On this day (February 17) in 1969, Johnny Cash joined Bob Dylan at Columbia Studio A in Nashville, Tennessee, for one of the final recording sessions of his album Nashville Skyline. Cash brought the Tennessee Three– Bob Wootton (guitar), Marshall Grant (bass), and W.S. Holland (drums)–to record a new duet version of Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country.”
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“Girl from the North Country” has appeared on multiple albums. It first appeared on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan in 1963. It also appears on the Travelin’ Thru bootleg series. However, the most popular version of the song is the duet with Cash on Nashville Skyline. Although it was never released as a single by either artist, the song remains a favorite among fans. Today, the song has more than 200 million streams on Spotify, making it one of Dylan’s most-streamed releases.
[RELATED: “Remembering Johnny”—the Eulogy Bob Dylan Wrote for His Dear Friend Johnny Cash]
The Debate Surrounding This Bob Dylan Classic
“Girl from the North Country” isn’t just one of Bob Dylan’s most popular songs. It is also one of his most discussed compositions. Fans believe that Dylan wrote the song about a specific woman. However, her identity has been the subject of debate for decades.
According to Songfacts, Dylan wrote the song while visiting England in 1962. In the lyrics, he sings about a woman who was once his true love. Many believe that the song is about Echo Helstrom, including Helstrom herself. Others believe that he wrote the classic tune with Bonnie Beecher in mind. He was romantically involved with both women before he took his trip to England.
Others believe that the song is about Suze Rotolo. She and Dylan were together at the time. Rotolo also appears on the cover of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. At the same time, there are some who believe that he kept the lyrics intentionally vague to allow multiple women to believe they were the song’s subject.
Dylan is likely the only person who knows for sure who the song is about, and he has yet to put the debate to rest.
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