Desolation Row (track)
by Bob Dylan
Year: 1965
From the album Highway 61 Revisited (track #9)
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Desolation Row appears on the following album(s) by Bob Dylan:
- Highway 61 Revisited (track #9) (this album) (1965)
- The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert (track #5) (1998)
- The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack (track #22) (2005)
- MTV Unplugged (track #7) (1995)
- The Original Mono Recordings (track #67) (compilation) (2010)
- The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert (track #5) (2016)
- The 1966 Live Recordings (track #5) (compilation) (2016)
- The 1966 Live Recordings (track #20) (compilation) (2016)
- The 1966 Live Recordings (track #36) (compilation) (2016)
- The 1966 Live Recordings (track #50) (compilation) (2016)
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Desolation Row ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 3 ratings for this track. | Show all 721 ratings for this track.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 08/06/2026 08:55 | MrOlan | 6,993 | 79/100 |
| ! | 07/02/2026 19:43 | Siromynian | 20,339 | 71/100 |
| ! | 07/02/2026 16:19 |  HoldenM | 10,332 | 90/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 1% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 91.2/100, a mean average of 90.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.4/100. The standard deviation for this track is 13.8.
Desolation Row favourites
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Desolation Row forum mentions
Desolation Row comments
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Me at the beginning of the song: 11+ minutes? Ugh
Me at the end of the song: T_T this is one of the most beautiful songs ever (Edited)
I heard this album for the first time yesterday! It changed my view on sixties music and Bob Dylan! This is the perfect ending to this and any album! (Edited)
Caesar01 11/11/2012 02:19 | #54753
I truly believe these may be the greatest lyrics of all time. This song could be about so many things, or it could be about nothing. Everything about this song is incredible. (Edited)
GandalfORiley345 05/09/2014 02:48 | #111249
I´m really not a fan of blues songs that are so long, but i have to admit that the blues rock that Bob Dylan made in this group turn it to one of the best songs ever recorded, the lyrics are by far a journey to your mind, awesome guitar and very acceptable vocals from Bob Dylan (Edited)
Jasonconfused TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/29/2012 22:17 | #59389
Some of the most tasteful guitar playing ever with lyrics to match it. (Edited)
