Tangled Up in Blue

"Tangled Up in Blue" is a song by Bob Dylan. It appeared on his album Blood on the Tracks in 1975. Released as a single, it reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 68 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1]

For the 2011 political book, see Tangled Up in Blue (book).
"Tangled Up in Blue"
Single by Bob Dylan
from the album Blood on the Tracks
B-side"If You See Her, Say Hello"
ReleasedJanuary 1975
RecordedDecember 30, 1974
StudioSound 80 (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
GenreFolk rock
Length5:42
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan singles chronology
"All Along the Watchtower"
(1974)		 "Tangled Up in Blue"
(1975)		 "Hurricane"
(1975)
Blood on the Tracks track listing
10 tracks
Side one
  1. "Tangled Up in Blue"
  2. "Simple Twist of Fate"
  3. "You're a Big Girl Now"
  4. "Idiot Wind"
  5. "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"
Side two
  1. "Meet Me in the Morning"
  2. "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts"
  3. "If You See Her, Say Hello"
  4. "Shelter from the Storm"
  5. "Buckets of Rain"
Audio sample
"Tangled Up in Blue"
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Tangled Up in Blue" (live) on YouTube

Background and recording

The song was written in the summer of 1974, after Dylan's comeback tour with The Band that year and his separation from Sara Dylan, who he had married in 1965. Dylan had moved to a farm in Minnesota with his brother, David Zimmerman, and there started to write the songs that were recorded for his album Blood on the Tracks.[2] In the spring of 1974, Dylan had taken art classes at Carnegie Hall and was influenced by his tutor Norman Raeben,[2][3]:160 and, in particular, Raeben's view of time.[4]

Dylan first recorded "Tangled Up In Blue" in New York City on 16 September 1974 during the initial Blood on the Tracks sessions at A&R Studios. That December, working from a suggestion from his brother that the album should have a more commercial sound, Dylan re-recorded half the songs on Blood on the Tracks, including "Tangled Up In Blue", in Minneapolis.[5][6][7] The re-recorded versions were radical departures from the original recordings, and each new recording included changes to the lyrics from the earlier versions.[2][8][9] The New York version of this song is in open E tuning.[10][11]

Individual outtakes from the New York sessions were released in 1991 on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 and in 2018 on the single-CD and 2-LP versions of The Bootleg Series Vol. 14: More Blood, More Tracks, while the complete New York sessions were released on the deluxe edition of the latter album.[12] The deluxe version of The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 also included a remix of the December 1974 master issued on Blood on the Tracks.[13]

According to novelist Ron Rosenbaum, Bob Dylan once told him that he'd written "Tangled up in Blue", after spending a weekend immersed in Joni Mitchell's 1971 album Blue.[14]

Lyrics

"Tangled Up in Blue" is one of the clearest examples of Dylan's attempts to write "multi-dimensional" songs which defied a fixed notion of time and space. Dylan was influenced by his recent study of painting and the Cubist school of artists. As Neil McCormick remarked in 2003: "A truly extraordinary epic of the personal, an unreliable narrative carved out of shifting memories like a five-and-a-half-minute musical Proust."[15] In a 1978 interview Dylan explained this style of songwriting: "What's different about it is that there's a code in the lyrics, and there's also no sense of time. There's no respect for it. You've got yesterday, today, and tomorrow all in the same room, and there's very little you can't imagine not happening".[16]

The lyrics are at times opaque, but the song seems to be (as are most of the songs on the album) the tale of a love that has, for the time being, ended, although not by choice; the last verse begins,

So now I'm goin' back again,
I got to get to her somehow...

and ends,

We always did feel the same,
We just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.

Dylan continually re-worked the lyrics even after the album was released; the version on his live album Real Live (and throughout the 1984 Europe tour) has radically different lyrics. In the first studio version (NYC sessions, September 1974) and often in live performances he has sung some of the verses from a third-person perspective (usually "he was laying in bed," but sometimes even "she was laying in bed"), as opposed to the first-person point of view in the Blood on the Tracks version. Dylan has said that the version recorded on the 1984 Real Live album is the best.[17] Dylan has often stated that the song took "ten years to live and two years to write".[18]

Critical reception

Billboard regarded "Tangled Up in Blue" as Dylan's most powerful and most commercial single in a long time, saying that Dylan's voice and the "strong acoustic background" instrumentals were reminiscent of Dylan's early songs.[19] Jon Landau Rolling Stone praised Dylan's lyrics and delivery of the song, but was unimpressed by the accompanying musicians and the production of the album,[20] while Jonathan Cott, in the same issue of the magazine, called the track "brilliant and haunted." Cott likens the effect of the album's lyrics to those of the 13th century poem referred to in the song, quoting from the song:[21]

And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burnin’ coal
Pourin’ off of every page
Like it was written in my soul
From me to you
Tangled up in blue

Don Stanley in The Vancouver Sun said that the song "succeeds on the strength of its metaphors."[22] An opposing view was expressed by Al Rudis, in The Pittsburgh Press, who was unimpressed by the song's lyrics, calling the track "a long lurching song [but with] no build-up of cumulative power" and says it contains "seemingly meaningless images."[23]

The Daily Telegraph has described the song as "The most dazzling lyric ever written, an abstract narrative of relationships told in an amorphous blend of first and third person, rolling past, present and future together, spilling out in tripping cadences and audacious internal rhymes, ripe with sharply turned images and observations and filled with a painfully desperate longing."[24]

Jim Beviglia ranks "Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)" 14th in his 2013 assessment of the 100 best Dylan songs, saying that "this masterful song doesn't skimp on the pain."[25] In a 2020 article for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis ranked it the twelfth-greatest of Dylan's songs.[26] The track was ranked 3rd on Rolling Stone's 2016 ranking of the 100 greatest Dylan songs, with the staff describing it as "where emotional truths meet the everlasting comfort of the American folk song."[27]

Rolling Stone ranked it No. 68 on their 2011 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1]

Live performances

Dylan has performed the song live 1,685 times up to August 2018. The first was on 13 November 1975 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven. [28][29]

Covers and references

The song has been covered by various artists, including Jerry Garcia, Half Japanese, Robyn Hitchcock, the Indigo Girls, Kim Larsen, The Waterboys, T-Bone Burnett,[30] Great White, Joan Baez, Ani Difranco, KT Tunstall, The String Cheese Incident, [31] Dickey Betts and Great Southern, Mike McClure, Jennifer Charles, and The Whitlams. Mary Lee's Corvette covered the entire Blood on The Tracks album in 2002, including "Tangled Up in Blue".[32] Barb Jungr and Louis Durra have recorded jazz versions.

In the Hootie & the Blowfish song "Only Wanna Be with You", Darius Rucker sings: Yeah I'm tangled up in blue / Only wanna be with you / You can call me your fool / Only wanna be with you. The reference extends a string of mentions of Bob Dylan in the song, beginning at the start of the second verse: Putting on a little Dylan .... The song's rhythm itself seems to be inspired by Dylan's original track.

The song is a playable track on Rock Band 2, as the most difficult song in the vocal section, and the final song for the player to complete in the "Impossible Vocal Challenge".[31]

"Tangled up in Blue" is also published as one of two poems by Dylan in The Seagull Book of Poems. [33]

Official album releases
AlbumRelease YearRecorded atRecording dateTake/ versionPersonnelRef.
1Blood on the Tracks1975Sound 8030 December 1974Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Kevin Odegard: guitar; Chris Weber: guitar; Gregg Inhofer: keyboards; Billy Peterson: bass; Bill Berg: drums[5]
2Real Live1985Wembley Stadium7 July 1984Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Colin Allen: drums; Ian McLagan: keyboards; Gregg Sutton:bass guitar; Mick Taylor: guitar[34][35]
3Biograph1991Blood on the Tracks version[36]
4The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–19911991A&R Studios16 September 1974Take 3, Remake 2Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Tony Brown: bass. Unknown additional acoustic guitar, from one of Charles Brown, III, Eric Weissberg, or Barry Kornfeld. Later also released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 14: More Blood, More Tracks[37][38]
5Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 31994Blood on the Tracks version[39]
6The Essential Bob Dylan2000Blood on the Tracks version[40]
7The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue2002Boston Music Hall21 Nov 1975Evening showLater also released on Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings (Deluxe edition) (For personnel, see that entry)[41][42]
8The Best of Bob Dylan2005Blood on the Tracks version[43]
9Dylan2007Blood on the Tracks version[44]
10The Bootleg Series Vol. 14: More Blood, More Tracks2018A&R Studios19 September 197419/9/74, Take 3, Remake 3Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Tony Brown: bass[38][45]
11The Bootleg Series Vol. 14: More Blood, More Tracks (Deluxe edition)2018A&R Studios16 September 1974Take 1Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Tony Brown: bass[38][45]
12A&R Studios17 September 1974RehearsalBob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Tony Brown: bass; and organ
13A&R Studios17 September 1974Take 2, RemakeBob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Tony Brown: bass; and organ
14A&R Studios17 September 1974Take 3, RemakeBob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Tony Brown: bass
15A&R Studios19 September 1974Rehearsal and Take 1, Remake 2Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Tony Brown: bass
16A&R Studios19 September 1974Take 2, Remake 2Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Tony Brown: bass
17A&R Studios19 September 1974Take 3, Remake 2Included on a test pressing and also on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991)
18A&R Studios19 September 1974Rehearsal and Takes 1-2, Remake 3Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Tony Brown: bass
19A&R Studios19 September 1974Take 3, Remake 3Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica; Tony Brown: bass
20Blood on the Tracks version
21Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings (Deluxe edition)2019Worcester Memorial Auditorium19 November 1975Bob Dylan – vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica; Bobby Neuwirth: guitar, vocals; Scarlet Rivera: violin; T Bone J. Henry Burnett: guitar, vocals; Steven Soles: guitar, vocals; Mick Ronson: guitar; David Mansfield: steel guitar, mandolin, violin, dobro; Rob Stoner: bass guitar, vocals; Howie Wyeth: drums, piano; Luther Rix: drums, percussion, congas; Ronee Blakley: vocals; Ramblin' Jack Elliott: vocals, guitar; Allen Ginsberg: vocals, finger cymbals; Joni Mitchell: vocals[42]
22Boston Music Hall21 November 1975Evening show
23Forum de Montréal4 December 1975

Footnotes
  1. "500 Greatest Songs of All time: 68 - Bob Dylan, "Tangled Up in Blue"". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  2. Hasted, Nick (November 15, 2013) [2005]. "Shelter From The Storm – the inside story of Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks". uncut.co.uk. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  3. SRogovoy, Seth (November 24, 2009). Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-5983-2.
  4. Gill, Andy; Odegard, Kevin (January 2004). A Simple Twist of Fate: Bob Dylan and the Making of Blood on the Tracks. Boston: Da Capo Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-306-81231-6.
  5. Heylin, Clinton (April 29, 2010). Still on the Road: The Songs of Bob Dylan Vol. 2 1974-2008. London: Little, Brown Book Group. pp. 25–34. ISBN 978-1-84901-494-6.
  6. O'Hagan, Sean (October 28, 2018). "The raw, painful birth of Blood on the Tracks". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  7. Jones, Chris (2007). "Bob Dylan: Blood On The Tracks Review". BBC. Archived from the original on September 19, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  8. Toby Creswell (November 1, 2007). 1001 Songs. Hardie Grant Publishing. pp. 24–25. ISBN 978-1-74273-148-3.
  9. Dalton, David (June 1, 2012). Who Is That Man? In Search of the Real Bob Dylan. London: Omnibus Press. pp. 346–347. ISBN 978-0-85712-779-2.
  10. "Tangled Up in Blue". dylanchords.info. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  11. "Tangled up in Tangled up in Blue". dylanchords.info. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  12. "More Blood, More Tracks – The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 to Be Released on November 2 | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  13. "More Blood, More Tracks – The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 to Be Released on November 2 | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  14. Rosenbaum, Ron (December 14, 2007). "The Best Joni Mitchell Song Ever". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  15. "The Rough Guide to Bob Dylan", Nigel Williamson, ISBN 1-84353-139-9
  16. Interview with Jonathan Cott, Rolling Stone 11/16/78
  17. Creswell, Toby (2007), "Tangled Up in Blue", 1001 Songs, Prahran, Victoria: Hardie Books, p. 469, ISBN 1742731481
  18. Sanburn, Joel (May 19, 2011). "The 10 Best Bob Dylan Songs". Time. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  19. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. March 8, 1975. p. 86. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 19, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  20. Landau, Jon (March 13, 1975). "Blood On The Tracks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  21. Cott, Jonathan (March 13, 1975). "Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  22. Stanley, Don (March 7, 1975). "It's not the old Dylan on his new album". The Vancouver Sun. p. 104.
  23. Rudis, Al (February 2, 1975). "It's not the old Dylan on new album". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 111.
  24. McCormick, Neil (November 18, 2013). "Bob Dylan: 30 greatest songs". Telegraph. Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  25. Beviglia, Jim (July 11, 2013). Counting Down Bob Dylan: His 100 Finest Songs. Scarecrow Press. pp. 160–161. ISBN 978-0-8108-8824-1.
  26. Petridis, Alexis (April 9, 2020). "Bob Dylan's 50 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  27. "100 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs". Rolling Stone. May 24, 2016. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  28. "Tangled Up In Blue". bobdylan.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  29. "Setlists that contain Tangled Up In Blue". bobdylan.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 6, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  30. "Tangled Up In Blue". bjorner.com. Olof Björner. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  31. Willman, Chris (January 21, 2015). "Dylan's blood-best album: 40 facts about the 40-year-old Blood On The Tracks". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 5, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  32. "Mary Lee's Corvette – Blood on the Tracks". Uncut. February 1, 2003. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  33. Kelly, Joseph. "The Seagull Book of Poems | W. W. Norton & Company". books.wwnorton.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  34. "Real Live". bobdylan.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  35. "1984 Europe Tour". bjorner.com. Olof Bjorner. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  36. "Biograph (1985)". bobdylan.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  37. "The Bootleg Series, Vol 1-3: Rare & Unreleased 1961-1991 (1991)". bobdylan.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  38. Bonner, Michael (September 20, 2018). "Read the complete tracklisting for Bob Dylan's More Blood, More Tracks – The Bootleg Series Vol. 14". Uncut. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  39. "Greatest Hits Volume 3 (1994)". bobdylan.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  40. "The Essential Bob Dylan (2000)". bobdylan.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  41. "The Bootleg Series, Vol 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975 (2002)". Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  42. "Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings (2019)". bobdylan.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  43. "The Best of Bob Dylan (2005)". bobdylan.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  44. "Dylan (2007)". bobdylan.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  45. Heylin, Clinton (1996). Dylan: behind closed doors. The recording sessions (1960-1994). Penguin. pp. 101–107. ISBN 0140257497.
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