Talkin' New York
| "Talkin' New York" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Bob Dylan | |
| from the album Bob Dylan | |
| Released | March 19, 1962 |
| Recorded | November 20, 1961 |
| Studio | Columbia Studio A, 799 Seventh Avenue, New York City |
| Genre | Talking blues |
| Length | 3:20[1] |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan |
| Producer(s) | John Hammond |
"Talkin' New York" is the second song on Bob Dylan's eponymous first album, released in 1962. A talking blues, the song describes his feelings on arriving in New York City from Minnesota, his time playing coffee houses in Greenwich Village, and his life as a folksinger without a record deal. The lyrics express the apparent difficulty he had finding gigs as a result of his unique sound, with a character in the song telling Dylan: "You sound like a hillbilly; We want folk singers here."
The song was recorded on 20 November 1961 at Columbia Studio A, 799 Seventh Avenue, New York City, produced by John Hammond.
Background
Clinton Heylin wrote that "Talkin' New York" was one of several attempts by Dylan in 1961 to compose a "'New York is a mean ol' town song'"[2] In 1961, Dylan wrote "Down at Washington Square," a ballad about the 9 April 1961 police attack on the folksingers' gathering at Washington Square Park, and reworked the lyrics several times, although there is no evidence that the song was either recorded or featured in any of his live performances.[2] He also started a song that remained unfinished, called "NYC Blues," at around the same time, before composing "Talkin' New York" by May 1961.[2]
The song is the first of the two Dylan-penned songs to be heard on Bob Dylan, the other being "Song To Woody." This early example of Dylan's songwriting exhibits many traits which later became synonymous with his work. For example, the line A lot of people don't have much food on their table/But they got a lot of forks n' knives/And they gotta cut somethin'.[3] has been cited by many as an early example of Dylan's lyrical wit.[4]
The lines Now, a very great man once said/That some people rob you with a fountain pen.[3] make specific reference to Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd". The song's structure and theme also bear similarities to Guthrie's "Talkin' Columbia", which Dylan had covered at least once in 1961, and "Talkin' Subway", with which one Dylan cataloguer drew an explicit connection. Both Guthrie and Dylan were both highly influenced by late 1920s country recording artist Chris Bouchillon, who first coined the term Talkin' Blues.[5]
US singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III, who had been labelled a 'new Bob Dylans' in his early career,[6] recorded a parody/tribute song called 'Talkin' New Bob Dylan' on his 1992 album 'History', to coincide with Dylan's 50th birthday.[citation needed]
Laurie Anderson covered "Talkin' New York" at a concert to celebrate Dylan's 77th birthday in 2018.[7]
Personnel
The personnel for the 20 November 1961 recordings at Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, New York, are listed below.[1]
Musician
- Bob Dylan – vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
Technical
- John Hammond – production
- George Knuerr, Pete Daurier – engineering
Official releases
- Bob Dylan (released 1962)[1]
- The Original Mono Recordings (released 2010)[8]
References
- ^ a b c Margotin, Philippe; Guedson, Jean-Michel (2015). Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers. p. 23. ISBN 978-1579129859.
- ^ a b c Heylin, Clinton (1995). Revolution in the Air – the songs of Bob Dylan Vol.1 1957–73. Constable & Robinson. pp. 50–54. ISBN 9781849012966.
- ^ a b Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 31 - Ballad in Plain D: An introduction to the Bob Dylan era. [Part 1]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries. Track 2.
- ^ Williams, Paul, (2004). Bob Dylan: performing artist. Omnibus Press. pp.32
- ^ "Roots of Bob Dylan: Woody Guthrie". Manfred Helfert. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
- ^ {{cite news |last=Clayton-Lea |first=Tony |title=Loudon Wainwright III: 'I had issues with my parents' |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/loudon-wainwright-iii-i-had-issues-with-my-parents-1.2743642 |work=The Irish Times |date=6 August 2016 |access|date=17 May 2021))
- ^ Myers, Mitch (2018-05-25). "Bill Murray, Gina Gershon, Steve Buscemi Celebrate Bob Dylan at Birthday Tribute". Variety. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
- ^ "Still on the road: 1961 concerts and recording sessions". bjorner.com. Olof Björner. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
