Bob Dylan » Tracks » Lay Lady Lay

Bob Dylan – Lay Lady Lay (3:17)

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About This Track

“Lay Lady Lay” is a song written by Bob Dylan and originally released in 1969 on his Nashville Skyline album. The words of the song are sung by Dylan in a low, soft-sounding voice instead of his familiar high-pitched nasal-sounding voice. Dylan credited his “new” voice to quitting smoking before recording the song, but some unreleased bootleg tapes from the early ’60s reveal that this was an aspect of his vocal persona that he had actually possessed since at least that time.[1] Released as a single in July of 1969, it became one of Dylan’s biggest US Pop chart hits, peaking at number seven. The single did even better on the UK Singles Chart, reaching the number five spot. It is often performed live by Dylan, and was included on the Hard Rain and Before the Flood albums. It also appears on his quintuple-platinum Greatest Hits, Volume II album, as well as on compilations Biograph and The Essential Bob Dylan.

The song was originally written for the soundtrack of the movie Midnight Cowboy, but wasn’t submitted in time to make the final cut. [2]

Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers has been quoted that Dylan offered them the song to record in the following way. The Everlys were appearing at the Bottom Line in New York, and after the show, Dylan went backstage to visit with them. Phil asked if Bob had any new songs they might record, and he said yes, there was one they could have. He picked up a guitar and sang, but so quietly that the Everlys could not clearly make out all the words, and thought they heard “lay lady lay, lay across my big breasts, babe.” Thinking it was a song about lesbians, Don Everly said “thank you, it’s a great song, but I don’t think we could get away with that”, and declined to record it.
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Albums featuring this track

  • Best of
    Bob Dylan Play
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  • Biograph
    Bob Dylan Play
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  • Greatest Hits V2
    Bob Dylan Play
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  • Kottan Ermittelt - Hausbesuche
    Bob Dylan Play
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See all 11 albums

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  • Suberu

    :-)

    last month

  • Druid66

    Where to begin to sing praises for this? It's Nashville authentic, without seeming like it's from Nashville or C&W music in general. Lyrics are sublime, Dylan's vocals are droll, melody is enchanting, that pedal steel guitar is hypnotizing. Another signature Dylan tune from another epoch-defining Dylan record.

    last month

  • oldiesfanjohn

    another big hit from the Bobster!

    last month

  • moonviolette

    Likemuchly

    March 2012

  • PattySauce

    Dylan makes me happy!!

    March 2012

  • Heinrich48

    love this Song and this man :-) lay lady lay for ever

    February 2012

  • krissilynn

    Love this song!! Heard Bob perform it in concert in 2011 and it was AWSOME!! Great performance!

    February 2012

  • xXJokerBPXx

    It still feels like the first time I heard it.

    January 2012

  • Sambo531

    love

    January 2012

  • Suberu

    Cracker

    January 2012

  • Dolphena

    : >)

    December 2011

  • b060113last

    timeless

    December 2011

  • Obmuj

    :-)

    November 2011

  • mellow_becktabs

    yay

    October 2011

  • crazedbard

    This is about his dog, right? So why does he sound as if he's trying to seduce something?

    July 2011

  • englishsunset

    psychedelic blues, country love song. Sound of the end of an era and decade. Great song.

    May 2011

  • chefraekwon77

    Lay across my big brass bed- straight out of the Marvin Gaye playbook

    May 2011

  • CDPETE01

    Stay lady stay with your man a while.

    May 2011

  • FreewheelinVert

    I've never understood why did Rennie Sparks call this "a Ted Bundy" song. But this is funny.

    February 2011

  • pottlukk

    Lay across my big ass bed.

    February 2011
See all 180 shouts

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