It Ain't Me Babe
| "It Ain't Me Babe" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Bob Dylan from the album Another Side of Bob Dylan | |
| Released | 1964 |
| Genre | Folk |
| Label | Columbia |
| Writer | Bob Dylan |
| Composer | Bob Dylan |
| Producer | Tom Wilson |
| Cover versions | |
| The Turtles, Silvertide, Johnny Cash | |
| Another Side of Bob Dylan track listing | |
"It Ain't Me Babe" is a song by Bob Dylan that originally appeared on his fourth album Another Side of Bob Dylan, which was released in 1964 by Columbia Records. The song, along with others on the album, marked a departure for Dylan as he began to explore the possibilities of language and deeper levels of the human experience.[1] Within a year of its release, the song was picked up as a single by artists who were forging the folk rock movement, including The Turtles and The Byrds.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Influences
Dylan's biographers generally agree that the song owes its inspiration to his former girlfriend Suze Rotolo. He reportedly began writing the song during his visit to Italy in 1963 while searching for Rotolo, who was studying there.[1][3]
The song's opening line ("Go away from my window...") is allegedly influenced by musicologist/folk-singer John Jacob Niles' composition "Go 'Way From My Window." Niles is referred to by Dylan as an early influence in his autobiography, Chronicles, Vol. 1.
Clinton Heylin reports that a Times reporter at a May 1964 Royal Festival Hall concert where Dylan first played "It Ain't Me" took the lines "no, no, no, it ain't me babe" as a parody of The Beatles' "She Loves You".[4] When Bob Dylan played his first electric concerts at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, and Monterey in 1965, he gave "It Ain't Me, Babe" an electric arrangement.
[edit] Notable covers and references
- Dylan and Johnny Cash admired each other's work a great deal, and with Dylan's blessing, Cash recorded the song with June Carter. The song was released on Cash's 1965 album, Orange Blossom Special, and became a hit. This song was also featured in the 2005 film about Cash's life, Walk the Line, and was performed by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon on the film's soundtrack.
- In 1965, The Turtles also had a breakthrough hit single of the song, which reached #8 in the U.S. and was then featured on their debut album of the same name.[3]
- "It Ain't Me Babe" was among many Dylan songs recorded by Joan Baez in the early years of their careers. Baez's version appeared on Joan Baez/5, which also included "Go 'Way From My Window." Additionally, Baez's version from 1967 Live In Japan also contains the song.]]
- Nancy Sinatra covered "It Ain't Me Babe" on her 1966 Boots album.
- Davy Jones covered it on his 1965 self-titled debut album.
- Earl Scruggs covered "It Ain't Me Babe" and "Blowin' in the Wind".
- Fleet Foxes have also covered "It Ain't Me Babe".
- In the film Blow, George Jung (played by Johnny Depp) recites a line from "It Ain't Me Babe" while on trial for marijuana possession with intent to distribute.
- Editors covered the song on Dermot O'Leary's Saturday Sessions Album in 2010.
- Johnny Thunders covered the song in 1983 in Hurt me album.
- Christofer Drew of Never Shout Never covered the song in 2010 for Billboard's website Billboard.com.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Trager, Oliver (2004). Keys to the Rain: The Definitive Bob Dylan Encyclopedia. Billboard Books. pp. 14–15, 314–315. ISBN 0-8230-7974-0.
- ^ Sounes, Howard (2001). Down The Highway: The Life Of Bob Dylan. Grove Press. pp. 157, 177. ISBN 0-8021-1686-8.
- ^ a b Gill, Andy (2011). Bob Dylan: The Stories Behind the Songs 1962–1969. Carlton Books. pp. 85. ISBN 978-1-84732-759-8.
- ^ Heylin, Clinton (2001). Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited. HarperCollins. pp. 154. ISBN 006052569X.
[edit] External
- BobDylan.com lyrics
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