    One of my choices for the reading is … “Song To Woody”.
    No.302?

    All the best