Dylan's Greatest Songs, Not Hits

I recently wrote an article about the top ten unnoticed Bob Dylan songs. I wanted to make known songs that aren't common knowledge for the casual Dylan fan, songs that don't necessarily make it onto his greatest hits collections. However, the list caused a miniature uproar, with fans calling for a recount, "what about this song, what about that song" they cried! Well, as one fan pointed out, it is impossible to make every Dylan fan happy with a list of ten songs. He has hundreds of them worth mentioning. And there aren't many Dylan songs that are truly unnoticed; he is arguably the best songwriter of all time and is also one of the most influential artistic figures of our time. So to say that any of them are "unnoticed" is really not very accurate. The point of the article was to call attention to songs that I feel don't receive enough attention. I placed "Let me die in my footsteps" as the top song on the list. One commenter was offended, arguing that it was used in the film "Dangerous Minds." I wasn't aware of that because I haven't seen the film, but I still say that if you asked a common Dylan fan, someone who just has an album or two or a greatest hits album, they have probably never heard the song. Secondly, I recommended the version from volume one of his bootlegs series. It is important to get the right version of the song.

Anyway, the mini uproar got me to thinking: if I had to create an album of, say, fifteen songs, if I had fifteen slots to fill, which songs would I pick? Every Dylan fan has his favorites and his thoughts as to which ones are the best. That is clear from the response I received from my article. Even though it was a list of unnoticed songs, people responded passionately with their "favorite" or the "best" Dylan songs. So I took it upon myself to compile a list of his greatest songs, unnoticed, used in films, played on the radio, sung at karaoke, covered by band after band, whatever. I gave myself fifteen slots. Hundreds of songs to choose from. Live recordings, the bootleg series, platinum albums. Anything. The Traveling Wilburys. The Basement Tapes. I created a list, in a very particular order, the way I would want to present them on an album. The only limitation I gave was that they have to be on commercial recordings. Otherwise I could say, well, the way he played "You ain't goin' nowhere" at Louis Armstrong Hall in New Orleans, man, that was great! The way he sang, the energy in the air, well, that was a moment in time! It was, but it doesn't count. It has to be on a recording that can be bought at the store or ordered online, something we all have access to.

I got fifteen. I thought: if we had to throw into the sea all but fifteen Dylan songs, which would they be? If someone had never heard him before and I got fifteen songs to highlight his legacy, which would I choose? They don't have to be his best written, his most popular, the most influential, they are just the songs that you feel stand above the rest. Fifteen songs. Not his greatest "hits" but the GREATEST songs that I could absolutely not live without (figuratively speaking). That's what I worked with. And remember, this is a SUBJECTIVE list, open for interpretation. It is not truth. This is supposed to be fun. That's why we love Dylan, because he is so diverse, and so good, and has done so much. I implore you to disagree. That's how we get somewhere. So here's mine. I'm looking forward to yours.

The songs are listed as they would appear on the album. Some songs don't an explanation, others, I felt, did.

1. Song to Woody (from Bob Dylan)-To make the album complete, you have to look at the songs inspired by those that inspired him. Dylan loved folk music, Woody Guthrie, etc. He loved where music came from, the roots and history, the stories, bluesmen, troubadours, the lore, all of it. That's why I went with "Song to Woody" to start the album, a song from his first album, one of his first original songs. Tributes often times fall flat; they get convoluted, they don't do enough. I think this one is good, and it summarizes the young Bob Dylan and where he came from with his music, very folky; a very good song.

2. All I Really Want to Do (from Another Side of Bob Dylan)-It's funny. It's cute. It's sarcastic. I think the thing I like best about Dylan is his sarcasm, the way he pokes fun at people, himself, situations, idiosyncrasies about the way we are and think. The song reminds me of "I want to hold your hand" by The Beatles; I know Dylan was affected by that song, really dug it when it came out. He is also still learning his craft at this point, using variations of the infamous "Holly hiccup" and a Jimmie Rodgers yodel, which is hilarious, and his wordplay is as clever as ever. It's a great indication of how Dylan started.

3. Bob Dylan's 115th Dream (from Bringing It All Back Home)-This is, I think, ultimately how Dylan likes to write. He has fun with this one, and so do we.

4. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (from Bringing It All Back Home)-The true poet side of Dylan.

5. Like a Rolling Stone (from Highway 61 Revisited)

6. Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 (from Blonde on Blonde)-Clever, playful, social commentary, this one has a little bit of everything.

7. Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again (from Blonde on Blonde)-Dylan is unique, revolutionized music and songwriting. Here's just one reason why.

8. All Along the Watchtower (from John Wesley Harding)

9. Girl from the North Country (from Nashville Skyline)-Dylan has influenced about everyone. He has won not just music awards but also writing awards. He is a troubadour, a folk singer, a rock singer, a songwriter, etc. He has written political songs, protest songs, social songs. But what people sometimes forget is that he is very fond of the love song. He has written some of the most romantic and tender songs of all time. He originally wrote this song for his second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, but reworked it for a duet with Johnny Cash. It is a classic, unforgettable song.

10. I Threw it all Away (from Nashville Skyline)-Just a beautiful, true song that never gets old.

11. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (from Blood on the Tracks)-Dylan in his prime. Blood on the Tracks is arguably his best album all the way through. The beauty and point of art is capturing emotions that people identify with, trying to find a way to summarize all of those things you feel but can't describe. It's easier with a painting. With words it's hard. And he does that with this song.

12. Tomorrow is a Long Time (from Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2)-To be thorough, you need to look at what songs other musicians tend to cover over and over again. Which ones do they love and admire? They are the ones who know what music is all about, its roots, its passion, its purpose. Other musicians know, and they cover songs for a reason, because it inspires them, excites them, because it has meaning and soul and purpose, or it is touching, unique, powerful. This one has been done many times and is often considered one of the saddest songs ever written. Elvis Presley did a version of it, so it must be good.

13. Knockin on Heaven's Door (from Pat Garret & Billy the Kid Soundtrack)-I chose this song because it shows his interest in film and westerns/the Old West. He was in this movie; he wrote the song for it. It became much more than that. It is very Dylan. He has a way of capturing this sort of eternity, this invincible quality of vulnerability and doom, this larger than life feeling. This is another song that has been done over and over again by musicians and karaoke singers alike.

14. Not Dark Yet (from Time Out of Mind)- There's something about this song. We all love it. It's hard to deny it. It's wise. Dylan, sometimes, tried to do too much. He is very ambitious, pushes himself, has tons to say, and sometimes tries to do it all at once. He wants to defy boundaries, do the undone, undo the done. But this song is very simple, it is pure, it is unquestionably a great song, Dylan an older man now looking back at things. It will speak volumes for many years.

15. Let Me Die in My Footsteps (from The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3)-Kind of like the young, innocent version of "Not dark yet." Wonderful song. Good way to end it…