Baby, Let Me Follow You Down
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"Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" is a traditional folk song popularised in the late 1950s by blues guitarist Eric Von Schmidt. The song is best known from its appearance on Bob Dylan's debut album Bob Dylan.
Early years of the song
The song was first recorded as "Don't Tear My Clothes" in January 1935 by the State Street Boys, a group that included Big Bill Broonzy and Jazz Gillum.[1] The next few years saw several more versions, including "Don't Tear My Clothes" by Washboard Sam in June 1936,[2] "Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes" by the Harlem Hamfats in May 1937,[3] "Let Your Linen Hang Low" by Rosetta Howard with the Harlem Hamfats in October 1937[4] and "Mama Let Me Lay It On You" by Blind Boy Fuller in April 1938.[5]
The song was adapted by Eric Von Schmidt, a blues-guitarist and singer-songwriter of the folk revival in the late 1950s. Von Schmidt was a well-known face in the East Coast folk scene and was reasonably well-known across the United States. According to his chronicle of the Cambridge Folk era, also called "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down", Eric had first heard the song via the Blind Boy Fuller recording. Von Schmidt credits Reverend Gary Davis for writing "three quarters" of his version of the song [6] (the melody is very similar to Davis's "Please Baby"). Van Ronk's version became a feature in the coffee houses of Greenwich Village in the early 1960s. The song was later picked up by the young, up and coming folk singer Bob Dylan, who made it famous on his Columbia Records debut.
The Animals' "Baby Let Me Take You Home" (1964), is said to be an adaptation of "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down".[citation needed]
Lightnin' Hopkins recorded "Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes" using the same tune as "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down". It was recorded in Houston and was on "The Very Best Of Lightnin' Hopkins." [citation needed]
Dylan years
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The song became very popular amongst Dylan's following and was a regular feature of Dylan's song list. During his 1966 World Tour, Dylan electrified the sound of the song, playing it on electric guitar with a five-piece electric band as backing. A decade later, he performed the song with a medley of "Forever Young" at The Band's Last Waltz concert.
Additional verses
An early version of the song contained two verses and a main chorus. Bob Dylan added another verse to the song which appeared regularly. The song has also been edited and changed over the last half a century.
Dylan albums containing the song
- Bob Dylan, recorded November 1961, issued 1962
- Biograph, from Bob Dylan, issued 1985
- The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert, recorded May 1966, issued 1998
- The Last Waltz, live with The Band, recorded November 1976, issued April 1978
- The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 – The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964, recorded January 1964, issued October 2010
Other recordings
- Dave Van Ronk recorded "Baby, Let Me Lay It On You" on his 1964 album Just Dave Van Ronk (Mercury SR/MR 20908).
- Jackie DeShannon recorded the song on her 1965 album Jackie: In the Wind.
- Eric von Schmidt, recorded "Baby, Let Me Lay It on You" as the title track of his 1995 album.
- Bryan Ferry recorded the song on his album Dylanesque, released 2007. He also performed the song throughout his 2007 tour.
- Experimental jazz trio Medeski Martin & Wood arranged and recorded an instrumental blues version for their 2009 album Radiolarians 2, part of their The Radiolarian Series.
- French mash-up bootlegging artist ToToM used Dylan's original version with the The Rapture's Get Myself Into It in the mash-up song Rapture (Let Me Follow You Down) for his 2009 album, Dylan Mashed.
- Widespread Panic has performed the song nine times to date, most recently at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater on September 30, 2011.
- English singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull recorded the song on the 2012 charity compilation album Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International.
References
- ^ Dixon, Robert M.W., John Godrich and Howard Rye. "Blues & Gospel Records 1890-1943," 4th ed., page 861 (1997) - ISBN 978-0-19-816239-1
- ^ Dixon, Robert M.W., John Godrich and Howard Rye. "Blues & Gospel Records 1890-1943," 4th ed., page 984 (1997) - ISBN 978-0-19-816239-1
- ^ Dixon, Robert M.W., John Godrich and Howard Rye. "Blues & Gospel Records 1890-1943," 4th ed., page 352 (1997) - ISBN 978-0-19-816239-1
- ^ Dixon, Robert M.W., John Godrich and Howard Rye. "Blues & Gospel Records 1890-1943," 4th ed., page 407 (1997) - ISBN 978-0-19-816239-1
- ^ Dixon, Robert M.W., John Godrich and Howard Rye. "Blues & Gospel Records 1890-1943," 4th ed., page 279 (1997) - ISBN 978-0-19-816239-1
- ^ von Schmidt, Eric, with John Kruth: Remembering Reverend Gary Davis. Sing Out! 51(4) 67-73 2008.
- ^ von Schmidt, Eric, with John Kruth: Remembering Reverend Gary Davis, Sing Out! 51(4) 67-73 2008
External links
- Eric Von Schmidt on SongTalk, 1993 - Von Schmidt speculates about the origins and evolution of the song he popularized.
- Rev. Gary Davis bio at BobDylanRoots.com - Short bio examines Davis' claim that he authored the song.
- Template:MetroLyrics song