5 Slow Ones by Bob Dylan That Deserve More Love

No artist’s catalog has undergone as much close inspection and dissection as the one that belongs to Bob Dylan. Still, you’re talking about a guy who has released 40 albums over a career that’s spanned more than 60 years. There are always going to be songs that fade to the background a bit.

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We’re here to unearth five Dylan songs that you might have forgotten, or perhaps not even heard. They’re all slow songs, as we dig deep into the more sensitive side of the legend’s back catalog for these unheralded gems.

“Tell Me That Isn’t True” from Nashville Skyline (1969)

Dylan threw one of his customary curveballs when he released Nashville Skyline in 1969. In retrospect, knowing what we do now about his time spent with The Band the previous few years, a move toward a more down-home style of music wasn’t all that surprising. What still amazes about that record is how he harnessed his more verbose tendencies and wrote in such succinct yet effective fashion, a la Hank Williams, one of his idols. “Tell Me That It Isn’t True” puts that songcraft on display, as three verses and a bridge give us a telling snapshot of a relationship about to crumble.

“Dirge” from Planet Waves (1974)

In 1974, on the cusp of a tour with his old running mates The Band, Dylan released an album of material with that esteemed quintet as his backing group. Planet Waves delivers much of the looseness and instrumental chemistry you might expect from such a project. But “Dirge” diverges from all that. It’s a two-piece recording, with Dylan playing impassioned piano and Robbie Robertson picking his way through some sympathetic acoustic guitar backing. That’s the backdrop for an intense lyric that comes from the perspective of a guy castigating someone on whom he’s still clearly obsessed.

“I Remember You” from Empire Burlesque (1985)

We can guarantee you Empire Burlesque is way better than you remember. You might chuckle at some of the ’80s-era production techniques here and there, but the songwriting is as sharp as ever. Dylan even lets himself get a little sweet and sappy at times, especially on “I’ll Remember You.” Recorded with a backing group including Mike Campbell and Howie Epstein of the Heartbreakers and legendary session drummer Jim Keltner, the track shimmers with sad beauty, as Dylan sings the praises of a friend//lover that he seems destined to never see again.

“When the Deal Goes Down” from Modern Times (2006)

At the time it was released, this song received a lot of publicity, in large part due to a video that featured Scarlett Johansson. But these days, it doesn’t get a lot of mention by those discussing Dylan’s work. Perhaps that’s because, like “I’ll Remember You,” it’s on the sentimental side, a songwriting emotion we don’t often associate with him. Dylan borrowed a chunk of the melody from a Bing Crosby song to yield the slow dance vibe. In the lyrics, he promises he’ll be right there with the person he’s addressing during the most difficult times when others might shy away.

“This Dream of You” from Together Through Life (2009)

Together Through Life is a bit of an oddball in the Dylan catalog. He collaborated with Robert Hunter, famous for writing lyrics for the Grateful Dead, on nine of the 10 tracks on the record. Hunter was an immensely talented lyricist, but the songs the duo delivered here don’t always rise to the standard of the rest of Dylan’s post-millennial work. However, “This Dream of You,” the lone song on the record written by Dylan alone, is a melancholy standout. It’s a track where the narrator has lost all moorings and can’t even be sure of the reality of his surroundings, all because his love is absent from him.

Photo by Pete Still/Redferns