Dirge (Bob Dylan song)

"Dirge"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album Planet Waves
ReleasedJanuary 17, 1974
RecordedNovember 14, 1973
GenreFolk rock
Length5:36
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)Rob Fraboni

"Dirge" is a song by Bob Dylan. It was released on his 14th studio album Planet Waves in 1974.[1] Notable for its acidic tone, "Dirge" has never been performed in concert.[2]

A 2021 Guardian article included it on a list of "80 Bob Dylan songs everyone should know".[3]

Background and recording

After recalling his band to re-record the track "Forever Young," Dylan recorded "Dirge" on just the second take.[4] The song was labeled on the studio tape box as "Dirge for Martha." After performing one take with an acoustic guitar, Dylan switched to a piano when he performed the second and final take. Robbie Robertson played acoustic guitar on the second take, giving the song a bluesy and mandolin-like feel. According to Rob Fraboni, the producer, Dylan "wanted a kind of barroom sound from the piano" and a "raunchy vocal sound." Fraboni and Robertson mixed the song immediately after the recording.[5]

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Bob Dylan. (1974). Dirge. Planet Waves [CD]. Los Angeles, CA: Asylum.
  2. ^ "Songs". Bob Dylan Songs. Sony Music Entertainment. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  3. ^ "Beyond Mr Tambourine Man: 80 Bob Dylan songs everyone should know". the Guardian. May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  4. ^ Heylin, Clinton (2000). Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited. New York: HarperCollins. p. 800. ISBN 978-0-06-052569-9.
  5. ^ Margotin, Philippe (2015). Bob Dylan : all the songs : the story behind every track. Jean-Michel Guesdon (First ed.). New York. ISBN 978-1-57912-985-9. OCLC 869908038.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Bob Dylan. (1974). Dirge. Planet Waves [CD]. Los Angeles, CA: Asylum.
  • Lyrics at Bob Dylan's official site
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