"Song to Woody" was written 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 ...

and released on his debut album, ''

,'' in 1962. The song conveys Dylan's appreciation of American folk legend

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 ...

. The song is one of two original compositions featured on Dylan's debut album. Dylan also rehearsed the song in a country arrangement during sessions for ''

Self Portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

'' on May 1, 1970, as heard on the 2021 compilation album ''1970''.

Background

The tune uses the melody from Guthrie's song "

1913 Massacre "1913 Massacre" is a Protest song, topical ballad written by Woody Guthrie, and recorded and released in 1945 for Moses Asch, Moses Asch's Folkways Records, Folkways Record label, label. The song originally appeared on ''Struggle (Woody Guthrie al ...

" and one stanza ends with the lines "I'm a-singin' you this song, but I can't sing enough / 'Cause there's not many men that done the things that you've done." The penultimate stanza of "Song To Woody" pays tribute to Guthrie folk contemporaries

Cisco Houston Gilbert Vandine "Cisco" Houston (August 18, 1918 – April 29, 1961) was an American folk singer and songwriter, who is closely associated with Woody Guthrie due to their extensive history of recording together. Houston was a regular recording ...

, Sonny Terry and Lead Belly and "all the good people that traveled with you". The line "that come with the dust and are gone with the wind" Track 3. paraphrases the line "we come with the dust and we go with the wind" in Guthrie's " Pastures of Plenty", a song about people displaced by the dust storms and drought which swept Oklahoma, Texas and other states in the 1930s during The Great Depression.

Significance

"Song to Woody" is central to Daniel Wolff's ''Grown-Up Anger: The Connected Mysteries of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, and the Calumet Massacre of 1913'' published in June 2017. The book weaves a tale connecting "Song to Woody", "1913 Massacre", the lives of Dylan and Guthrie, American labor history and more. In October of 1993, a star-studded concert was given at Madison Square Garden in Dylan's honor; it was simultaneously broadcast for pay-per-view. After hours of a multitude of artists singing his songs, Dylan himself came out and performed "Song to Woody" solo. A live version of "Song to Woody" was recorded at

Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium The Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium is an event and convention venue located in downtown Santa Cruz, California. It is owned by the City of Santa Cruz and is located at 307 Church Street. Opened in 1940, it was built in what was described as, "Missio ...

, Santa Cruz, Calif., on March 16, 2000 and released on the "

Things Have Changed "Things Have Changed" is a song from the film ''Wonder Boys (film), Wonder Boys'', written and performed by Bob Dylan and released as a single on May 1, 2000, that won both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for ...

" CD single in 2000."Searching For A Gem", Bob Dylan's Officially Released Rarities and Obscurities
''Audio: 2000''
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Homages and covers

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

refers to the song in his tribute to Dylan, " Song for Bob Dylan", which begins with the line, "Now hear this, Robert Zimmerman, I wrote this song for you" mirroring Dylan's own "Hey, hey Woody Guthrie, I wrote you a song." The song is on Bowie's 1971 album "Hunky Dory".

Frank Turner Francis Edward Turner (born 28 December 1981), is an English punk and folk singer-songwriter from Meonstoke, Hampshire. He began his career as the vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead, then embarked upon a primarily acoustic-based sol ...

references the song in his song "Pass it Along", with the lyrics "Hey, hey Mr. Dylan, I have written you a song." This originally appeared on his ''Rock & Roll'' EP and was subsequently released on compilation The Second Three Years, which also features a cover of "Song to Woody" renamed "Song to Bob" with some lyrical adjustments. A punk rock version by Silverstein can be found on the amnesty international charity album Chimes of Freedom. The song was used as the end credits music in the

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its f ...

episode " Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency".

References

External links

Lyrics
{{Authority control 1962 songs Songs written by Bob Dylan Bob Dylan songs Song recordings produced by John Hammond (record producer) Cultural depictions of Woody Guthrie