319:). (It was common for credits to be assigned on the basis of a title, without checking the actual recording, and if Dylan learned the song from a tape, it is very possible that he did not know the name of its original performer.) Dylan used lyrics and vocal phrasing from McClennan's recording and a repeating guitar
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on March 19, 1962, with "Highway 51" as the closing track on side one. According to music scholar Steven Rings, by including chord progressions not found in either the Jones or McClennan versions, Dylan created "an articulation between the pop and rockabilly world of the
Everlys and the rural blues
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was an album "few people liked and that didn't sell", and led to
Columbia seeking to drop Dylan. However, Gray gives a positive assessment, arguing that the "speed, energy and attack" of Dylan's vocal and instrumental performances "show how fresh and excellently 'unprofessional he was".
428:... Against chugging guitar, Dylan delivers a vocally strong blues-rockabilly song. The pulse, tempo, and motion build up into several strong climaxes within two minutes, forty-nine seconds. Death is in the lyrics, but over-abundant life is in the voice and guitar.
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by "Stacey
Williams" (a pseudonym for Shelton), say: "A diesel-tempoed "Highway 51" is of a type sung by the Everly Brothers, partially rewritten by Dylan. His guitar is tuned to an open tuning and features a particularly compelling vamping figure.".
374:
Dylan gave a performance at Eve and Mac
Mackenzie's home in New York in December 1961. He has performed the song in public at concerts only twice: at Carnegie Hall on September 22, 1962, and at New York Town Hall on April 12, 1963.
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The narrator of the song says he will not travel on
Highway 51 as, he says, it "runs right by my baby's door". He also says that if he should die early, he wants to be buried on the highway.
420:
The simple guitar work supplies the equivalent of a full rhythm section, with interweaving stresses that suggest jazz drumming. Dylan is foreshadowing some of the exciting guitar work of
412:"were treated to a lot of yelping, stuttering harmonica and none too special guitar playing". Author John Nogowski rated the song as "C+". Shelton wrote about the song in his biography,
118:(1906–1971), whose song "Lonesome Bedroom Blues", released in 1937, had been popular. On January 25, 1938, "Highway 51 Blues", from his fourth recording session, was released on a
84:
record on
January 12, 1938, which was popular enough to spawn several covers and offshoots, including "New Highway 51," recorded in 1940 by the Mississippi guitarist and singer
331:(1957). Dylan's official website has credited the song to "C. White". Dylan sings, and plays guitar and harmonica on the song. The album was produced by
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308:, 799 Seventh Avenue, New York City, on November 22, 1961. Dylan sings, and plays guitar and harmonica on the song. The album was produced by
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felt that "Highway 51" was one of several songs on the album to "give hints of Dylan's rock and roll sensibilities". The album's
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record. From 1941 to 1953, he did not record any further songs, and after a further seven years, in 1960 he recorded the album
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Though McClennan was his source, on the label of the long-playing record issued in 1962, the song is credited to "C. Jones" (
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probably learned McClennan's version of "Highway 51" after hearing it either on a 78 record or from a
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854:"A Foreign Sound to Your Ear: Bob Dylan Performs "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", 1964–2009"
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suggested that, despite the lack of electric instruments, the song can be regarded as "the first
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tape recording. "Highway 51" was recorded by Dylan at the second session for his debut album
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Dylan, Bob (2014). Ricks, Christopher; Nemrow, Lisa; Nemrow, Julie (eds.).
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Bob Dylan: A Descriptive, Critical
Discography and Filmography, 1961-2007
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magazine Dylan supplement in 2015, writing that all the songs on
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The songs he didn't write : Bob Dylan under the influence
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of the song’s textual sources", which continued into Dylan's "
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Authors
Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon wrote that
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818:(Expanded ed.). New York: Black Dog & Leventhal.
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569:"Still on the road: 1961 concerts and recording sessions"
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Bob Dylan, performing artist: the early years, 1960–1973
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Keys to the rain: the definitive Bob Dylan encyclopedia
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on March 19, 1962, was based on McLennan's recording.
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Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track
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799:. London: Continuum International Publishing Group.
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881:No direction home: the life and music of Bob Dylan
414:No Direction Home, The Life and Music of Bob Dylan
136:, containing a new version of "Highway 51 Blues".
814:Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2022).
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72:" was the title of a song composed by American
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404:gave the song a rating of 3/5 stars in an
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346:It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
143:, which extends from the suburbs of
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575:from the original on April 4, 2022
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110:" is a song composed by American
780:. London: Simon & Schuster.
155:Bob Dylan version ("Highway 51")
945:on Bob Dylan's official website
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902:. New York: Billboard Books.
761:. New Malden: Chrome Dreams.
650:Bob Dylan's official website
519:Margotin & Guesdon 2022
290:American singer-songwriter
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797:The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia
504:. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
483:. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
390:The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia
43:January 25, 1938
921:. London: Omnibus Press.
16:1938 song by Curtis Jones
917:Williams, Paul (2004) .
879:Shelton, Robert (1987).
286:Background and recording
191:March 19, 1962
898:Trager, Oliver (2004).
833:Nogowski, John (2008).
128:. This was followed by
852:Rings, Steven (2013).
795:Gray, Michael (2008).
778:The Lyrics / Bob Dylan
757:Barker, Derek (2008).
496:Lonesome Bedroom Blues
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145:New Orleans, Louisiana
130:Lonesome Bedroom Blues
837:. London: McFarland.
132:in 1962, released by
325:Wake Up Little Susie
102:Curtis Jones version
871:10.30535/mto.19.4.3
858:Music Theory Online
329:The Everly Brothers
599:, p. 250-251.
24:"Highway 51 Blues"
928:978-1-84449-095-0
909:978-0-8230-7974-2
890:978-0-450-04843-2
844:978-0-7864-3518-0
825:978-0-7624-7573-5
806:978-0-8264-2974-2
787:978-1-4711-3709-9
768:978-1-84240-424-9
354:Dylan biographer
306:Columbia Studio A
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362:recording".
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296:reel to reel
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162:"Highway 51"
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864:(4): 1–39.
633:Trager 2004
597:Trager 2004
555:Barker 2008
368:liner notes
272:Producer(s)
970:1938 songs
959:Categories
714:Dylan 2014
621:Rings 2013
433:References
195:1962-03-19
141:Highway 51
47:1938-01-25
726:Gray 2008
609:Gray 2008
460:Gray 2008
438:Citations
410:Bob Dylan
395:Bob Dylan
379:Reception
360:folk-rock
337:Bob Dylan
301:Bob Dylan
292:Bob Dylan
181:Bob Dylan
172:Bob Dylan
95:Bob Dylan
90:Bob Dylan
660:July 22,
654:Archived
579:July 22,
573:Archived
502:AllMusic
498:– Review
481:AllMusic
477:– Review
341:Columbia
246:Columbia
203:Recorded
188:Released
114:pianist
76:pianist
40:Released
751:Sources
193: (
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323:from "
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406:Uncut
327:" by
241:Label
147:, to
112:blues
74:blues
923:ISBN
904:ISBN
885:ISBN
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820:ISBN
801:ISBN
782:ISBN
763:ISBN
662:2022
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168:Song
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