Your favourite Dylan song?

The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll may be the favourite Dylan song of writers Christopher Ricks and Bryan Appleyard (see below).

It was certainly the highlight of the magical November 2003 London shows. Here’s how I reported it on another website:

“The performances were outstanding. Dylan reinterpreted his canon with striking new emphases. The voice has rarely sounded more convincing - strong, melodious, impassioned. Many, hearing The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, maybe for the hundredth time, will have experienced an involuntary dropping of the jaw as Dylan delivered the key line. Such powerful writing, so skilfully delivered, made the derisory sentence handed out to William Zanzinger sound as outrageous as it did the first time you heard it.”

But is The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll your favourite?

Please send me a note of your top Bob song (to: topsong@dylandaily.com). I’ll post replies and, if we get enough, I’ll also compile a ranked list.


Thanks, in advance.



Gerry Smith

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EARLIER RELATED ARTICLE:

The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll: the best Dylan song?

Which is the best Dylan song? The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll, according to Sunday Times columnist Bryan Appleyard, who has contributed his fair share of lengthy, well-informed Dylan feature articles.

Appleyard picked The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll as one of his choices on yesterday’s Private Passions (BBC Radio 3), pointing out that leading literary scholar/Dylan fan Christopher Ricks also considers Hattie Carroll as Dylan’s finest.

Thanks to Peter Truin who also heard the broadcast and supplied the link which enables you to listen to the programme via the web:

“The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll was chosen by Brian Appleyard, among the more usual Radio 3 fare of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, on the programme "Private Passions" (Sunday 27th Jan).

“I found it interesting to hear his comments about the song, if you would like to listen, it starts about 10 minutes in.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/privatepassions/pip/fpzvs/