Danny Kortchmar: guitar
Steve Ripley: guitar
Benmont Tench: piano
Tim Drummond: bass
Jim Keltner: drums
Clydie King, Regina McCrary, and Madelyn Quebec: backup vocals
Recording Studio
Clover Studios, Los Angeles: May 14, 1981
Technical Team
Producers: Chuck Plotkin and Bob Dylan
Sound Engineer: Toby Scott
Genesis and Lyrics
The summer described in this song’s lyrics is clearly a metaphor for the decisive period of Dylan’s life when he embraced Jesus Christ. In this song, the songwriter comes back to his spiritual transformation, his state of grace (“It’s a part of me now, it’s been cherished and saved / It’ll be with me unto the grave”) and evokes his past (“Then came the warnin’ that was before the flood”). The words are based on biblical texts and refer to the Gospel according to Matthew: “In the days before the flood they ate and drank and married, until the day that Noah went into the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away” (24:38). In the third verse, the line “Strangers, they meddled in our affairs” may refer to Dylan’s divorce from his wife Sara, but more particularly his relationship with his children’s art teacher, Faridi McFree, with whom he lived for some time on his farm in Minnesota.
From a musical standpoint, “In the Summertime” is a delightful ballad in which Dylan plays harmonica. In 2009, the songwriter made an explicit reference to the song in an interview with Bill Flanagan: “In my hometown walking down dark streets on quiet summer nights you would sometimes hear parlor tunes coming out of doorways and open windows. Somebody’s mother or sister playing ‘A Bird in a Gilded Cage’ off of sheet music. I actually tried to conjure up that feeling once in a song I did called ‘In the Summertime.’”129
Production
The production of “In the Summertime” is a success. Dylan’s harmonica riffs (in A) reinforce the serenity of the melody. According to Paul Nelson of Rolling Stone, “‘In the Summertime,’ despite its hazy lyrics, has a lovely feel to it, and Dylan’s harmonica playing hangs in the air like the scent of mimosa.” If the atmosphere of the piece is consistent with the title, it does not reflect the lyrics, which are far from evoking the serenity of the summer. The mixing process took four sessions. On May 31, eighteen different versions were produced! But efforts were worthy of the result, as “In the Summertime” is probably the most well-mixed title of the album. The piece seems to have been recorded on May 14. Dylan performed the song live for the first time onstage at Earls Court in London on June 28, 1981.
Trouble
Bob Dylan / 4:38
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Danny Kortchmar: guitar
Fred Tackett: guitar
Benmont Tench: organ
Tim Drummond: bass
Jim Keltner: drums
Clydie King, Carolyn Dennis, Regina McCrary, and Madelyn Quebec: backup vocals
Recording Studio
Clover Studios, Los Angeles: May 14, 1981
Technical Team
Producers: Chuck Plotkin and Bob Dylan
Sound Engineer: Toby Scott
Genesis and Lyrics
While Dylan once again conjures up a quasi-apocalyptic image of the world in which he lives (drought, starvation, persecution, execution…), “Trouble” is certainly the least religious song on the album. It contains no references to biblical texts or to Jesus Christ, but, like the good old days of Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde, he uses sarcastic humor to show how everything is going wrong and will get worse. When there is trouble, neither good-luck charms nor revolution can help: “Look into infinity, all you see is trouble.” What is better than a blues song to properly illustrate a feeling for the fatalism of human existence, which is the essence of “Trouble”?
Production
“Trouble” is a blues-rock song in the tradition of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. On April 23, six takes, including one instrumental, were made. Then, after a first mix, Dylan may have rerecorded the song on May 14. The mixing took place four days later. Dylan plays guitar in the introduction; unfortunately, his finger slides during his last riff and he plays a note out of tune (at 0:16). The excellent guitarist Danny Kortchmar plays second lead guitar. He had worked with artists such as James Taylor, Carole King, Donovan, Etta James, and Neil Young.
Dylan’s solo at 2:11 is excellent, as is Drummond’s bass part, which strongly supports the riff of this blues song. What is rather surprising is that the recording has the ambience of a live performance, even though it was recorded in the studio. Perhaps that is due to the murmurs heard in the introduction, the tentativeness of Dylan’s guitar playing, or the overall garage band–like sound. The lack of precision is surprising, but it is also the charm of “Trouble,” an exquisite blues song played in the tradition of the genre. The only problem is that the fade-out at the end is too fast, just as it was in the previous song, “In the Summertime.” “Trouble” was performed live for the first time in 1989.
Every Grain Of Sand
Bob Dylan / 6:12
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, harmonica
Clydie King: harmony vocals
Andrew Gold: guitar
Benmont Tench: keyboards
Carl Pickhardt: piano
Steve Douglas: alto saxophone
Tim Drummond: bass
Jim Keltner: drums
Carolyn Dennis, Regina McCrary, and Madelyn Quebec: backup vocals
Recording Studio
Clover Studios, Los Angeles: April 29, 1981 (Overdubs May 31, 1981)
Technical Team
Producers: Chuck Plotkin and Bob Dylan
Sound Engineer: Toby Scott
Genesis and Lyrics
“Every Grain of Sand” is one of Dylan’s masterpieces, the “Chimes of Freedom” of his Christian period. It allowed the songwriter to move away from topical songs and create poetry with influences from Rimbaud to Burroughs, something unique in the songwriting world. This ultimate confession on Shot of Love sounds like a profession of his new faith. Bono of the Irish band U2 has said, “It’s like one of the great Psalms of David.” Most amazingly, Dylan claims that he wrote the text in one sitting, “That was an inspired song that came to me.… It wasn’t really too difficult. I felt like I was just putting words down that were coming from somewhere else, and I just stuck it out.”
“Every Grain of Sand” was inspired by “Auguries of Innocence” by the British poet William Blake. The inspiration is especially noticeable considering Blake’s first verse, “To see a World in a Grain of Sand / And a Heaven in a Wild Flower / Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand / And Eternity in an hour.” The similarity is hardly surprising. A century and a half apart, Blake and Dylan share the same mystical and melancholic worldview. In Dylan’s song, the narrator knows he is in the twilight of his life, that the time of the Last Judgment has come and, with it, all the questions, even if he says, “[I] don’t have the inclination to look back on any mistake.” The narrator feels like Cain, who, after murdering his brother Abel, was cursed throughout the earth. He compares himself to a grain of sand in the “Master’s hand,” meaning this infinity remains mysterious until the moment of death. Sheryl Crow told Mojo magazine, “‘Every Grain of Sand’ was the first religious song I’d heard which transcended all religions. It asks the universal questions that lead all people into exploring God, eternity, mortality. I first heard it when Shot of Love came out and I loved it right away, but then I sang it at Johnny Cash’s funeral so it has a special meaning for me.”130
Production
Dylan and his band recorded this tune on September 23, 1980, at Rundown Studios in Santa Monica, California. This extremely romantic version was officially released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3: Rare & Unreleased, 1961–1991. Dylan sings lead vocals and plays piano, accompanied by Fred Tackett on gui
tar, with backup vocals by Jennifer Warnes. The version for Shot of Love dates from April 29, 1981. The song is definitely the best produced on the album. The sound and arrangements prove it. Dylan’s interpretation is touching, supported by Clydie King’s harmony vocals and by three other backup vocalists. “Every Grain of Sand” is marked by an ethereal atmosphere created by keyboardist Benmont Tench and Andrew Gold playing guitar in arpeggios (overdub on May 31). It is also the second time on Shot of Love that Dylan plays harmonica. Since he does not play any other instrument, it is easy to hear the precision and quality of the sound produced. His solo is simply sublime. “Every Grain of Sand” was played in public for the first time in November 1981 in Lakeland, Florida.
COVERS
Dylan recorded a version of this song in September 1980 in order to convince Greek singer Nana Mouskouri to perform it, which she did. Emmylou Harris also covered the song for her 1995 album Wrecking Ball and sang it as a duet with Sheryl Crow at the funeral of Johnny Cash.
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
In the demo released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3, a dog barks joyously at 2:17 and 3:10!
Shot of Love Outtakes
Shot of Love includes only nine songs, but the songwriter nevertheless recorded forty in the series of four recording sessions from September 1980 to June 1981. As astonishing as this may seem, only five of these songs excluded from the final track listing have resurfaced: “Caribbean Wind” was released on Biograph in 1985, and “You Changed My Life,” “Need a Woman,” and “Angelina” were released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3: Rare & Unreleased, 1961–1991. The fifth, “The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar,” a gem of Dylan’s repertoire, was released on the B-side of the single “Heart of Mine,” the same year as the album, 1981. The song was inserted into the track listing of the album for the second pressing in 1985. The other outtakes from these sessions have remained officially unreleased.
Need A Woman
Bob Dylan / 5:43
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Danny Kortchmar: guitar (?); Fred Tackett: guitar (?); Benmont Tench: organ (?); Tim Drummond: bass; Jim Keltner: drums; Clydie King, Carolyn Dennis, Regina McCrary, and Madelyn Quebec: backup vocals, handclaps / Recording Studio: Clover Studios, Los Angeles: April 27 or May 4, 1981 / Producers: Chuck Plotkin and Bob Dylan / Sound Engineer: Toby Scott / Set Box: The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3: Rare & Unreleased, 1961–1991 (CD 3) / Date of Release: March 26, 1991
Dylan sings loudly that he needs a woman, “Someone who can see me as I am / Somebody who just don’t give a damn.” The lyrics of “Need a Woman,” initially written by Dylan, were rewritten by Ry Cooder, who covered the song for his 1982 album The Slide Area. “I had to change a good part of the lyrics. I had to focus them because he’s so vague, you know? His words go in all directions. ‘I can’t do this,’ I thought, ‘I must make a story out of it.’”25 Dylan radically changed the lyrics during the recording sessions, but he was never truly satisfied. His dissatisfaction could explain the exclusion of “Need a Woman” from the final track listing of Shot of Love, although the melody is definitely in the style of the album.
“Need a Woman” is a splendid blues-rock song, getting its dynamic from Tim Drummond’s powerful bass. Note the handclaps, presumably performed by the chorus, which appear for the first time in a Dylan song. Dylan provides an excellent vocal. The mix is a success.
Two takes were first recorded on April 1, 1981, at Cream Studio, and another four takes on April 27 at Clover Studios, both in Los Angeles. The liner notes for The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 indicate May 4 as a mixing session day.
Angelina
Bob Dylan / 6:58
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, piano (?); Danny Kortchmar: guitar (?); Fred Tackett: guitar (?); Benmont Tench: organ; Tim Drummond: bass; Jim Keltner: drums; Clydie King, Carolyn Dennis, and Regina McCrary: backup vocals / Recording Studio: Rundown Studios, Santa Monica: March 26 or May 4, 1981 / Producers: Jimmy Iovine and Bob Dylan / Sound Engineer: Toby Scott / Set Box: The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3: Rare & Unreleased, 1961–1991 (CD 3) / Date of Release: March 26, 1991
More than fifteen years after recording “Farewell, Angelina,” the mysterious heroine once again comes into the spotlight. Who was Dylan thinking about when he wrote and named this song? Surely not Joan Baez, even if her cover of “Farewell, Angelina” in 1965 was a big hit, reaching number 10 on the Billboard charts. Maybe the America of Ronald Reagan, who had just moved into the White House, hides behind this Angelina. Again, we have the fourth angel announcing the apocalypse by blowing his trumpet, a reference to the book of Revelation, chapter 8. However, all these are just guesses, just a part of Dylan’s poetic mystique.
“Angelina” was recorded in two takes at Rundown Studios in Los Angeles on March 26, 1981, with producer Jimmy Iovine. Then the song was apparently reworked on May 4 at Clover Studios, as indicated by the liner notes of The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3. In all likelihood, Dylan simultaneously sang and played piano. This ballad is a success. Still, the arrangement may have benefited from additional work to make it worthy of the beautiful text. “Angelina” was a long song, and Dylan was forced to cut several verses, which is likely why it was excluded from Shot of Love.
Caribbean Wind
Bob Dylan / 5:54
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Clydie King: harmony vocals; Danny Kortchmar: guitar (?); Fred Tackett: guitar (?); Steve Ripley: guitar (?); Benmont Tench: organ (?); Carl Pickhardt: piano (?); Tim Drummond: bass; Jim Keltner: drums, percussion (?) / Recording Studio: Clover Studios, Los Angeles: April 30 or May 1, 1981 / Producers: Chuck Plotkin and Bob Dylan / Sound Engineer: Toby Scott / Set Box: Biograph (CD 3) / Date of Release: October 28, 1985
“I started it in St. Vincent when I woke up from a strange dream in the hot sun. There was a bunch of women working on a tobacco field on a high rolling hill. A lot of them were smoking pipes.”12 Thus, “Caribbean Wind” was born. Dylan said it took him a long time to write it. He started it, set it aside, and then finally reworked it. Again, the images are numerous and often enigmatic. The heroine comes “from the city of seven hills.” Is this a reference to Rome (where Peter was the first bishop)? The mystery deepens even more when the narrator wonders if it is indeed a woman or a child, and then in the next to the last verse, he gives this description: “She had bells in her braids and they hung to her toes.” As always, Dylan describes a civilization on the edge of an abyss, an aura of apocalypse. Did this “Caribbean Wind” eventually carry away everything in its path?
Before attaining its final form, “Caribbean Wind” required extensive rewritings and rearrangements by both Dylan and his musicians. The song was first worked on at Rundown Studios, then at Studio 55, and finally at Clover Studios. According to studio record sheets, the final take dates from April 30 or May 1. Although the lyrics are not especially serene, the music shines with its dynamic, California flair. Dylan plays acoustic guitar, a sound that he did not try for elsewhere on Shot of Love. All the other musicians provide tremendous rhythmic support. Clydie King harmonizes with Dylan’s vocals. It seems that she is the one who sings in deep breaths, particularly in the introduction.
You Changed My Life
Bob Dylan / 5:14
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Clydie King: harmony vocals; Danny Kortchmar: guitar; Steve Ripley: guitar; Benmont Tench: keyboards; Carl Pickhardt: piano; Tim Drummond: bass; Jim Keltner: drums / Recording Studio: Clover Studios, Los Angeles: April 23, 1981 / Producers: Chuck Plotkin and Bob Dylan / Sound Engineer: Toby Scott / Set Box: The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3: Rare & Unreleased, 1961–1991 (CD 3) / Date of Release: March 26, 1991
Here Dylan addresses the Lord, who “Came along in a time of strife.” The songwriter thanks Him for saving his life, giving him knowledge, and sparing him from ignorance. This song was taped for the first time at Rundown Studios in Santa Monica, California, on March 11, 1981. Dylan reworked the song at Cream Studio in Los Angeles on April 1, and
for the last time on April 23 at Clover Studios in Los Angeles. Eleven takes were recorded. None of them were used for the LP Shot of Love.
“You Changed My Life” is a superb song, dynamic rock. Jim Keltner provides an excellent drum part, and Kortchmar’s (or Ripley’s?) guitar solo with strong reverberation is excellent. Dylan obviously enjoys singing this tune. “You Changed My Life” was probably left off the album because of its rock tone, which did not fit the general mood.
The Groom’s Still Waiting At The Altar
Bob Dylan / 4:05
SINGLE
DATE OF RELEASE
Heart of Mine / The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar
September 1981
on Columbia Records
(REFERENCE COLUMBIA 18-02510)
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Danny Kortchmar: guitar
Fred Tackett: guitar (?)
Benmont Tench: keyboards
Carl Pickhardt: keyboards
Tim Drummond: bass
Jim Keltner: drums (?), maracas (?)
Ringo Starr: drums (?), maracas (?)
Clydie King, Carolyn Dennis, Regina McCrary, and Madelyn Quebec: backup vocals
Recording Studio
Rundown Studios, Santa Monica, California: May 11 or 15, 1981
Technical Team
Producers: Chuck Plotkin and Bob Dylan
Sound engineer: Toby Scott
Genesis and Lyrics
“The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar” was composed during the summer of 1980. It is a blues-rock song that could have found its place on Highway 61 Revisited or Blonde on Blonde. However, since those recordings Dylan’s voice had changed, as had his relationship with Jesus Christ. The song is imbued with surrealism and a series of successive images unrelated to each other. Biblical prophecies also inspired “The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar.” The narrator, who “Prayed in the ghetto with my face in the cement,” sees the “Curtain risin’ on a new age”: in other words, he will be there for the apocalypse. Dylan even mentions the River Jordan, beyond which lies the Promised Land of the Hebrews, led by Moses. As for the groom still waiting at the altar, would that be Dylan?
Bob Dylan All the Songs Page 67
