Bob Dylan has topped the charts quite a few times through the decades past. “Lay Lady Lay”, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”, and “Like A Rolling Stone” are just a few of his biggest hits. But Dylan’s discography is quite the hefty and long-winded one, and many of his best songs didn’t quite hit no. 1 on the Billboard charts. Let’s take a look at a few top-notch Bob Dylan songs that never hit no. 1!
1. “Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)”
This song was the perfect closer to Dylan’s 1978 album Street-Legal. In a way, the song “Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)” marked the end of an era for Bob Dylan, as he kicked off his religious years in the 1980s and notably changed his sound.
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2. “I And I”
Just as “Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)” marked the end of an era, “I And I” from the 1983 album Infidels seemed to mark a divergence from Dylan’s Christian-focused music. “Been so long since a strange woman slept in my bed” is a pretty provocative lyric, after all. The song itself, though, is a real treat with reggae undertones.
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3. “Sweetheart Like You”
Another great underrated track from Infidels, it’s surprising that the Bob Dylan song “Sweetheart Like You” never quite hit no. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1983. It’s a grizzly, sensual ballad and one of Dylan’s very best.
4. “Dark Eyes”
1985 was an interesting year for Dylan, and Empire Burlesque was an interesting album. It was one of his synthiest, danciest albums to date. But “Dark Eyes” is a notable departure from that, touching on Dylan’s roots as a master of folk. The acoustic guitar on this track is lovely, as is that soothing harmonica intro. It’s quite playful musically, though the lyrics are quite poetically dark.
5. “Blood In My Eyes”
This track from World Gone Wrong in 1993 marked another notable era of Bob Dylan. His 1990s voice was notably different than the voice that he became famous for in the early 1960s, but it played in his favor. Dylan applied his aged, folksy growl to a number of famous covers throughout this era, and “Blood In My Eyes” is a beautiful take on the classic tune from 1931.
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