I first heard Joan Baez perform Bob Dylan’s song Love Is Just A Four-Letter Word in the 1967 documentary of Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of England – Don’t Look Back. From 3:00 minutes in the second video you can hear Joan sing a short version of this song after her excellent performance of another Dylan song – Percy’s Song. I always preferred how Love Is Just A Four-Letter Word sounded in her raw delivery on the tour over the released version. Whoever went for the sitar-guitar on the released version should have been strongly advised against it. Joan Baez performed the song numerous times throughout her career.

Dylan, it seemed was giving out songs like candy. So many artists were achieving fame and making a fortune off his lyrics and tunes. Baez is shown in the scene where she tells Dylan, “If you finish it, I’ll sing it on a record“. Baez first included the song on Any Day Now, her 1968 album of Dylan covers; and she has since recorded it three additional times. Dylan never released a version of his song, and never performed it live.

For back story about Joan Baez’s relationship with Bob Dylan, I point you to my article about Diamonds and Rust. That song is regarded by a number of critics and fans as one of her best compositions and it is my favourite song from her.

[Verse 1]
Seems like only yesterday I left my mind behind
Down in the gypsy café with a friend of a friend of mine
Who sat with a baby heavy on her knee
Yet spoke of life most free from slavery
With eyes that showed no trace of misery
A phrase in connection first with she occurred
That love is just a four-letter word

[Verse 2]
Outside a rattling store-front window, cats meowed to the break of day
Me, I kept my mouth shut, to you, I had no words to say
My experience was limited and underfed
You were talking while I hid
To the one who was the father of your kid
You probably didn’t think I did, but I heard
You say that love is just a four-letter word

Baez was born on Staten Island, New York, on January 9, 1941. Her father was Mexican and her mother Scottish. The Baez family converted to Quakerism during Joan’s early childhood, and she has continued to identify with the tradition, particularly in her commitment to pacifism and social issues. While growing up, Baez was subjected to racial slurs and discrimination because of her Mexican heritage. Consequently, she became involved with a variety of social causes early in her career. She declined to play in any white student venues that were segregated, which meant that when she toured the Southern states, she would play only at black colleges.

Based on my limited observations, the music of Joan is more popular here in South America than Bob Dylan. Baez emerged at the forefront of the American roots revival, where she introduced her audiences to the then-unknown Bob Dylan. Baez’s distinctive vocal style and political activism had a significant impact on American popular music. She was one of the first musicians to use her popularity as a vehicle for social protest, singing and marching for human rights and peace.

Dylan didn’t share her political aims and Joan even mentioned in this interview: ‘I was just trying to shove him into a mould…I wanted him to be a political spokesperson. That was my hang-up. And it wasn’t until years later that I realised he didn’t need to be on the team. He wrote the songs‘.

References:
1. Love Is Just A Four-Letter Word – Wikipedia
2. Joan Baez – Wikipedia