By Tony Attwood
It has been a long time since anyone told us that we had missed a Bob Dylan composition on this site, but it seems we have done: “The Price of Love”. Jochen spotted the omission, so here I am adding it to the list. The full alphabetical list with links to articles on this site is given here.
And I have to admit I am bemused by this because I felt sure I had written about it in the past, and yet I can’t find and record of that. So, the old man (me) has finally lost it, and the memory’s tricks have taken over. If I ever did write about this song the commentary has vanished into the darkness.
But the official Dylan site has it listed, so that’s a starting point and it turned up on volume 16 of the bootleg series. So all things considered we really should be listing this song. It takes Bob’s total songwriting to 627 separate works.
The song was recorded in 1980 and is one of the Shot of Love outtakes.
And what do we have? Well, a Bo Diddley beat complete with the echo on the rhythm guitar – not something that Bob uses very often. At first, the verses have just one chord behind them in the Bo Diddley style, but with two extra chords (the flattened 7th and the 4th) in the repeated one line of the chorus.
At least that’s how it starts, but this is Bob Dylan, so he has some surprises.
The first two verses follow the pattern above, but then after a single chord instrumental verse with the saxophones getting a little more to the fore it changes.
For in the third verse an extra chord is added and then we get a completely new sequence. But such is the dominance of the Diddley rhythm that it is hard to realise quite what variations are being added.
The instrumental break is completely on one chord, and from here on the sections get mixed up.
The point is that this is on the surface an incredibly simple piece, but actually, because of these slight variations at different points that view is deceptive. It is a song that is tangled up within itself, and must have been rehearsed a number of times before this take was made.
And historically there has been something strange going on, because on the website Songtexte there is a set of lyrics for Price of Love which have nothing to do with this recording above although at the head of the page it quite clearly says
PRICE OF LOVE (SHOT OF LOVE OUTTAKE) SONGTEXT
Now of course there may be a complete set of lyrics that we actually hear on the recording above, available somewhere and I have completely missed them – so if you can find them could you write in with the link to the relevant page where they are provided.
Meanwhile, perhaps a kind reader would like to transcribe the lyrics for publication here. And as ever no harm in having several versions for where the lyrics are not exactly clear. Larry, are you reading me?
FOOTNOTE
Larry was indeed reading me and has provided a transcript of the lyrics
Seeing my baby on a Wednesday night I have a felling time is right Ohh, time to love, going up Ohh, the price of love, going up Ohh, the price of love, going up Ohh, the price of love, going up Two dollar, one dollar, where do ya pay How much you got with you today Two dollar, one dollar, two dollar bill If you don't, somebody else will Ohh, the price of love, going up Ohh, the price of love, going up Come down, baby, I'm bark to wood Found a snake in the neighbourhood Might a-been old master Wool Met him on my way to school Two dollar, one dollar, where do ya pay How much you got on you today Two dollar, three dollar, three dollar bill You know somebody else will Ohh, the price of love, going up Ohh, the price of love, going up Ohh, the price of love, going up Ohh, the price of love, going up Leave the valley, and across the ridge Write up a note that I need your head Well, I gotta run to serve Wave on by me in the neighbourhood Two dollar, one dollar, where do ya pay How much you got on you today Two dollar, two dollar, one dollar bill If you don't, nobody else will Ohh, the price of love, going up Ohh, the price of love, going up Ohh, the price of love, going up Ohh, the price of love, going up Two dollar, one dollar, two dollar bill You know somebody else will Two dollar, two dollar, where do ya pay How much you got on you today Ohh, the price of love, going up Ohh, the price of love, going up Ohh, the price of love, going up Ohh, the price of love going up
Footnote from Larry: Sources
* on a Wednesday night
** Met him on the way to school
There’s a few more corrections needed..,,I’ll get to them as soon as I can
The Price Of Love
Seeing my baby on a Wednesday night
I have a feeling time is right
Ohh, time to love, going up
Ohh, the price of love, going up (3 times)
Two dollar, one dollar, where do ya pay
How much you got with you today
Two dollar, one dollar, two dollar bill
If you don’t, somebody else will
Ohh, the price of love, going up (2 times)
Come down baby, I’m bark to wood
Found a snake in the neighbourhood
Might a-been old master Wool
Met him on the way to school
Two dollar, one dollar, where do ya pay
How much you got on you today
Two dollar, three dollar, three dollar bill
You know someone else will
Ohh, the price of love, going up (4 times)
Leave the valley, and across the ridge
Write up a note that I need your head
Well, I gotta run to serve
Wave on by me in the neighbourhood
Two dollar, one dollar, where do ya pay
How much you got on you today
Two dollar, two dollar, one dollar bill
If you don’t, nobody else will
Ohh, the price of love, going up (4 times)
Two dollar, one dollar, two dollar bill
You know somebody else will
Two dollar, two dollar, where do ya pay
How much you got on you today
Ohh, the price of love, going up (4 times)