Bob Dylan / 2:58
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar, harmonica
Robbie Robertson: guitar
Richard Manuel: keyboard
Garth Hudson: accordion
Rick Danko: bass
Levon Helm: drums
Recording Studio
The Village Recorder, West Los Angeles, California / Studio B: November 6 and 8, 1973
Technical Team
Producers: Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, and Rob Fraboni
Sound Engineer: Rob Fraboni
“On a Night Like This” was composed in New York, one month before Bob Dylan and the Band held their first recording session at the Village Recorder. At the release of the album in 1974, many Dylanophiles were relieved to discover, after the disappointing Self Portrait, New Morning, and Dylan, that Dylan had returned to the sure values of rock and to incisive writing. This return is strongly reflected in the first song of the album. In the third verse, Dylan was inspired by a famous line from On the Road by Jack Kerouac: “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who… burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” Dylan writes, “Build a fire, throw on logs / And listen to it hiss / And let it burn, burn, burn, burn.” In 1985 he said of this song that the lyrics came to him “as sort of like a drunk man who’s temporarily sober.”12 In his text, he might be happy to share his bed with a loved one, but he asks her not to get too close to avoid elbowing him. He concluded, “This is not my type of song, I think I just did it to do it.”12
“On a Night Like This” is the opening track of the album. It is a very good rock song, supported by an excellent rhythm and accordion part, giving the piece a nice Cajun flair. Dylan abandons his intonations as a crooner and provides a mature vocal. He performs an amazing harmonica solo (in F) that mixes well with the accordion part. Dylan and the Band are at their best. After seven takes in different tempos on November 6, the master was recorded two days later (third attempt). The song was released as a single with “You Angel You” on the B-side in 1974, and reached a very modest number 44 on the charts.