Dylan covers 1: top 100 Dylan cover songs
by Moondance 
This chart reveals/uncovers the incredibly rich and diverse realm of Bob Dylan cover songs. One estimate puts the number of Dylan cover songs to be over 105,000; however my own research suggests that the number of verified, publicly available number of Dylan cover songs is closer to 10,000! In any event, to make a chart of my top 100 Dylan cover songs is both hard & easy.
To fully acknowledge and represent this diversity and to cover Dylan's entire 60 year recording career, I set certain parameters:
* Limit any artist to only one cover song;
* Limit any Dylan tribute album to only one cover song ~ Note: the number/diversity of Dylan tribute albums discovered during the making of this chart has amazed me. Despite having listened to over 50 tribute album, including the 30 tribute albums listed in this chart, I have only scratched the surface {elsewhere on the BEA site I am aware of a user who has a 'top 100 chart of 100% Dylan cover albums'; and during my research, I stumbled across a website that listed over 400 albums comprising between 50% - 100% Dylan cover songs};
* For Dylan albums with only a small number of original songs (eg 'Bob Dylan'; 'Greatest Hits Vol II'; 'Self Portrait'; 'Masterpieces'; 'Knocked Out Loaded' etc), this chart includes at least one cover song to showcase those albums;
* For each of the 27 Dylan albums that contain all or mostly original songs, this chart includes between two - four cover songs with the exception of 'Under The Red Sky' ~ for which finding quality cover songs proved a challenge and thus only one cover song is included in this chart;
* In other words, every Dylan album that includes, in part or in full, original songs is referenced in this chart (at last count, that added up to 40 Dylan albums);
* Some songs written/co-written by Dylan but never recorded by Dylan have been included in this chart (eg Clapton, Goffin, O'Keefe);
* Dylan side projects (eg Traveling Wilbury's, movie soundtracks) have also been included in this chart, to give this chart the most comprehensive feel that I could put together.
The order of the chart listing will be chronological - based on the release date of the corresponding contemporaneous studio album or the recording date for those songs that were released much later on compilation albums (Greatest Hits VolII, Masterpieces), the 1975 Basement Tapes or the various Bootleg Series albums.
The only exception to the chronological order is the #1 entry by Linda Mason, which is recognised as the first album to be released that was 100% dedicated to covering the songs of Bob Dylan.
The data in this chart - eg number of times Dylan has performed a particular song in concert is as at June 2023.
- Chart updated: 02/01/2025 03:45
- (Created: 05/22/2022 06:40).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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As a side note: Eddie Vedder (solo) and with Pearl Jam have performed 'Masters Of War' some 50 times in concert.
'Masters of War' was first recorded by Dylan for the Witmark & Sons Demos in early 1963 and a 'live' version from this time also circulated on unofficial recordings.
Dylan recorded the official studio version on 24 April 1963 and it was released (side 1, track 3) on his May 1963 "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan' album. The tune was 'borrrowed' from a song written by Jean Ritchie ~ Nottamun Town ~ and for which she was paid $5000 to settle the matter.
Dylan has performed 'Masters Of War' over 900 times in concert (of which almost 60 are credited to Dylan/Petty) ~ placing it in the top 20 songs performed live during Dylan's career. The first occasion was at the Pindar of Wakefield London (22 December 1962) and for the final time at Empire Polo Club, Indio, CA on 7 October 2016.
(Note: This year ~ 2022 ~ marks Dylan's 60th year as a singer/songwriter/recording artist/performer ~ it will be interesting to see if there is a 60th anniversary concert celebration)
Among a host of memorable couplets/images, my favourite line: 'All the money you made will never buy back your soul'. [First added to this chart: 05/25/2022]
'Walls Of Red Wing' was first performed live by Dylan at his first Town Hall, NY concert on 12 April 1963, with a studio recording talking place 12 days later (24 April 1963) as part of 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan' sessions, although the recording was not included on final studio album. The studio recording was finally released on the 1991 'Bootleg Series Vol 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased)' 3 CD boxset, on CD1, track 14.
Dylan has performed 'Walls Of Red Wing' on 7 occasions; the first time at his Town Hall, NY concert on 12 April 1963; at a handful of concerts between October 1963 - May 1964; and finally at Municipal Auditorium, Austin, TX on 12 May 1976.
"The night aimed shadows through the crossbar windows" [First added to this chart: 06/05/2022]
At track 7, on his fourth solo studio album, Steve Harley does a very delicate ~ violin inspired ~ version of Dylan's 'Love Minus Zero/No Limit'.
Dylan recorded 'Love Minus Zero/No Limit' on 15 January 1965 with session musicians including Bruce Langhorne, John Hammond Jr, William E Lee & Bobby Gregg. The song was released nine weeks later (side 1, track 4) on his March 1965 'Bringing It All Back Home' album ~ his 5th studio album, featuring (for the first time) an 'electric' side 1 & 'mostly acoustic' side 2. The album reached #1 in the UK and #6 in the US.
Dylan included the song, for the first time, in his live performance at Troy Armory, Troy, NY on 12 February 1965; and for the final time at 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, CO on 30 October 2012. Dylan has performed the song over 370 times, ranking it in the top 50 live performance songs.
"My love, she's like some raven/At my window with a broken wing" [First added to this chart: 05/25/2022]
Dylan recorded "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" on 29 November 1967 and it was released (side 2, track 6) less than one month later on his December 1967 'John Wesley Harding' album.
Dylan performed the song for the first time at his Isle of Wight concert (31 August 1969) and then it returned to the set list for the Rolling Thunder Review concerts from April 1976.
Overall, the song has been performed 560 times in concerts; and has been included in the set list for the current world wide Rough & Rowdy Ways tour, commencing in 2021 ~ and up to 20 April 2023 (final Nagoya Japan concert) it has performed over 90 times on the current tour.
'Kick your shoes off, do not fear/Bring that bottle over here/I'll be your baby tonight' [First added to this chart: 05/25/2022]
Written for the soundtrack to the 1973 movie 'Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid' ~ a movie where Dylan played the role of 'Alias' ~ Dylan recorded 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' in February 1973 and it was released (side 2, track 2) on his July 1973 "Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid" album/soundtrack.
A concert favourite, beginning at Chicago Stadium, Chicago on 4 January 1974 and ending at PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ on 10 August 2003, the song has been performed over 350 times.
'It's getting dark, too dark for me to see/I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door' [First added to this chart: 07/22/2022]
Dylan recorded 'Going, Going, Gone', backed by The Band in early November 1973 and it was released (side 1, track 2) on his January 1974 'Planet Waves' album.
Dylan first performed 'Going, Going, Gone' is concert at Civic Centre, Lakeland Florida on 18 April 1976 ¬ the opening show on the Rolling Thunder Review 2 tour and was performed a further 80 times before being culled from the set list in late October 1978.
'I'm closin' the book/On the pages and the text/And I don't really care/What happens next' [First added to this chart: 05/28/2022]
Dylan recorded several version of 'Tangled Up In Blue', the first versions being on 12 & 19 September 1974 at A&R Studios, NY ~ the latter of these was subsequently released (side 1, track 1) on the 2018 "Bootleg Series Vol 14: More Blood, More Tracks". Dylan recorded a final version, produced by his brother David Zimmerman, at Sound 80 Studio in Minneapolis on 27 December 1974 and it was this version that was released (side 1, track 1) on his highly celebrated 1975 'Blood On The Tracks' album. The single of 'Tangled Up In Blue' reached #31 on the US charts.
'Tangled Up In Blue' was first performed in concert on 13 November 1975 (Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut) and as at July 2022 has been performed over 1700 times, making it the 4th most performed song in Dylan concert history.
'We always did feel the same/We just saw it from a different point of view' [First added to this chart: 05/28/2022]
Dylan recorded 'Caribbean Wind' on 7 April 1981 in the lead up to the full recording sessions that would provide the final tracks for his August 1981 'Shot Of Love' album. 'Caribbean Wind' missed the cut for 'Shot Of Love' and was subsequently released on the November 1985 'Biograph' 53 track/5LP box set (side 7, track 4)
The one & only known 'live' performance of Caribbean Wind is at the Fox Warfield Theatre, San Francisco on 12 November 1980 ~ song 16 on the set list, sandwiched between 'Just Like A Woman' and 'In The Garden'.
'Bringing everything that's near to me, nearer to the fire' [First added to this chart: 05/30/2022]
The Traveling Wilburys (Dylan/Petty/Harrison/Lynne/Orbison) recorded 'Tweeter And The Monkeyman' in May 1988 and it was released (side 2, track 4) on their October 1988 "Traveling Wilburys Vol 1" album. The album was well received and reached #1 in Australia & Canada; #2 in Norway, New Zealand & Sweden; #3 in US; and #16 in UK.
Interestingly, 'Tweeter And The Monkeyman" was the only song on the album not to include Roy Orbison on either lead or backing vocals.
Dylan has never performed 'Tweeter And The Monkeyman' in concert ~ but Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers have performed the song several times in 2013, including the Beacon Theatre, NY on May 20.
'I guess I'll go to Florida and get myself some sun/There ain't no more opportunity here, everything's been done' [First added to this chart: 05/29/2022]
'Silvio' was a co-write between Dylan and Robert Hunter (distinguished American song lyricist). Dylan recorded 'Silvio' on 16 June 1987 and it was released as a single in June 1988 (charting at #5 in the US) and as track 7 on his May 1988 "Down In The Groove" album. The album was, IMHO, rightfully panned but I always found Silvio (one of only 4 tracks on the 10 track album to be written/co-written by Dylan) to be a standout.
As a side note, Robert Hunter (the co-writer of Silvio) is best known as being the lyricist for Grateful Dead - in fact, in 1994 he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with The Grateful Dead ~ thus having the distinguished title of being the only non-performer to be inducted as a member of a band.
Dylan has played 'Silvio' almost 600 times in concert ~ the first time (to coincide with the released of the single) on 21 June, 1988 at the Blossom Music Centre, Cuyahoga Falls. Ohio. The song continued to be performed over the next 6 years, with the final performance on 16 March 2004 at State Theatre, Detroit, MI.
'One of these days and it won't be long/Going down the valley and sing my song/Gonna sing it loud and sing it strong/Let the echo decide if I was right or wrong' [First added to this chart: 05/30/2022]
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Dylan covers 1: top 100 Dylan cover songs composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 15 | 15% | |
| 1970s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1980s | 4 | 4% | |
| 1990s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2000s | 28 | 28% | |
| 2010s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2020s | 11 | 11% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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|
| Various Artists | 9 | 9% | |
| Graham Bonnet | 1 | 1% | |
| Ani DiFranco | 1 | 1% | |
| Bettye LaVette | 1 | 1% | |
| Linda Mason | 1 | 1% | |
| Counting Crows | 1 | 1% | |
| Elkie Brooks | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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|
50 | 50% | |
|
24 | 24% | |
|
10 | 10% | |
|
7 | 7% | |
|
3 | 3% | |
|
2 | 2% | |
|
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Dylan covers 1: top 100 Dylan cover songs chart changes
| New entries |
|---|
Classic John Martynby John Martyn |
| Leavers |
|---|
Piece By Pieceby John Martyn |
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