One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)
| "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Cover of the 1966 Netherlands single | ||||
| Single by Bob Dylan | ||||
| from the album Blonde on Blonde | ||||
| B-side | "Queen Jane Approximately" | |||
| Released | February 14, 1966 | |||
| Recorded | January 25, 1966 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 4:55 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan | |||
| Producer(s) | Bob Johnston | |||
| Bob Dylan singles chronology | ||||
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| Official audio | ||||
| "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" on YouTube | ||||
"One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" is a song written and recorded by Bob Dylan. It is the fourth track on his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde, and was released as the album's first single that February. As a single, it peaked at No. 33 in the UK Singles Chart, but only reached No. 119 on US Billboard's Bubbling Under chart.
Background
Bob Dylan's sixth studio album, Highway 61 Revisited, was released on August 30, 1965.[1] On October 5, Dylan and members of the Hawks, who had played several recent live concerts with him, held the first of the recording sessions for his next album at Columbia Studio A, New York, with Bob Johnston as producer.[2][3] The next sessions were held on November 30, and on January 21, 1966, with some personnel changes.[4] The fourth session, on January 25, 1966, started with two takes of Dylan's "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat".[5] This was followed by a number initially listed in studio records as "Song Unknown" as Dylan had not devised a title; it was later titled "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)".[5] Dylan sang, and played electric guitar and harmonica on the track, accompanied by Robbie Robertson (electric guitar), Al Kooper (organ), Paul Griffin (piano), Rick Danko (electric bass) and Bobby Gregg (drums).[6][7] With Dylan piecing together the song's sections, and the chorus that gives the song its title only emerging on take five, the session stretched through the night and into the next morning.[5] According to Rolling Stone, it took nine hours and 24 takes to complete the song.[8] The master take lasts four minutes and 55 seconds.[9]
It was the first recording completed for Bob Dylan's seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde,[10][11] and the only recording selected from the New York sessions.[12] Later recording sessions for the album were transferred to Nashville, at Johnston's suggestion.[13] The master take lasts four minutes and 55 seconds.[9] Dylan appeared on New York radio station WBAI later that evening, and mentioned that he had just recorded his new single, which he felt was superior to his previous two singles, and comparable to his "Like a Rolling Stone".[14]
"One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" was released as a single, backed with "Queen Jane Approximately" as the B-side, on February 14, 1966. It reached number 33 in the UK Singles Chart, but only number 119 on the American Billboard magazine charts.[15][9] For the Netherlands and Sweden single releases, "Queen Jane Approximately" was the A-side and "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" was the B-side.[9] It was included as the fourth track on side one of the double album Blonde on Blonde" on June 20, 1966.[11][16]
The track was later included on The Original Mono Recordings (2010).[17]
Critical comments
"One of Us Must Know" is a straightforward account of a burned-out relationship.[5] Dissecting what went wrong, the narrator takes a defensive attitude in a one-sided conversation with his former lover.[12][18] Dylan's biographer Robert Shelton felt that although the song might contain more than one meaning: " On one level, it's the story of a man talking to a girl about the difficulties of intimacy. He also may have been talking to the folk world, a lover that turned on him."[19] Oliver Trager wrote that it "flies out of the hi-fi speakers like an audio snap-shot of a one-sided conversation between a man and woman — the man complaining of the difficulties of intimacy."[20] Trager argues that the song opening, "I didn't mean to treat you so bad" shows that the narrator is aware that he has mistreated the person he is addressing, but that "the hand-washing, Pilate-like excuse that 'You just happened to be there, that's all' suggests that this destructive personality has no intention or ability of limiting his continued abuse."[21] In contrast to this interpretation, musicologist Wilfrid Mellers suggested that "the music attests that he is sad to have caused pain, that he really did 'try to get close to you'". [22]
The reviewer for Cash Box described the single as a "raunchy, low-down romantic lament essayed with plenty of feeling".[23] The Liverpool Echo reviewer commented on Dylan's "curiously exaggerated vocal delivery ... [and] sarcastic voice" and concluded that "he is not an able singer".[24] In the Bucks Examiner, the reviewer wrote that the song "sounds pretty involved at a first hearing, but grows better after that", and felt that the B-Side song was superior to it.[25] Maureen Cleave dismissed the song as "Quite the worst record that he, or anybody else, has ever made."[26] She criticised the "irritating tinky accompaniment and lyrics that are a constant embarrassment".[26] The Evening Post reviewer opined that the track lacked "musical merit" and what they perceived as Dylan's lack of effort to sing, with his vocal contribution described as "just a graoning noise".[27]
In the Record Mirror review of Blonde on Blonde, Norman Jopling noted that the song had been Dylan's least successful single in the United Kingdom, and compared his vocals on it to Yogi Bear. but felt that "The blues piano is good and the song is very dramatic and under-rated."[28]
Neil Spencer gave the song a rating of 5/5 stars in an Uncut magazine Dylan supplement in 2015.[29] Author John Nogowski rated the song as "A". He described it as "a grand, stately number, propelled by some wonderful piano-organ interplay".[30]
Authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon wrote that it "lacks rhythmic rigor ... the entire performance lacks precision", and that "Dylan and Robertson's guitars needed better tuning". They did, however, describe it as "a very good song".[9] They highlighted Griffin's piano playing as "excellent".[9] Kooper also praised Griffin's performance, calling it "quite magnificent" and adding that "it influenced me enormously as a pianist".[9] The critic Jonathan Singer ascribed the song's "tragic depth" to Griffin's playing.[9]
Personnel
The personnel for the original album session were as follows.
Musicians[7]
- Bob Dylan – vocals, electric guitar, harmonica
- Robbie Robertson – electric guitar
- Al Kooper – organ
- Paul Griffin – piano
- Rick Danko – electric bass
- Bobby Gregg – drums
Technical[3]
- Bob Johnston – production
Other versions
The organ part varied on the Blonde On Blonde album depending on whether it was the mono or stereo mix. An outtake of the song appeared on The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966, while the deluxe version of the album included multiple other versions of the song. According to Dylan's official website, as of 2018 Dylan has performed "One of Us Must Know" 60 times in concert, with all performances occurring between 1976 and 1997.[17]
Covers
 | This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: versions may not meet WP:SONGCOVER. (February 2023) |
English singer-songwriter Mick Hucknall covered the song on the 2012 charity compilation album Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International. Old Crow Medicine Show covered the song on their live Dylan tribute album, 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde.[31]
References
- ^ Gray 2008, p. 324.
- ^ Wilentz 2010, 1756–1775.
- ^ a b Sanders 2020, p. 276.
- ^ Sanders 2020, p. 60,75.
- ^ a b c d Wilentz 2010, 1841–1856.
- ^ Williams 2004, p. 177.
- ^ a b Sanders 2020, p. 277.
- ^ "100 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs". Rolling Stone. May 24, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Margotin & Guesdon 2022, p. 225.
- ^ Gill 2011, p. 140.
- ^ a b Williams 2004, p. 284.
- ^ a b Trager 2004, pp. 470–471.
- ^ Sanders 2020, p. 97.
- ^ Williams 2004, pp. 177–178.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 174. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Heylin 2016, 7290: a Sony database of album release dates ... confirms once and for all that it came out on June 20, 1966"..
- ^ a b "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)". Bob Dylan's official website. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ Gill 2011, pp. 140–141.
- ^ Shelton 1987, p. 322.
- ^ Trager 2004, p. 470.
- ^ Trager 2004, p. 471.
- ^ Mellers 1985, p. 146.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. February 19, 1966. p. 20. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ Disker (April 9, 1966). "Now Christie the hitmaker strikes twice". Liverpool Echo. p. 4.
- ^ "Discorner". Bucks Examiner. April 15, 1966. p. 7.
- ^ a b Cleave, Maureen (April 9, 1966). "Discs". Evening Standard. p. 7.
- ^ "The new discs". Evening Post. Bristol. April 16, 1966. p. 4.
- ^ Jopling, Norman (August 13, 1966). "Bob Dylan: Blonde On Blonde (CBS)". Record Mirror. p. 3.
- ^ Spencer, Neil (2015). "Blonde on Blonde". Uncut – Ultimate Music Guide: Bob Dylan. p. 25.
- ^ Nogowski 2022, p. 61.
- ^ "Old Crow Medicine Show: 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde". Relix Media. July 12, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
Sources
- Gill, Andy (2011). Bob Dylan: the Stories Behind the Songs 1962–1969. London: Carlton. ISBN 978-1-84732-759-8.
- Gray, Michael (2008). The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8264-2974-2.
- Heylin, Clinton (1995). Dylan: Behind Closed Doors – the Recording Sessions (1960–1994). Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-025749-6.
- Heylin, Clinton (2016). Judas!: From Forest Hills to the Free Trade Hall: A Historical View of Dylan's Big Boo (Kindle ed.). Route Publishing. ISBN 978-1-901927-68-9.
- Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2022). Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track (Expanded ed.). New York: Black Dog & Leventhal. ISBN 978-0-7624-7573-5.
- Mellers, Wilfrid (1985). A Darker Shade of Pale: A Backdrop to Bob Dylan. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-571-13345-1.
- Nogowski, John (2022). Bob Dylan: A Descriptive, Critical Discography and Filmography, 1961-2022 (3rd ed.). Jefferson: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1-4766-4362-5.
- Sanders, Daryl (2020). That Thin, Wild Mercury Sound: Dylan, Nashville, and the Making of Blonde on Blonde (epub ed.). Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-61373-550-3.
- Shelton, Robert (1987). No Direction Home: the Life and Music of Bob Dylan. London: New English Library. ISBN 978-0-450-04843-2.
- Trager, Oliver (2004). Keys to the Rain: the Definitive Bob Dylan Encyclopedia. New York: Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0-8230-7974-2.
- Wilentz, Sean (2010). Bob Dylan in America (Kindle ed.). London: Vintage Digital. ISBN 978-1-4070-7411-5.
- Williams, Paul (2004) [1990]. Bob Dylan, Performing Artist: The Early Years, 1960–1973. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84449-095-0.
External links
Lyrics at Bob Dylan's official website
