The Deeply Personal Breakup Song From 1964 That Bob Dylan Says He “Could Have Left Alone”

For many songwriters, music is therapy, and Bob Dylan is no exception. However, there’s one song from his album Another Side Of Bob Dylan that he regrets bringing into fruition because of its deeply personal nature. That would be “Ballad In Plain D”, which Dylan wrote about Suze Rotolo, whom he dated from 1961 to 1964.

“Ballad In Plain D” is extensive in its description of Dylan’s relationship with Rotolo. He even allegedly had an affair with singer Joan Baez. He also gives a pretty blistering description of Rotolo’s sister, Carla, whom he refers to as a “parasite.”

“For her parasite sister, I had no respect/Bound by her boredom, her pride to protect/Countless visions of the other she’d reflect/As a crutch for her scenes and her society.”

“Oh yeah, that one! I look back and say, ‘I must have been a real schmuck to write that.’ I look back at that particular one and say, of all the songs I’ve written, maybe I could have left that alone,” Dylan told Bill Flanagan of the song. “I wouldn’t really exploit a relationship with somebody. Whereas in ‘Ballad In Plain D’ I did…”

Who Was Suze Rotolo?

Suze Rotolo, often thought of by many as Dylan’s greatest muse, was an American artist who spent much of her life in New York City. She’s known for being the woman on the cover of Dylan’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan album.

Rotolo and Dylan were introduced by Rotolo’s sister (yes, the “parasite” one) at a concert at Riverside Church in New York City. In Bob Dylan Chronicles, the singer describes the artist as “the most erotic thing” he’d ever laid eyes on. “She was just my type”, he admitted.

Dylan was obviously inspired by Rotolo. Especially in songs of his like “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” and “It Ain’t Me, Babe”. However, in the book Hoot!: A Twenty-Five Year History Of The Greenwich Village Music Scene, Rotolo admitted that the folk singer also influenced her.

“People say I was an influence on him, but we influenced each other,” the artist shared. “His interests were filtered through me and my interests, like the books I had, were filtered through him.”

Rotolo passed away from lung cancer at the age of 67 in 2011.

Photo by: Steve Morley/Redferns