The Lengthy Track Bob Dylan Admits He Got “Carried Away” With

The masses know Bob Dylan for many things, but at the root of those various accomplishments is one major trait. That trait is that he does things his own way. Whether it be writing a song with nonsensical surrealist lyrics, attacking a political figure, or creating a ballad that is far too long for radio play, Dylan always seemingly held a strong belief in his own artistic vision. This, among many other elements, is what helped him become the greatest songwriter of all time. However, on one occasion, Dylan admitted that he once got “carried away” with his own artistic devices on one song. A very long song, at that.

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“Hurricane”, “Murder Most Foul”, “Highlands”, and “Desolation Row” are just four of the many Dylan songs with a runtime well over the normal three or so minutes. Another lengthy single in Dylan’s catalog is the final track on his 1966 album, Blonde On Blonde. Dylan’s Blonde On Blonde was a follow-up to Highway 61 Revisited; thus, it was a further exploration into the counterculture and rock ‘n’ roll methods Dylan had started toying with in 1965. Though on “Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands”, Dylan confessed that he went a little far with track length.

Bob Dylan Once Thought It Was the Best Song He Ever Wrote

Prior to admitting that he got a little carried away with the track, Dylan once believed “Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands” was the best song he’d ever written. However, in a 1969 interview with Rolling Stone, Dylan changed his tune and voiced a far different perspective on the 11-minute closing track of Blonde On Blonde.

“It started out as just a little thing,” he said. “But I got carried away somewhere along the line. I just sat down at a table and started writing. At the session itself. And I just got carried away with the whole thing…I just started writing and I couldn’t stop. After a period of time, I forgot what it was all about, and I started trying to get back to the beginning,” continued Dylan.

Bob Dylan reportedly recorded the extra-long single in one take. As one might expect, the song had a lot of mixed reviews upon its release. At face value, one might believe this song to be too long, overly ambitious, and indigestible. Though that’s Dylan, and even though he and the public met the single with mixed reviews, he continued and continues to make pioneering tracks just like it.

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