"Standing in the Doorway" is a song written and performed by the American singer-songwriter

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, recorded in January 1997 and released in September that year as the third track on his album '' Time Out of Mind''. The song was produced by

Daniel Lanois Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has produced albums by artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, Willie ...

Composition and recording

"Standing in the Doorway" is a slow-tempo love ballad that has been cited by some critics as one of the highlights of ''Time Out of Mind''. Producer

suggested to Dylan that they "steal" the feel of Dylan's 1966 recording of "

Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" is a song by American singer-singwriter Bob Dylan. First released as the closing track on Dylan's 1966 album ''Blonde on Blonde'', the song lasts 11 minutes and 22 seconds, occupying the entire side four of the doub ...

" for their arrangement. In the book ''Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track'', authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon call the song "languorous and ethereal", noting that it's "amazing" that the band for this session, which consisted of a dozen musicians (including two drummers), "does not overload the interpretation". The song is performed in the key of

E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...

Critical reception

Writing in ''

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'', critic Ian Mathers describes the song as one in which the narrator laments "at great length the death of his happiness" to the musical accompaniment of a "sweet pedal steel and a churchly organ". Mathers also notes that Dylan "uses the length of the song to slowly work it in, deepening the impact with each verse. It's a gorgeous sounding song, gentle in its sound but never soft, and it's hard not to feel for the singer. He's been denying the hurt for as long as he can, but when it busts down the door it's stronger than ever". Dylan scholar Tony Attwood writes that "Nowhere has lost love been portrayed so exquisitely", and claims that "If Dylan had written nothing else, he would be worthy of a place in the hall of fame" for this song alone. ''Spectrum Culture'' included the song on a list of "Bob Dylan's 20 Best Songs of the '90s". ''

The Big Issue ''The Big Issue'' is a street newspaper founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991 and published in four continents. ''The Big Issue'' is one of the UK's leading social businesses and exists to offer homeless people, or indivi ...

'' placed it at #29 on a 2021 list of the "80 best Bob Dylan songs - that aren't the greatest hits" and called it "Haunting. Pretty hopeless. Only for those suffering like a fool...". ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

'' ran an article to coincide with Dylan's 80th birthday on May 24, 2021 in which 80 musicians were asked to name their favorite Dylan song.

Ryley Walker Ryley Walker (born July 21, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Rockford, Illinois. Biography Walker, and critics, have cited the band Genesis and singer-songwriter Nick Drake as early influences. Walker began his career ...

selected "Standing in the Doorway", noting that it "isn’t just a mood — it’s cyclical lucid dream of loneliness. I’ve yet to find another six-minute tune about doorways that makes me hope to God I never have to stand in one. And there’s a lot of cool songs about doors".

Matt Berninger Matthew Donald Berninger (, born February 13, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter, primarily known as the frontman and lyricist of indie rock band The National. In 2014, he also formed the EL VY project with Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls and ...

, lead singer of The National, included it on a playlist of his favorite "tearjerkers". “I don’t know how much of this song is autobiographical—I’m sure ylanwould say none,” Berninger told ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' in an interview accompanying his list, “But it’s impossible not to think there’s a lot of honest truth in there".

Other versions

'' The Bootleg Series Vol. 17: Fragments - Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996-1997)'', released on January 27, 2023, contains a version of the original album track remixed by Michael Brauer as well as two studio outtakes of the song and a live version from 1998.

Live performances

Between 2000 and 2017, Bob Dylan performed the song 58 times in concert on the

Never Ending Tour The Never Ending Tour is the popular name for Bob Dylan's ongoing touring schedule which began on June 7, 1988. During the course of the tour, musicians have come and gone as the band has continued to evolve. The tour amassed a huge fan base with ...

. A live version performed in

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Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

on March 6, 2001 was made available to stream on Dylan's official website in October 2001. Dylan also performed the song live at Stage 6, Ray-Art Studios in Canoga Park, California on July 18, 2002 for a concert sequence in the film ''

Masked and Anonymous ''Masked and Anonymous'' is a 2003 drama film directed by Larry Charles. The film was written by Larry Charles and Bob Dylan, the latter under the pseudonym "Sergei Petrov". It stars Dylan alongside a star-heavy cast, including John Goodman, Jeff ...

''. The performance was ultimately not included in the film but was made available as a bonus track on DVD and Blu-ray releases. A live performance from a concert in London, England on October 6, 2000 was included on '' The Bootleg Series Vol. 17: Fragments – Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996–1997)''. The live debut of the song occurred at the

Roseland Theater The Roseland Theater, sometimes called the Roseland Theater and Grill, is a music venue located at 8 Northwest Sixth Avenue in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The building was originally a church, c ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

on June 15, 2000 and the last performance (to date) took place on April 1, 2017 at

Stockholm Waterfront Stockholm Waterfront, consists of three separate buildings for conferences, hotel and offices. The buildings are located at Klarabergsviadukten in central Stockholm, at the place where previously stood, overlooking Riddarfjärden. The complex is ...

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropoli ...

, a concert immediately following the ceremony where Dylan accepted his

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

In popular culture

Oscar Isaac Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is a Guatemalan-born American actor. Known for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Latino characters in Hollywood. He was named the best actor of his gener ...

sings part of the song live on camera in the 2018 film ''Life Itself''. Actress/singer

Rita Wilson Rita Wilson (born Margarita Ibrahimoff; October 26, 1956) is an American actress, singer, and producer. Her film appearances include ''Volunteers'' (1985), ''Sleepless in Seattle'' (1993), '' Now and Then'' (1995), ''That Thing You Do!'' (1996), ...

references the song in her 2020 single "I Wanna Kiss Bob Dylan", which includes the lines: "Would his kisses be long like his six minute songs on ''Time Out of Mind'' / I want to kiss Bob Dylan / In a doorway standing in the moonlight". She also included it on a

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

playlist of her favorite romantic Dylan songs.

Notable cover versions

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

covered the song on her 2012 album ''Slipstream'', a recording Dylan later characterized as "astonishing".

Jenny Lewis Jennifer Diane Lewis (born January 8, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She was the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist for the indie rock band Rilo Kiley. Lewis gained prominence in the 1980s as a child a ...

covered it live in 2019, including a performance that was filmed at

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

radio station

KCMP KCMP (89.3 FM, 89.3 The Current) is a radio station owned by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) that broadcasts a AAA music format including a significant rotation of songs by local artists. Licensed to Northfield, Minnesota and covering the Minneapo ...

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...

covered it for her 2021 album ''Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan'', which takes its title from the song.

References

External links

Lyrics
from Bob Dylan's official site {{Bob Dylan singles Songs written by Bob Dylan Bob Dylan songs 1997 songs Song recordings produced by Daniel Lanois