"If You Gotta Go, Go Now" (sometimes subtitled "(Or Else You Got to Stay All Night)") is a song written by

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 ...

in 1964. The first released version was as a single in the US by the UK group the

Liverpool Five The Liverpool Five were a beat group that was part of the British Invasion-era of the 1960s. The group played throughout Europe and Asia before achieving the peak of their success in the United States between 1965 and 1967. Career Formed in En ...

in July 1965, but this did not chart in the US despite receiving much airplay, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Another British band,

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two differen ...

, then issued the song as a single in September 1965 and had a number 2 hit.

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...

also had a chart hit, with a French version, in 1969.

Dylan's version

Dylan began the recording for "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" on January 13, 1965, during the first session for ''

Bringing It All Back Home ''Bringing It All Back Home'' (known as ''Subterranean Homesick Blues'' in some European countries; sometimes also spelled ''Bringin' It All Back Home'') is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was released in Apri ...

''. Of the two acoustic takes completed, neither was used. He recorded the song again on January 15, producing four takes with a full band, plus backing vocalist Angeline Butler from the folk trio The Pilgrims. Take 4 was released on ''

The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 ''The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3'' is a box set by Bob Dylan issued on Columbia Records. It is the first installment in Dylan's Bootleg Series, comprising material spanning the first three decades of his career, from 1961 to 1989. It has been c ...

'' in 1991, and the sessions are available on '' The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966''. On May 21, 1965, producer Tom Wilson edited together composites of several takes from January 15 and brought in unidentified vocalists to overdub additional backing vocals. This version was released as a single in The Netherlands in 1967, where it failed to chart. No Dylan version was released in the US or the UK until the appearance of ''The Bootleg Series'', which, as noted above, featured a different version of the song from the single. The song also appears on '' The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall'', albeit in an acoustic, live form. Additional versions from Dylan's 1965–1966 recording sessions are included on the Deluxe and Collector's Editions of '' The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966''.

Manfred Mann version

Another English band,

, then issued the song as a single in September 1965, and that version reached number 2 on the UK charts. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' said of the single: "this hard beat Bob Dylan material has all the earmarks of a smash hit that will spiral the group up the charts once again."

Fairport Convention version

also took the song onto the charts, albeit in an unusual fashion: the group translated the song into French as "Si tu dois partir". Recorded for their ''

Unhalfbricking ''Unhalfbricking'' is the third album by the British folk rock band Fairport Convention and their second album released in 1969. It is seen as a transitional album in their history and marked a further musical move away from American influences ...

'' album, the song was issued as a single in 1969, on the

Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

label in the UK and on the A&M label in the US. It was the band's only charting single, reaching number 21 and staying in the British Chart for nine weeks.Official Charts Company – The Chart Archive
Retrieved 29 June 2009).

References

External links

Official lyrics from BobDylan.com
* {{authority control Songs written by Bob Dylan Bob Dylan songs 1964 songs 1965 singles 1969 singles Fairport Convention songs Manfred Mann songs Song recordings produced by Joe Boyd Columbia Records singles Island Records singles A&M Records singles Songs about parting