Bob Dylan - 80

Bob Dylan turns 80 a week from today. There are articles aplenty from critics who have picked their Top 80 songs from Dylan. Rather than comb over every song like music critics have done, all these songs are on my iPod, added over the years.  They may not be Dylan’s best, but they are my favorites. I put that disclaimer in so that no one will play “what about…” with me. I have ranked my Top 10 all-time favorites and have listed the remaining 70 songs in the order which they were recorded. To rank all 80 would take more time than I’m willing to dedicate. This is not a “best of” list – that is arbitrary, and my definition of “best” probably doesn’t agree with yours. These are my favorite Bob Dylan songs as recorded by Bob Dylan. I don’t include covers by others [All Along the Watchtower [Jimi Hendrix], If Not For You [George Harrison], just to name a couple]. That’s for another list… 

1. Tangled Up In Blue – Blood on the Tracks, 1975 

2. Like A Rolling Stone - Highway 61 Revisited, 1965 

3. High Water (For Charley Patton) - Love And Theft, 2001 

4. Love Sick – Time Out of Mind, 1997 

5. Masters Of War - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, 1963 

6. When The Ship Comes In - The Times They Are a-Changin', 1964 

7. Ballad Of A Thin Man - Highway 61 Revisited, 1965 

8. Highway 61 Revisited [Alternate Version] - The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home, 2005 – recorded 1965 

9. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat [Alternate Version] - The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home, 2005 – recorded 1966 

10. Desolation Row - Highway 61 Revisited, 1965 

1. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right- The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, 1963 

2. A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, 1963 

3. Talkin' World War III Blues - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, 1963 

4. Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues - The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991, 1991 – recorded 1963 

5. Chimes of Freedom - Another Side of Bob Dylan, 1964 

6. It Ain’t Me Babe - Another Side of Bob Dylan, 1964 

7. The Ballad of Hollis Brown - The Times They Are a-Changin', 1964 

8. One Too Many Mornings - The Times They Are a-Changin', 1964 

9. The Times They Are A-Changin' - The Times They Are a-Changin', 1964 

10. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) - Bringing It All Back Home, 1965 

11. Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bringing It All Back Home, 1965 

12. Gates of Eden - Bringing It All Back Home, 1965 

13. She Belongs To Me - Bringing It All Back Home, 1965 

14. Love Minus Zero/No Limit - Bringing It All Back Home, 1965 

15. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue - Bringing It All Back Home, 1965 

16. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues - Highway 61 Revisited, 1965 

17. Tombstone Blues - Highway 61 Revisited, 1965 

18. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry - Highway 61 Revisited, 1965 

19. Positively 4th Street – single, 1966 

20. Visions Of Johanna [Alternate Version] - The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home, 2005 – recorded 1966 

21. The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest -John Wesley Harding, 1967 

22. Lay Lady Lay – Nashville Skyline, 1969 

23. Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, 1973 

24. Forever Young (Continued) – Planet Waves, 1974 – This is the shorter, mire funky version. The version everyone else likes is boring to me. 

25. Dirge – Planet Waves, 1974 

26. Wedding Song – Planet Waves, 1974 

27. Simple Twist Of Fate - Blood on the Tracks, 1975 

28. Shelter From The Storm – Blood on the Tracks, 1975 

29. Idiot Wind – Blood on the Tracks, 1975 

30. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go – Blood on the Tracks, 1975 

31. If You See Her, Say Hello – Blood on the Tracks, 1975 

32. Buckets Of Rain – Blood on the Tracks, 1975 

33. Isis – Desire, 1976

34. Black Diamond Bay – Desire, 1976

35. Slow Train - Slow Train Coming, 1979 

36. Gotta Serve Somebody - Slow Train Coming, 1979 

37. The Groom's Still Waiting At the Altar – Shot of Love, 1981 

38. Every Grain of Sand – Shot of Love, 1981 

39. Man Of Peace - Infidels, 1983 

40. Blind Willie McTell - The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991, 1991 – recorded in 1983 

41. Tweeter & the Monkey Man – The Traveling Wilburys Volume 1, 1988 

42. Political World – Oh Mercy, 1989 

43. Everything Is Broken – Oh Mercy, 1989 

44. Where Teardrops Fall – Oh Mercy, 1989 

45. What Was It You Wanted – Oh Mercy, 1989 

46. Man in the Long Black Coat – Oh Mercy, 1989

47. Series of Dreams - Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Vol. 3, 1994 [Oh Mercy outtake, 1989]

48. Dignity - Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Vol. 3, 1994 [Oh Mercy outtake, 1989]

49. Born In Time - Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8, 2008 – recorded 1989

50. Dirt Road Blues – Time Out of Mind, 1997 

51. Dreamin' Of You - Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8, 2008 – recorded 1997 

52. Things Have Changed – The Essential Bob Dylan, 2000 

53. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum - Love And Theft, 2001 

54. Lonesome Day Blues - Love And Theft, 2001 

55. Honest With Me - Love And Theft, 2001 

56. Cry a While - Love And Theft, 2001 

57. Down In The Flood [Live] – Masked and Anonymous, 2003 

58. Cold Irons Bound [Live] – Masked and Anonymous, 2003 

59. Tell Ol' Bill - Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8, 2008 – recorded 2005 

60. Thunder On The Mountain - Modern Times, 2006 

61. Someday Baby - Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8, 2008 – recorded 2006 

62. Ain’t Talkin' - Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8, 2008 – recorded 2006 

63. Beyond Here Lies Nothin' - Together Through Life, 2009 

64. It's All Good - Together Through Life, 2009 

65. Pay In Blood – Tempest, 2012 

66. Early Roman Kings – Tempest, 2012 

67. Scarlet Town – Tempest, 2012 

68. False Prophet – Rough And Rowdy Ways, 2020 

69. Goodbye Jimmy Reed – Rough And Rowdy Ways, 2020 

70. Crossing the Rubicon – Rough And Rowdy Ways, 2020