Dylan songs in Chronological Order of writing (not in the order of recording)
On this site there are reviews of Dylan’s compositions from all parts of his life, up to the most recent writings, but of late I have been trying to put these into chronological order, and fill in the gaps as I work. Originally there was one file, but this got so large I am now breaking it down into decades.
- Dylan songs of the 1960s
- Dylan songs of the 1970s
- Dylan songs of the 1980s (below)
- Dylan songs of the 1990s
- Dylan songs of the 21st century
The Bob Dylan Project is a jukebox of every Dylan song – and like Untold Dylan it is free. I hope you enjoy that site too, as they have found us, and adopted us (so to speak).
And you might also enjoy
Dylan’s opening lines: an introductory index
How Dylan writes songs, and other articles.
The 80s…
Undated: Steel and Feathers. The closest anyone has got to dating this song is to say it comes from the “Shot of Love period” – but such an assertion is not backed up by any evidence. The best we can do is put it here.
1980
Following the article in which we invented an album called “Dylan 1980” we have made a YouTube video of the songs of this year in the order of composition. so you can now hear the album as we imagined it. Just go to our Youtube page and click on Dylan 1980
And the articles that consider this year in depth
- Bob says to Tony, “Make me an album”
- Make me an album part 2
- The hopes and fears and dreams of the discontented
Now our normal review of the year
Dylan in 1980: moving from the Christian songs into beauty and confusion.
Highlight of the year: “Caribbean Wind” with “The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Alter” and “Yonder Comes Sin,” running a close second. “Making a liar” was added in October 2017 when the recording first became available, after the review of the year was written. In terms of lyrics it is up there with the very best, but it does re-use earlier music.
- Street Rock (date uncertain)
- Are you ready?
- I will love him
- Cover Down
- Ain’t gonna go to hell for anybody
- Property of Jesus
- Every grain of sand
- Caribbean Wind
- Groom’s still waiting at the alter
- Yonder comes sin
- Let’s keep it between us
- Making a liar out of me
- City of Gold
1981
Dylan in 1981: the last gospel songs and the search for a new direction
Highlight of the year: Lenny Bruce, not least for the implications within the song about the role of the outsider in our society.
- Shot of Love
- You changed my life
- Angelina
- Heart of Mine
- Is it worth it?
- In the summertime
- Need a woman
- Almost Persuaded
- Borrowed Time
- On a Rocking Boat
- Fur Slippers
- Give him my all. Date uncertain
- Hallelujah Date uncertain
- High Away (Ah ah ah)
- Wind Blows on the Water
- Magic
- Dead Man Dead Man
- Trouble
- Don’t ever take yourself away
- Watered down love (wrong link corrected 15 April 2017)
- Lenny Bruce
- Jesus is the one
- Thief on the Cross – the last gospel song
1982/3
Bob Dylan’s songs of 1982/3: how to ignore a masterpiece.
This article also explains the problems with tracking the chronological order during this two year period.
Highlight of the year: Blind Willie McTell. An absolute masterpiece
- Jokerman
- I and I
- I and I – an alternative vision
- Clean Cut Kid (Empire Burlesque)
- Union Sundown
- Blind Willie McTell
- Don’t fall apart on me tonight
- License to Kill
- Man of Peace
- Sweetheart like you
- Someone’s got a hold of my heart / Tight connection to my heart
- Neighbourhood Bully See also “Neighbourhood Bully: the heart of the matter”
- Tell Me
- Foot of Pride
- Julius and Ethel
- Lord Protect my Child
- Death is not the end
1984
Bob Dylan in 1984: a brilliant song only once performed.
Highlight of the year: I once knew a man. Only performed once, but oh what a song! The new edition of “Tangled up in blue” deserves an honourable mention too.
- I once knew a man
- Who loves you more
- Almost done
- I see you around and around
- Dirty lie
- Enough is enough
- Go way little boy
- Drifting too far from shore
- New Danville Girl / Brownsville Girl
- Something’s Burning Baby
- Night after Night (this comes with a health warning)
- Tangled Up in Blue: “Real Live” version (not an original song of course, but enough of a transformation to make it worth mentioning).
- I’m ready for love
1985
1985: The year of Dylan not drowning in someone else’s wine
Highlight of the year: Dark Eyes, although run a very close second with the co-written Well Well Well.
- Maybe Someday (Knocked out loaded)
- Seeing the real you at last (Empire Burlesque)
- I’ll remember you (Empire Burlesque)
- Trust Yourself (Empire Burlesque)
- Emotionally Yours (Empire Burlesque)
- Steel Bars
- Well well well
- Howlin at your window
- All the way down
- Moving on the water
- Tragedy of the trade
- Time to end this masquerade
- Worth The Waiting For (date uncertain)
- Nothing here worth dying for (date uncertain)
- 26 Storeys High (date uncertain)
- Won’t go back til they call me back again (date uncertain)
- Straight A’s in Love
- The Very Thought of You
- Baby coming back from the dead (Exact date unknown)
- Waiting to get beat (Empire Burlesque outtake)
- When the night comes falling from the sky (Empire Burlesque)
- Never gonna be the same again (Empire Burlesque)
- Dark Eyes (Empire Burlesque)
- Shake (Farm Aid)
- Under your spell (Knocked out loaded)
- Find Me (After the Empire)
- Right Hand Road Blues (date uncertain)
1986
Bob Dylan in 1986: Experiment, experiment, experiment, genius, ignore
Highlight of the year: To fall in love with you. An incomplete and abandoned work of beauty.
- Band of the Hand (It’s hell time man)
- Rock em Dead
- You wanna ramble
- Got my mind made up
- Jammin Me
- Had a dream about you baby
- Ride This Train.
- To fall in love with you
- Silvio*
- Ugliest girl in the world*
*These two tracks come from “Down in the Groove” which was recorded between 1983 and 1987. For the moment I can’t find evidence as to when these songs were written – so I’ve taken my best guess as being 1986 – but even if that is right I can’t say when this year. If you know please do write in.
1987/8
Three different but connected triumphs
Highlight of the years: What good am I, although it could be the final three songs of the year as a trilogy.
- ?You can blow mind mind if you want to (Date and provenance uncertain)
- Love rescue me (1987)
- Congratulations
- Political world
- What good am I
- Dignity
- Handle with care
- Dirty World
- Heading for the night
- Last night
- Margarita
- Not alone anymore
- Rattled
- Tweeter and the monkey man
- Like a Ship
- As we sailed into Skibreen: a Leven / Dylan collaboration. (No exact date for lyrics)
1989
1989: Bob Dylan stalked by the darkness
Highlight of the Year: Man in a Long Black Coat – the dark takes over