"Abandoned Love" is a song written by Bob Dylan, recorded on July 31, 1975, but not released until 1985, on his compilation album Biograph.[1] It was originally recorded for inclusion on his 1976 album Desire, but was dropped in favor of "Joey". "Abandoned Love" was written during Dylan's breakup with his then-wife Sara Lownds. A working title for the song was "Sara Part II Abandoned Love."[2] It was also known at one point as "Saint John the Evangelist", after a line in the song lyrics.
| "Abandoned Love" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Bob Dylan | |
| from the album Biograph | |
| Released | November 7, 1985 |
| Recorded | July 31, 1975 |
| Genre | Folk rock |
| Length | 4:29 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan |
Only one live performance of this song is known of, at The Bitter End cafe on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village on July 3, 1975, during a show with Ramblin' Jack Elliott.[3] Paul Cable, in his book Bob Dylan: His Unreleased Recordings (New York: Schirmer Books, 1980), described this live version of the song as "Beautiful, eerie, easily as good as Blonde on Blonde lyrics and a tune that is unusual and perfect".
Reception edit
Rolling Stone listed "Abandoned Love" as #64 on its list of Dylan's 100 greatest songs, calling the Biograph version "one of Dylan's most tortured, heartbroken recordings".[4] Billboard included the song in its list of Dylan's 15 "most poetic lyrics".[5] The Big Issue placed it at #37 on a 2021 list of the "80 best Bob Dylan songs - that aren't the greatest hits" and called it a "jolly break-up song for a change".[6] A 2021 Guardian article included it on a list of "80 Bob Dylan songs everyone should know".[7]
Personnel edit
- Bob Dylan – vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
- Scarlet Rivera – violin
- Rob Stoner – bass guitar/backing vocalist
- Howard Wyeth – drums, piano
Covers edit
"Abandoned Love" has been covered numerous times, notably by:
- George Harrison recorded an unreleased demo version in the 1980s.
- Everly Brothers: Born Yesterday (1985)
- Seán Keane: All Heart No Roses (1993)
- Chuck Prophet: Outlaw Blues, Volume 2 (1995)
- Paul Rodgers Nils Lofgren: Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International (2012)[8]
- Willie Nile on his Dylan covers record Positively Bob: Willie Nile Sings Bob Dylan (2017)
- Gillian Welch and David Rawlings on their album All the Good Times Are Past & Gone (2020)[9]
Notes edit
- ^ "Abandoned Love | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
- ^ Daniel, No Depression
- ^ Johnson, Tracy, Encounters with Bob Dylan: If You See Him, Say Hello, Humble press, 2000. ISBN 0-9647009-2-1. Cf. story "1975: Abandoned Love" by Joe Kivak. "On a Thursday night in July 1975, I headed out to see Ramblin' Jack Elliott at The Bitter End in New York City ... Their first song was 'Pretty Boy Floyd,' with Bob singing harmony and his guitar buzzing right along. Then Jack started 'How Long Blues.' After the first verse, he looked at Bob in a way that seemed to ask him to sing a verse. Bob simply shook his head and mouthed something inaudible. When the song finished, however, Dylan began strumming his guitar. But since it was still buzzing, he asked Jack to trade instruments with him. At that moment, everyone in the room was in a trance; it's not every day one gets to hear an impromptu Bob Dylan performance in a tiny club. After a couple of lines, we realized he was performing a new song, with each line getting even better than the last. The song was 'Abandoned Love,' and it still is the most powerful performance I've ever heard."
- ^ "100 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs". Rolling Stone. 2020-05-24. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
- ^ "Bob Dylan's 15 Most Poetic Song Lyrics". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
- ^ "The 80 best Bob Dylan songs – that aren't the greatest hits". The Big Issue. 2021-05-17. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ "Beyond Mr Tambourine Man: 80 Bob Dylan songs everyone should know". the Guardian. 2021-05-22. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
- ^ "Paul Rodgers, Nils Lofgren Cover Bob Dylan's 'Abandoned Love' for Amnesty International". Ultimate Classic Rock. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
- ^ Betts, Stephen L. (2020-07-10). "Gillian Welch, David Rawlings Cover Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan on New Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-01-08.