Bob Dylan / 3:20
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Mike Campbell: guitar; Steve Douglas: saxophone; Steve Madaio: trumpet; Howie Epstein: bass; Don Heffington: drums; Carolyn Dennis, Madelyn Quebec, Annette May Thomas, Elisecia Wright, Queen Esther Marrow, and Peggi Blu: backup vocals / Recording Studio: Topanga Skyline Studio, Topanga, California: May 14, 1986 (Overdubs May 16, 21–22, 1986) / Producer: Sundog Productions / Sound Engineer: Britt Bacon
Bob Dylan comes back to the theme that, with “Like a Rolling Stone,” elevated him to the rank of excellence. In a monologue, the narrator draws conclusions from the mistakes of the heroine. Who is she? The one with whom he shared his life? A line of the first verse is a perfect illustration: “When you’re through running over things like you’re walking ’cross the tracks / Maybe you’ll beg me to take you back.” Even more, “Maybe someday you’ll have nowhere to turn” looks suspiciously like Miss Lonely in “Like a Rolling Stone.” The fifth line of the second verse, “Through hostile cities and unfriendly towns” paraphrases a line from T. S. Elliot’s poem “Journey of the Magi,” “And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly.”
Dylan recorded this rock song for the first time during the sessions for Empire Burlesque at Cherokee Studios, perhaps on December 22, 1984. The song was originally called “Prince of Plunder.” He entirely reworked the tune on May 14, 1986, at Topanga Skyline Studio. “Maybe Someday” could have been a good rock song, but the piece suffers from anemic drumbeats and lack of a bass line. Yet Dylan provides a great vocal and Mike Campbell an excellent guitar part. The harmonies by the backup vocalists are excellent.