Dirge (Bob Dylan song)
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Dirge
| artist = Bob Dylan
| album = Planet Waves
| released = January 17, 1974
| recorded = November 14, 1973
| studio =
| genre = Folk rock
| length = 5:36
| label = Columbia
| writer = Bob Dylan
| producer = Rob Fraboni
}}
"Dirge" is a song by Bob Dylan. It was released on his 14th studio album Planet Waves in 1974.Bob Dylan. (1974). Dirge. Planet Waves [CD]. Los Angeles, CA: Asylum. Notable for its acidic tone, "Dirge" has never been performed in concert.{{cite web|title=Songs|url=http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs|work=Bob Dylan Songs|publisher=Sony Music Entertainment|accessdate=July 29, 2011}}
A 2021 Guardian article included it on a list of "80 Bob Dylan songs everyone should know".{{Cite web|date=May 22, 2021|title=Beyond Mr Tambourine Man: 80 Bob Dylan songs everyone should know|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/may/22/beyond-mr-tambourine-man-80-bob-dylan-songs-everyone-should-know|access-date=2021-05-22|website=the Guardian|language=en}}
Background and recording
After recalling his band to re-record the track "Forever Young," Dylan recorded "Dirge" on just the second take.{{cite book|last=Heylin|first=Clinton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VBDG1g1IG3cC|title=Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2000|isbn=978-0-06-052569-9|location=New York|pages=800}} 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.{{Cite book|last=Margotin|first=Philippe|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/869908038|title=Bob Dylan : all the songs : the story behind every track|date=2015|others=Jean-Michel Guesdon|isbn=978-1-57912-985-9|edition=First|location=New York|oclc=869908038}}
Personnel
- Bob Dylan – piano, vocals
- Robbie Robertson – acoustic guitar
References
{{reflist}}
- Bob Dylan. (1974). Dirge. Planet Waves [CD]. Los Angeles, CA: Asylum.
External links
- [http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/dirge Lyrics] at Bob Dylan's official site
{{Bob Dylan}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Bob Dylan
Category:Song recordings produced by Rob Fraboni
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