Bob Dylan has a tendency to perform songs for a short run, then retire them for years, if not indefinitely. One extreme case comes from a song that appears on his 1975 album Blood On The Tracks.
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Bob Dylan only played this epic ballad live in concert one time, and we’re scratching our heads as to why. It’s an incredible, though long, piece of work.
The Song Bob Dylan Only Played Live Once
Bob Dylan only performed the song “Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts” once thus far. The song is the seventh track on Blood On The Tracks, and it is known for its complex plotline and long runtime of nearly nine minutes total.
The song is one of just five from that album that Dylan recorded in New York City in September of 1974 before re-recording them in Minneapolis a few months later. The album version of “Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts” was the one that was re-recorded.
The whole of the song seems to be an allegory for romantic entanglements and dishonesty in love, considering one particular character in the epic ballad triggers a number of accusations from strangers.
It’s a unique song on the whole of the album, too. “Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts” is the only track that is set in the Wild West, and it’s also the longest track on the record.
Why Did Bob Dylan Shelf “Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts” From Live Performances?
Bob Dylan performed “Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts” just one time, according to his website. That performance took place in Salt Lake City on May 25, 1976. He hasn’t performed the ballad since.
Dylan hasn’t explicitly said why he hasn’t performed the song again, but we have a few guesses as to why. To start, it’s an incredibly long-winded and lyric-heavy tune. Not only would it be hard to recall in full for a live audience, but getting through it would eat up a lot of setlist time.
Just as well, “Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts” features quite a few different instrumental tracks. Dylan would have to bring along a drummer, hammond organ player, bassist, and rhythm guitarist on tour to perform it properly. That’s not exactly easy (or even really worth it) to do.
At least we have the recorded version and a bootleg to enjoy.
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