And he changed it in the final version because, as we know, he did NOT want people talking - or even knowing - about his wife. It was also a good artistic decision, because it generalized the song. It made people wonder for 50 years who the sad-eyed lady was, or even if it was a lady.
Well, I agree that it was a good artistic decision, but did anyone wonder who it was really about upon release? If so, did anyone really continue to wonder who it was really about after hearing the line from Sara on Desire: "Stayin' up for days in the Chelsea Hotel writin' Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands for you?" I mean, I never take Dylan at his word, unless he states it in a song. Then we have a much more clear idea, at least in certain situations. Now, for the record, here are some past discussions on Sad-Eyed Lady and the take 1 "mystery." Use these as starting points and read before and after or just ignore if you've got other things to do: Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series Vol. XII "The Cutting Edge"* Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series Vol. XII "The Cutting Edge"* Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series Vol. XII "The Cutting Edge"*
Instead of fading at the end, I wish all the versions of Sad-Eyed Lady continued to the end (or at least one of them should have-though it would have been better if they all did).
Yes, that way the song would last longer. If it never ended, that would be even better. We can all agree on that, can't we. All this discussion about Sad-Eyed Lady has got me on the hook now. Big blue box here I come.
Well there you have it. End of discussion I guess. Tribute, didn't you say you haven't even listened to this in awhile? No, I'm referring to the 3rd verse at the 5:50 mark as you previously pointed out. Yes, it sounds like "Sara" but in my opinion it's a flub. He thinks it's time to say "Sad-Eyed" but then remembers "should I leave them at your gate" comes before. The fact the exact same thing happens in the 4th verse lends credence to my argument. He's clearly having timing issues with the song, which I'm sure is one of the reasons this take didn't make the album. It has a tricky beat and the fact the drummer builds up before both mistakes doesn't help him I'm sure. I never thought I'd be a Dylan fan who dissects lyrics so much, but in this instance I'm intrigued by the stories that have played out over this. The idea there was a conspiracy to cover it up or never release it because he accidently revealed the person it was about seems very far fetched. There are clearly several mistakes in this take.
Well I listened to it about a hundred times earlier. Don't you recall Dylan's lyric in the song "Sara", where he sang (and issued on record) "Stayin' up for days in the Chelsea Hotel Writin' Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands for You" So you think it was a flub when he sang the word "Sara" in the first take?
On a slightly different (but connected) track, if he really was "Stayin' up for days in the Chelsea Hotel Writin' Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands", then why, according to Ben Rollins' Cutting Edge liner notes, did it take Dylan "ten hours to finish the lyrics in the studio"?
First of all, I'm glad we can discuss this disagreement in very civil terms. I take your point about the vocal errors occurring in both the 3rd and 4th verses, but my point is that is really not the case. The phonetics are not at all the same. The manner in which he misses the word "should" in the 3rd and 4th verses is completely different. In the 3rd verse, it's a short "a" sound in Sara whereas in the 4th verse it's a long, drawn-out "a" sound as if he's about to sing "sad-eyed." Thus, the differences in these two lyrics lends credence to my argument. Of course, there is a certain amount of potential bias in simply wanting to think that Bob revealed some great secret in this, but one's bias doesn't necessarily change history. It's Dylan. He probably did a bit of both (and a few other things we'll likely never know about). "Scribblin' in a notebook for hours in a studio full of Nashville union-scale musicians" doesn't have quite the same lyrical cache as "Stayin' up for days in the Chelsea Hotel Writin' Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands." Put another way: it's a great line whether it happened or not. As is the case with most great writing.
Dylan probably did write it, or at least a version of it, at the Chelsea. He may have spent time rewriting it in the studio too. There may have been many versions of the song.
Yes I think it was a flub, because he does it twice. Sure the song is probably about her, I'm not debating that. That doesn't mean he calls out her name in the song (as he clearly does 9 years later).
And it certainly doesn't help that she is most likely on his mind as he sings it, and that the title of the song is seemingly a play on her name too. Overall, there's just something about his singing that I guess lacks the confidence that he finally builds up by the final take, and with that comes these type of flubs.
Thanks for sharing these essays. I'm looking forward to reading them as I live with the consequence of not buying BB. With Dylan, all the complaining in the world dosen't take away the void of not having such a box set. Should have just bit the bullet and bought it and been done with it. All of this Cutting Edge discussion is making me want to open that 6-disc.
I think Dylan should have re-recorded Sad Eyed Lady in the later 90s. Instead of taking up one side of an LP, it could have taken an entire CD, say 76 minutes. I would be OK with that
An FM tape of the concert circulates. The station blocked parts of the broadcast where she was potty-mouthed and those moments are edited out of the tape. It circulates. Sound quality is an analog hissy-fit.
So would I. Better yet, I wish he had recorded a 76 minute version in '66. Well, you can still find the USB edition. The entire Big Blue Box on a memory stick. I've seen it on amazon and ebay in the $50 range.
Yeah, I've seen that before actually. That's probably what I'll do in the very near future just to have everything and be able to hear everything. I saw a Big Blue box on ebay today in the UK for £850 plus £20 second-hand and in great condition but I just can't wrap my head around that kind of price for a box set, but at the same time like most Dylan fan's, I consider these box sets as physical art. Nothing will ever give me the same feeling as the physical format. But yes. For now this €50 USB stick is the way to go.
Yes; it's the very last track on CD 6 of the 6-CD box, Take 1, complete. The utterance (which I agree maybe a flub, but is still quite clearly "Sara" although he drops the end of the word a bit - I listen in headphones and it's crystal clear, but this will be my final word on the subject as we all need to move on) is at 5:50 near the end of the "kings of Tyrus" verse.
Point taken. I suppose the main benefit of the USB stick is the convenience. I don't have a PC set-up at the moment and I presume the USB stick also comes with the bonus downloads given to those who bought it? I know $50 is $50, but sometimes you just want hassle free convenience.