Obviously 5 Believers

"Obviously 5 Believers" (also known as "Obviously Five Believers") is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the last track of side three of his double album ''Blonde on Blonde'' (1966), and was the B-side to the single release of "Just Like a Woman" for releases in America and some other countries. The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. It was recorded at Columbia Music Row Studios, in the early morning hours of a 9–10 March 1966 session. Four takes were recorded, although the first two were incomplete. It has been interpreted as a blues song about loneliness, with critics noting similarities in melody and structure to Memphis Minnie's " Chauffeur Blues". Dylan's vocals and the musicianship of the band on the track have both received critical acclaim, although the track is regarded by leading commentators as one of the minor songs on ''Blonde on Blonde''.

In 2010 the song was included on ''The Original Mono Recordings''. Take 3 was included on the deluxe edition of '' The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966'' (2015), and all four takes were included on the Collector's Edition of that album. Dylan first performed "Obviously 5 Believers" live in concert in Palm Desert, California on May 15, 1995. In all, he has played the song in concert 40 times, most recently in 1997.

Background and recording

In October 1965, Bob Dylan began recording sessions for his seventh studio album in New York. His sixth album, ''Highway 61 Revisited'', had been released on 30 August of that year. The October sessions featured members of the Hawks, who Dylan had been touring with after his performance at the Newport Folk Festival in July. However, after several sessions, Dylan took his producer Bob Johnston's suggestion to relocate recording to Nashville. Two musicians from the New York sessions joined the Nashville recordings: Al Kooper and Robbie Robertson. Johnston assembled leading session players to play on the recordings. Dylan had produced an outline version of "Obviously 5 Believers" by 7 March.

"Obviously 5 Believers" was recorded in the early morning hours of the 9–10 March 1966 Nashville session under the working title "Black Dog Blues". Sean Wilentz feels that the song is driven by Robertson's guitar, Charlie McCoy's harmonica and Ken Buttrey's drumming. Dylan sang and played guitar, also accompanied by Kooper (organ), Wayne Moss (electric guitar), Hargus "Pig" Robbins (piano), and Henry Strzelecki (electric bass guitar). After an initial breakdown, Dylan complained to the band that the song was "very easy, man" and that he didn't want to spend much time on it. Four takes were recorded. Take 4 was used as the fifth track on side three of ''Blonde on Blonde'', It was the B-side to the single of "Just Like a Woman" for releases in America and some other countries. In 2010 it was included on ''The Original Mono Recordings''. Take 3 was included on the deluxe edition of '' The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966'' (2015), and all four takes were included on the Collector's Edition of that album.

Composition and lyrical interpretation

Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guedson describe "Obviously 5 Believers" as "a bluesy love song about loneliness". The song is similar in melody and structure to Memphis Minnie's " Chauffeur Blues", which was also an inspiration for '"Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" on ''Blonde on Blonde''. In 1995, author George White noted that the arrangement of "Obviously 5 Believers" has similarities to Bo Diddley's song "She's Fine, She's Mine", but critic Michael Gray suggests this is because both songs were indebted to earlier blues recordings. Journalist Mike Marqusee also thought that Dylan draws on blues idioms that predate his discovery of the genre in the mid-1950s, and notes that both "Obviously 5 Believers" and "Pledging My Time" from ''Blonde on Blonde'' have lyrics that start with the "ritual Delta luesinvocation of 'early in the mornin. Marqusee, however, felt that both of these Dylan compositions were "beyond category. They are allusive, repetitive, jaggedly abstract compositions that defy reduction." Other blues imagery used in the song includes a woman who has left, a black dog barking, and a mother who works hard. The song also has what Gill refer to as "apparently arbitrary references to 'fifteen jugglers' ... and the 'five believers'".

Critical reception

''Cash Box'' described "Obviously 5 Believers" as "a blues-soaked, rhythmic romancer". Writing in ''Crawdaddy!'', Paul Williams called the song "joyous" and praised the instrumental and vocal performances. Clinton Heylin felt that every song Dylan recorded in Nashville for ''Blonde on Blonde'' relied on the skill of the backing musicians, but this song was "entirely ''dependent'' on them".

Jon Landau's assessment was that "the vocal here is truly the entire message and on this cut we are listening to a genuine blues artist". Guitarist Mike Bloomfield cited Dylan's performance on the song as evidence that he was a "good blues singer", unlike many other American and British artists of the time who would "just listen to records and imitate them". The song received an "A" rating from author John Nogowski, who highlighted "one of Dylan's most assured, commanding vocals". The track was described by Robert Shelton as "the best R&B song on the album", whereas Gray dismissed it as "a filler track ... with a repetitive and undistinguished lyric" that was more like a song from Dylan's ''Highway 61 Revisited'' than from ''Blonde on Blonde''. Dylan biographer Ian Bell opined that "Dylan's attempts at the blues n ''Blonde on Blonde''feel unsatisfactory and perfunctory, as though he knows he has better things to do, and far better things to write ... 'Obviously 5 Believers' is a makeweight".

Live performances

Dylan did not play the song live until 1995, when he debuted it at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California on 15 May. He played it live a further 39 times before retiring it after a performance at the Charles A. Dana Center, Waltham, Massachusetts on 12 April 1997.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the ''That Thin, Wild Mercury Sound: Dylan, Nashville, and the Making of Blonde on Blonde'' book.

Musicians
*Bob Dylan – vocals, guitar
*Charlie McCoy – harmonica
*Robbie Robertson – electric guitar
*Wayne Moss – electric guitar
*Al Kooper – organ
*Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano
*Henry Strzelecki – electric bass guitar
*Kenneth Buttrey – drums

Technical
*Bob Johnston – production

Charts

Chart performances are for the single with "Just Like a Woman" as the A-side and "Obviously 5 Believers" as the B-side.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

Lyrics to "Obviously 5 Believers"
at Bob Dylan's official website

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