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About This Track
“Desolation Row” is the closing track of Bob Dylan’s sixth studio album, Highway 61 Revisited. It is noted for its length (11:21) and surreal lyrics. It was recorded on August 4, 1965, in Columbia’s Studio A in New York City. The two takes spliced for the album were the second and third time Dylan had sung the song. Charlie McCoy played acoustic guitar for the record, making it the album’s only track not to feature an electric guitar. An alternate version was also recorded with electric guitar and a prominent bass that was eventually released on The Bootleg Series Vol.
7: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack. Rolling Stone ranked the song as number 185 in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Joe Strummer makes a reference to Desolation Row in his song “Coma Girl” released on Streetcore. It’s also referenced in Laura Branigan’s “Spanish Eddie” (David Palmer/Chuck Cochran), Atlantic, 1985.
In the New Oxford Companion to Music, Gammond described “Desolation Row” as an example of Dylan’s work that achieved a “high level of poetical lyricism.”
In an interview with USA Today on September 10, 2001, the day before the release of his album Love and Theft, Dylan claimed that the song “is a minstrel song through and through. I saw some ragtag minstrel show in blackface at the carnivals when I was growing up, and it had an effect on me, just as much as seeing the lady with four legs.”
It has been suggested that the title is a reference to Jack Kerouac’s novel Desolation Angels and John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row.
In the New Oxford Companion to Music, Gammond described “Desolation Row” as an example of Dylan’s work that achieved a “high level of poetical lyricism.”
In an interview with USA Today on September 10, 2001, the day before the release of his album Love and Theft, Dylan claimed that the song “is a minstrel song through and through. I saw some ragtag minstrel show in blackface at the carnivals when I was growing up, and it had an effect on me, just as much as seeing the lady with four legs.”
It has been suggested that the title is a reference to Jack Kerouac’s novel Desolation Angels and John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row.
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Albums featuring this track
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Bob Dylan: The Collection
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Highway 61 Revisited
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Shouts
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HampusForever wrote:
well any attempt to list the greatest songs ever is doomed to fail from the start
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RottingGrass wrote:
Placed ten spots below ABBA's "Dancing Queen" on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs.
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Shauni51 wrote:
Fucking love this song though I don't understand it.
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IlanDatabase wrote:
*probably.
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H0USE-MD wrote:
Possibly the best song of all time [2]
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NefandusDeus wrote:
v Best comment ever.
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zutaraeh wrote:
Regarding MCR: Yes, I know them, they're quite lame.
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ark4real wrote:
Never heard of this mcr version and never gonna listen to it
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Dezconocido wrote:
:(
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HeyJazzMan wrote:
I heard the My Chemical Romance cover and thought: Why. [5]
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AceOfSpades24 wrote:
Everybody is either making love or else expecting rain
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Nakkinak wrote:
You can use every line as a quotation lol
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Austin_Rac wrote:
"Decent, but not as good as the My Chemical Romance version. " I really hope you were trying to troll, otherwise you should seriously reconsider your entire life.
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EdwinaMartel wrote:
wow
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MrMorizon wrote:
This is so brilliant shit. I love Dylans Songwriting and the simple Chords together with the ambitioned strumming. It takes you to other places. That is exactly why I can subscribe to this: "I heard the My Chemical Romance cover and thought: Why." [4]
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MarvellousG wrote:
Possibly the best song of all time
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AceOfSpades24 wrote:
A masterpiece
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Sooto wrote:
I heard the My Chemical Romance cover and thought: Why. [3]
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Sjitty wrote:
My fav song from H61R.
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k-rolina92 wrote:
cover from this masterpiece? that shit of MCR? oh God ..
Track Stats
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174,569 Listeners
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Recent Activity
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Smrbrd, tomgreendayfan, der-Cousin and 3 other people loved Bob Dylan – Desolation Row. yesterday evening
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Clarawater, maxbiglino, Jessew75 and 8 other people loved Bob Dylan – Desolation Row. Monday evening
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nlpeducator tagged Bob Dylan – Desolation Row with chill and folk rock. Friday evening
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Miss_Mahrie tagged Bob Dylan – Desolation Row with folk rock and folk. last month
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