When The Deal Goes Down
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"When the Deal Goes Down" is a love song written and performed by 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 ...
, originally released as the fourth track on his 2006 album '' Modern Times'' and anthologized on the compilation albums ''Dylan'' in 2007 and reissues of ''
The Essential Bob Dylan ''The Essential Bob Dylan'' is a compilation by Bob Dylan, released in 2000 as the inaugural entry in Sony Music's "The Essential" double-disc compilation series. ''The Essential Bob Dylan'' spans from 1963's "Blowin' in the Wind" (from ''The Fr ...
'' beginning in 2010. As with much of Dylan's 21st-century output, he produced the song himself under the pseudonym
Jack Frost Jack Frost is a personification of frost, ice, snow, sleet, winter, and freezing cold. He is a variant of Old Man Winter who is held responsible for frosty weather, nipping the fingers and toes in such weather, coloring the foliage in autumn, ...
.


Background and composition

Dylan had begun composing the song as far back as 2004 when he mentioned to
David Gates David Ashworth Gates (December 11, 1940 – January 5, 2023) was a American singer-songwriter, guitarist, musician and producer, frontman and co-lead singer (with Jimmy Griffin) of the group Bread, which reached the top of the musical charts i ...
in a ''
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'' interview to promote his memoir '' Chronicles: Volume One'' that he was working on a new song based on the melody of "
Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day) "Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day)" was the theme Bing Crosby selected for his radio show. It was recorded in November 1931 with Bennie Krueger and his Orchestra. The song was featured in a Mack Sennett movie short starring B ...
", a traditional pop standard associated with
Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...
. The title was likely inspired by
Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...
's "
Last Fair Deal Gone Down "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" is a song by American blues musician Robert Johnson. It was recorded during Johnson's third recording session in San Antonio, Texas, on November 27, 1936. The song was released on a 78 rpm record in April the foll ...
", which Dylan had previously quoted in his 1978 single "
Changing of the Guards Guard mounting, changing the guard, or the changing of the guard, is a formal ceremony in which sentries performing ceremonial guard duties at important institutions are relieved by a new batch of sentries. The ceremonies are often elaborate an ...
". Lyrically, Dylan juxtaposes phrases appropriated from two poems by
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
-era poet
Henry Timrod Henry Timrod (December 8, 1828 – October 7, 1867) was an American poet, often called the "Poet of the Confederacy". Biography Early life Timrod was born on December 8, 1828, in Charleston, South Carolina, to a family of German descent. His gr ...
with other passages inspired by Biblical texts. The result, according to Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon in their book ''Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track'', is that the lyrics of 'When the Deal Goes Down' "are among the most interesting" on ''Modern Times''. As with other Dylan love songs (notably 2020's "
I've Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You "I've Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You" is a song written and performed by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and released as the fourth track on his 2020 album ''Rough and Rowdy Ways''. The song is performed in 6/8 time and has a lilt ...
"), the song can be interpreted as being addressed to either an individual or a higher power. The song is performed in the key of
D-flat major D-flat major (or the key of D-flat) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B and C. Its key signature has five flats. It is enharmonically equivalent to C-sharp major. The D-flat major scale is: : Its r ...
.


Reception and legacy

''Spectrum Culture'' included the song on a list of Dylan's "20 Best Songs of the '00s". In an article accompanying the list, critic David Harris interpreted the "deal" of the title as being a metaphor for death but noted that "Dylan isn’t looking at death with fear. Instead, he chronicles all the different emotions one experiences whilst being alive, knowing that whomever he loves is by his side when it’s time for one of them to pass on". In a five-star review of ''Modern Times'', ''
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'''s Sean O'Hagan saw the song as an example of Dylan "waking with God": "'When the Deal Goes Down' is a distant cousin of '
Let Me Die In My Footsteps "Let Me Die in My Footsteps" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in February 1962. The song was selected for the original sequence of Dylan's 1963 album ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'', but was replaced by "A Hard Rain's a-Gonn ...
', youthful defiance replaced by gritty stoicism. It is also a divine love song. Literally: 'You come to my eyes/ Like a vision from the skies/ I'll be with you when the deal goes down'. You have to go way back beyond
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and
Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...
, to the likes of Marvell and Donne to hear voices that echo with such metaphysical intimacy". In their book ''Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track'', authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon described it as a "sweet retro ballad" that is "successful" because Dylan is "obviously moved by the text".
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
named it as his all-time favorite Dylan song in a 2021 interview. Singer-songwriter
Ben Harper Benjamin Chase Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live perfo ...
also singled out the track for praise in a 2007 profile in the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'': "''Modern Times'' is a wicked record. The great thing is, he’s still putting pen to paper. If you can have a song like '
Blowin' in the Wind "Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962. It was released as a single and included on his album ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' in 1963. It has been described as a protest song and poses a series of rhetorical questions about ...
' in the ’60s and have a song like 'When the Deal Goes Down' in 2006, you’re having an unprecedented run of writing consistently incredible songs". A 2021 ''Guardian'' article included it on a list of "80 Bob Dylan songs everyone should know". Actor
Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...
has a lyric from the song tattooed on his upper torso. The tattoo reads: “We live, we die, we know not why, but I’ll be with you”.


Music video

Bennett Miller Bennett Miller (born December 30, 1966) is an American film director, known for directing the acclaimed films '' Capote'' (2005), '' Moneyball'' (2011), and ''Foxcatcher'' (2014). He has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Directo ...
directed an official music video for "When the Deal Goes Down" starring
Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has featured multiple times on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 list. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 ...
. Complementing the song's nostalgic tone, the acclaimed video, which takes place in the early 1960s and was shot on 8mm film to resemble an old home movie, contains references to Dylan's early life and career through the careful placement of props including: a vintage car with a Minnesota license plate, an antique acoustic guitar, a hardback copy of
Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...
's ''Bound for Glory'' and a vinyl copy of a
Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...
compilation album.


Live performances

Between 2006 and 2013 Dylan performed the song 148 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 ...
. The live debut occurred at
Pacific Coliseum Pacific Coliseum, known to locals as "The Coliseum" or the "Rink on Renfrew," is an indoor arena located at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its main use has been for ice hockey and the arena has been the home for several ice hocke ...
in
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...
on October 11, 2006 and the last performance (to date) took place at Atlantico in
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on November 7, 2013.


Cover versions

Welsh singer Tom Jones covered it on his 2013 album ''Spirit in the Room''.


References


External links

*
Lyrics
at Bob Dylan's official site
Chords
at Dylanchords {{Bob Dylan 2006 songs Bob Dylan songs Songs written by Bob Dylan Song recordings produced by Bob Dylan