Peggy Day is the second song to appear from Bob Dylan’s 1969 record – Nashville Skyline after the previous entry I Through It All Away. Building on the rustic style he experimented with on John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline displayed a complete immersion into country music. In fact the working title for the album was John Wesley Harding Vol. 2. The album was recorded in a mere four days.
It contains songs like today’s track Peggy Day which possess a charming domestic feel and introduced audiences to a radically new singing voice from Dylan, who had temporarily quit smoking – a soft, affected country croon. Nashville Skyline is arguably the most laid back album of Dylan’s career.
Dylan said he thought about The Mills Brothers while writing Peggy Day. The Mills Brothers were a successful Ohio-based African American vocal quartet active from 1928 to 1982. Dylan never performed Peggy Day live. The song is almost a pastiche of the Thirties – its rhythms recall “swing” and Dylan sings with the kind of light-hearted showmanship that used to come from college bandstands. Dylan makes it abundantly clear he’d like to spend the night with ‘Peggy Day’. Eminently hummable, and probably the ‘Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da’ of ‘Nashville Skyline’. The guitars chatter away, a pedal guitar break, and a rousing blues climax.
[Verse 1]
Peggy Day stole my poor heart away
By golly, what more can I say?
Love to spend the night with Peggy Day
[Verse 2]
Peggy Night makes my future look so bright
Man, that girl is out of sight
Love to spend the day with Peggy Night
[Bridge]
Well, ya’ know that even before I learned her name
Ya’ know I loved her just the same
And I tell ’em all, wherever I may go
Just so they’ll know, that she my little lady
And I love her so
[Verse 3]
Peggy Day stole my poor heart away
Turned my skies to blue from gray
Love to spend the night with Peggy Day
The concept of recording a country album in Nashville was first discussed with Dylan in 1965 by Johnny Cash, who expressed interest in producing such an album. “I’ve got my own ideas about that Nashville sound and I’d like to try it with Bob,” Cash said in a 1965 interview. Despite the dramatic, commercial shift in direction, the fans, press and critics gave Nashville Skyline a warm reception. It reaching No. 3 in the U.S., the album also scored Dylan his fourth UK No. 1 album.
References:
1. Song of the Day #4,391: ‘Peggy Day’ – Bob Dylan – Meet Me In Montauk
2. Nashville Skyline – Wikipedia
3. Peggy Day (1969) part 1: The head of the snake – Untold Dylan
4. Bob Dylan’s ‘Nashville Skyline’: 10 Things You Didn’t Know – Rolling Stone
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Man, I agree, Dylan’s vocals on “Nashville Skyline” are almost unrecognizable compared to his earlier albums. That said, I love his singing here! “Peggy Day” is a great song.
I also really dig the remake of “Girl from the North Country” together with Johnny Cash. That said, I also like Dylan’s original cut from “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan”.
Great stuff!
I remember playing Lay Lady lay to various company who were somewhat familiar with Dylan and asking them if they knew who sung it and often they had no idea.
I’m not a huge fan of the the Cash duet of ‘…North Country’. Also they screwed up one of the lines but it still went out there. Then it was put in that Piece of Sh/t – Silver Lining movie and that pretty much was the final nail in that version’s coffin for me.
I much prefer his original or ’86 (Australia tour with Petty) or the 30th anniversary version or just about any other live version for that matter lol. There are some good early 2000s’ versions.
You have a good day Christian and thanks for commenting.
By golly, love Peggy Day….
It’s a lot of fun, isn’t it? I love how this song ends with that swing and saloon band sound.
It’s really a cool song 🎵 the ending is wonderful.
Love this song Matt!
I’m at a loss how this song was panned by so many critics after it came out.