Bob Dylan / 3:19
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, piano
Charlie McCoy: bass
Kenneth Buttrey: drums
Recording Studio
Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville: November 29, 1967
Technical Team
Producer: Bob Johnston
Sound Engineer: Charlie Bragg
In May 1967, during his first interview after his motorcycle accident, Dylan told reporter Michael Iachetta, “Songs are in my head like they always are. And they’re not going to get written down until some things are evened up. Not until people come forth and make up for some of the things that have happened.” He may have been referring to the conflict with his manager, Albert Grossman, who had convinced Dylan to leave Columbia Records. Since then, Grossman had treated Dylan like a workhorse, forcing him to prove to MGM Records that his motorcycle accident had not altered his exceptional ability as a songwriter. More seriously, Dylan realized that during a concert in Stockholm on April 29, 1966, he had, without noticing, signed a contract for publishing rights that was very advantageous for his manager.
“Dear Landlord” is directly addressed to Albert Grossman. This is a request from an artist to his “landlord,” saying, “Don’t put a price on my soul.” At the end of the second verse, Dylan sings, “All of us, at times, we might work too hard / To have it too fast and too much,” before concluding in the form of a warning, “And if you don’t underestimate me / I won’t underestimate you.”
In 1971, Dylan came back to the meaning of his song. “Grossman wasn’t in my mind when I wrote it. Only later when people pointed out that the song may have been written for Grossman I thought it could have been… it’s an abstract song.”20 Dylan is a creator, and because of that he is often carried away by a flood of inspiration without necessarily understanding the meaning himself. This is what makes for his strength and talent. His songs, especially on this album, are not limited to only one fixed interpretation. In the end, attributing only one simple explanation to “Dear Landlord” and not seeking any further, more spiritual interpretations would be a shame.
“Dear Landlord” is a piano blues song, chronicling of the artist’s disenchantment and disappointment. This is the last song recorded for the album. Like all the songs recorded during the final session of November 29, the exact number of takes is unknown. Harmonically, it is certainly one of the most ambitious tunes on the album. Dylan left his guitar and harmonica aside to play the piano. His voice reverberates and sounds as if he is pleading. Charlie McCoy distinguishes himself particularly well on bass, recalling Klaus Voormann’s sound. By listening to the overall sound, one wonders if it was not one of the major influences on John Lennon’s first solo album in 1970. Dylan included “Dear Landlord” in his stage set for the first time on October 25, 1992, during a concert in Providence, Rhode Island.