A true man of his word indeed. Here Bob Dylan is still touring at the ripe old age of 85. You can read his set list from last night’s concert in Queens, New York.
An artist keeps creating until they simply can’t anymore. It’s a lifelong pursuit. Dylan is not only a songwriter and performer; he’s also a respected painter and even works with iron in his welding sculptures.
Today brings to an end the trilogy of songs from Bob Dylan’s much-scorned Knocked Out Loaded that I adore and have featured here, namely Precious Memories, They Killed Him and now Under Your Spell.
I am perplexed by how little known this song is. At the time of writing, it has attracted just 33,000 views since being uploaded to YouTube eight years ago. I know the list of Dylan’s underrated songs is endless, but Under Your Spell sits, in my humble estimation, near the very top of that list.
That period in Dylan’s career is generally viewed as a low point. Perhaps because the album itself was largely dismissed as a write-off, almost everything on it was overlooked by critics and fans alike. But hey, not so fast, mister!
Under Your Spell completes a run of three consecutive songwriting collaborations that close out Knocked Out Loaded. It is also this song that gives the album its title:
I was knocked out and loaded in the naked night.
The song was written with Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Carole Bayer Sager, who also wrote major pop hits such as That’s What Friends Are For. In her memoir, Bayer Sager described the collaboration as “weird” and “bizarrely thrilling.” She recalled that Dylan kept “maybe three or four lines” from what they wrote together, yet he insisted the song would never have happened without her contribution.
I love Under Your Spell‘s laid-back sound and the soulful backing vocals from the female singers. Along with the tropical feel of Precious Memories from the same album, it shows a side of Dylan that few people associate with him and is further testament to his versatility. The song also features an unusual chord sequence and a verse-heavy arrangement that avoids a conventional pop structure.
Under Your Spell remains one of Dylan’s few major collaborations with a female pop songwriter and has never been performed live in concert.
[Verse 1]
Something about you that I can’t shake
Don’t know how much more of this I can take
Baby, I’m under your spell
[Verse 2]
I was knocked out and loaded in the naked night
When my last dream exploded, I noticed your light
Baby, oh what a story I could tell
[Verse 3]
It’s been nice seeing you, you read me like a book
If you ever want to reach me, you know where to look
Baby, I’ll be at the same hotel
[Verse 4]
I’d like to help you but I’m in a bit of a jam
I’ll call you tomorrow if there’s phones where I am
Baby, caught between heaven and hell
[Verse 5]
But I will be back, I will survive
You’ll never get rid of me as long as you’re alive
Baby, can’t you tell
[Verse 6]
Well, it’s four in the morning by the sound of the birds
I’m staring at your picture, I’m hearing your words
Baby, they ring in my head like a bell
[Bridge]
Everywhere you go it’s enough to break hearts
Someone always gets hurt, a fire always starts
You were too hot to handle, you were breaking every vow
I trusted you, baby, you can trust me now
[Verse 7]
Turn back, baby, wipe your eye
Don’t think I’m leaving here without a kiss goodbye
Baby, is there anything left to tell?
[Verse 8]
I’ll see you later when I’m not so out of my head
Maybe next time I’ll let the dead bury the dead
Baby, what more can I tell?
[Verse 9]
Well, the desert is hot, the mountain is cursed
Pray that I don’t die of thirst
Baby, two feet from the well
References:
1. Knocked Out Loaded – Wikipedia
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