Mr. Tambourine Man

"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written, composed, and performed by Bob Dylan, who released his original version of it on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that they released in the same year as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the UK Singles Chart, as well as being the title track of their first album, Mr. Tambourine Man. The Byrds' recording of the song was influential in initiating the musical subgenre of folk rock, leading many contemporary bands to mimic its fusion of jangly guitars and intellectual lyrics in the wake of the single's success.

This song has been covered by many artists, including Judy Collins, Odetta, Melanie, and William Shatner. The song's popularity led to Dylan recording it live many times, and it has been included in multiple Dylan and Byrds compilation albums. It has been translated into other languages, and has been used or referenced in television shows, films and books.

The song has a bright, expansive melody and has become famous in particular for its surrealistic imagery, influenced by artists as diverse as French poet Arthur Rimbaud and Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. The lyrics call on the title character to play a song and the narrator will follow. Interpretations of the lyrics have included a paean to drugs such as LSD, a call to the singer's muse, a reflection of the audience's demands on the singer, and religious interpretations. Dylan sings the song in four verses, of which The Byrds used only the second for their recording. Dylan's and The Byrds' versions have appeared on various lists ranking the greatest songs of all time, including an appearance by both on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 best songs ever. Both versions also received Grammy Hall of Fame Awards. ==Bob Dylan's version == ===Composition and recording === "Mr. Tambourine Man" was written and composed in early 1964, at the same approximate time as "Chimes of Freedom," which Dylan recorded later that spring for his album Another Side of Bob Dylan.[1] [2]  Dylan began writing and composing "Mr. Tambourine Man" in February 1964, after attending Mardi Gras in New Orleans during a cross-country road trip with several friends, and completed it sometime between the middle of March and late April of that year after he had returned to New York.[1]  Nigel Williamson has suggested in The Rough Guide to Bob Dylanthat the influence of Mardi Gras can be heard in the swirling and fanciful imagery of the song's lyrics.[3]  Journalist Al Aronowitz has claimed that Dylan completed the song at his home, butfolk singer Judy Collins, who later covered the song, has stated that Dylan completed the song at her home.[1]  Dylan premiered the song the following month at a May 17 concert at London'sRoyal Festival Hall.[1]

Dylan first recorded "Mr. Tambourine Man" a few weeks later, on June 9, with Tom Wilson producing, during the Another Side of Bob Dylan session.[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4]  The take, recorded with Ramblin' Jack Elliott, was cut from the album because Dylan felt the song was special and their performance did not do it justice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-heylin_2-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1]  Sometime that month he also recorded a publisher demo of the song at Witmark Music.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]  More than six months passed before Dylan re-recorded the song, again with Wilson in the producer's chair, during the final Bringing It All Back Home session on January 15, 1965, the same day that "Gates of Eden," "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" were recorded.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-heylin_2-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6]  It was long thought that the four songs were each recorded in one long take.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-albums_8-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  However, in the biography Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades, Clinton Heylin relates that the song required six attempts, possibly because of difficulties in working out the playoffs between Dylan's acoustic guitar and Bruce Langhorne's electric lead.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-heylin_2-7" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1]  The final take was selected for the album, which was released on March 22, 1965.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-heylin_2-8" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-albums_8-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In his book Keys to the Rain: The Definitive Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, Oliver Trager describes "Mr. Tambourine Man" as having a bright, expansive melody,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-keys_9-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8]  with Langhorne's electric guitar accompaniment, which provides a countermelody to the vocals, being the only instrumentation besides Dylan's acoustic guitar and harmonica.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gill_10-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  Author Wilfred Mellers has noted that although the song is in the key of D major, it is harmonized as if it were in a Lydian G major, giving the song a tonal ambiguity that enhances the dreamy quality of the melody.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mellers_11-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  Unusually, rather than beginning with the first verse, the song begins with an iteration of the chorus:<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-keys_9-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8]


 * Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
 * I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to.
 * Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
 * In the jingle-jangle morning I'll come following you.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11] 

<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">William Ruhlmann, writing for the Allmusic website, has suggested the following interpretation of the song's lyrics: "The time seems to be early morning following a night when the narrator has not slept. Still unable to sleep, though amazed by his weariness, he is available and open to Mr. Tambourine Man's song, and says he will follow him. In the course of four verses studded with internal rhymes, he expounds on this situation, his meaning often heavily embroidered with imagery, though the desire to be freed by the tambourine man's song remains clear."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic1_13-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">There has been speculation that the song is about drugs such as LSD or marijuana, particularly with lines such as "take me on a trip upon your magic swirling ship" and "the smoke rings of my mind."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-heylin_2-9" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rough_3-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gill_10-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  Dylan has always denied the song is about drugs, and though he was using marijuana at the time the song was written, he was not introduced to LSD until a few months later.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-heylin_2-10" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rough_3-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-prophet_14-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  Other commentators have interpreted the song as a call to the singer's spirit or muse, or the singer's search for transcendence.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rough_3-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-prophet_14-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hinchey_15-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-williams1_16-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-shelton_17-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16]  In particular, biographer John Hinchey has suggested in his book Like a Complete Unknown that the singer is praying to his muse for inspiration; Hinchey notes that ironically the song itself is evidence the muse has already provided the sought-after inspiration.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hinchey_15-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14] Mr. Tambourine Man has also been interpreted as a symbol for Jesus Christ and for the Pied Piper of Hamelin.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic1_13-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  The song may also reference gospel music, with Mr. Tambourine Man being the bringer of religious salvation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-shelton_17-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Dylan has cited the influence of Federico Fellini's movie La strada on the song,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-keys_9-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sounes_18-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  while other commentators have found echoes of the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-heylin_2-11" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19]  Author Howard Sounes has identified the lyrics "in the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you" as having been taken from a Lord Buckley recording.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sounes_18-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  Bruce Langhorne, who performs guitar on the track, has been cited by Dylan as the inspiration for the tambourine man image in the song.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-keys_9-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8] Langhorne used to play a giant, four-inch-deep "tambourine" (actually a Turkish frame drum), and had brought the instrument to a previous Dylan recording session.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-heylin_2-12" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gill_10-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21] ===Other releases<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> === Bob Dylan has often played "Mr. Tambourine Man" in live concerts.<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The Bringing it All Back Home version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" was included on Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits in 1967 and several later Dylan compilation albums, including Biograph,'Masterpieces, and The Essential Bob Dylan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic1_13-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]  The two June 1964 recordings, one with Ramblin' Jack Elliott and the other at Witmark Music, have been released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home and The Bootleg Series Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos 1962–1964, respectively.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic1_13-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[23] 

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The song has been in Dylan's live concert repertoire ever since it was written,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-keys_9-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8]  and live performances have appeared on various concert albums and DVDs. A live performance at New York'sPhilharmonic Hall dating from October 31, 1964, appeared on The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic1_13-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  During his appearance at the Newport Folk Festival on July 25, 1965, after he was heckled by acoustic folk music fans during his electric set, Dylan returned to play acoustic versions of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue;"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25]  this performance of "Mr. Tambourine Man" is included in both Murray Lerner's film The Other Side of the Mirror<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[26]  and Martin Scorsese's documentary No Direction Home.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">A live version from Dylan's famous May 17, 1966, concert in Manchester, England (popularly but mistakenly known as the Royal Albert Hall Concert) is included on The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]  Dylan also played the song as part of his evening set at the August 1, 1971, Concert for Bangladesh, a benefit concert organized byGeorge Harrison and Ravi Shankar. That performance is included on The Concert For Bangladesh album, although it was excluded from the film of the concert.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  Another live version from theRolling Thunder Revue tour of 1975 is on The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue, and yet another live version from 1978 is on Bob Dylan at Budokan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31] ==The Byrds' version<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> == ===Release and the birth of folk rock<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> === The Byrds performing "Mr. Tambourine Man" on The Ed Sullivan Show, December 12, 1965.<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">"Mr. Tambourine Man" was the debut single by the American band The Byrds and was released on April 12, 1965 by Columbia Records.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32]  The song was also the title track of the band's debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man, which was released on June 21, 1965.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33]  The single, along with the album of the same name, was influential in originating the musical style known as folk rock, with the single becoming the first folk rock smash hit.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allbyrds_36-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35]  Indeed, the term "folk rock" was first coined by the U.S music press to describe the band's sound at around the same time as "Mr. Tambourine Man" peaked at number 1 on the Billboard chart.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The single initiated the folk rock boom of 1965 and 1966, with many acts imitating the band's hybrid of a rock beat, jangly guitar playing and poetic or socially conscious lyrics.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic1_13-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-folkrock_39-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38]  This hybrid had its antecedents in the American folk revival of the early 1960s,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39]  The Animals's rock-oriented recording of the folk song "The House of the Rising Sun,"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]  the folk-influences present in the songwriting of The Beatles,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  and the twelve-string guitar jangle of The Searchers and The Beatles's George Harrison.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43]  However, it was The Byrds who first melded these disparate elements into a unified whole, creating a template for folk rock that would prove successful for many acts during the mid-1960s.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic1_13-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-unterberger_45-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44] ===Conception<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> === <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Most of the members of The Byrds had a background in folk music,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allbyrds_36-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35]  since Jim McGuinn, as he was then known, Gene Clark, and David Crosby had all worked as folk singers during the early 1960s.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hjort1_46-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hjort2_47-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46]  They had also spent time, independently of each other, in various folk groups, including The New Christy Minstrels, The Limeliters, The Chad Mitchell Trio, and Les Baxter's Balladeers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hjort1_46-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[48] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[49]  In early 1964, McGuinn, Clark and Crosby formed The Jet Set and started developing a fusion of folk-based lyrics and melodies, with arrangements in the style of The Beatles.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hjort2_47-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[50]  In August 1964, the band's manager Jim Dickson acquired an acetate disc of "Mr. Tambourine Man" from Dylan's publisher, featuring a performance by Dylan and Ramblin' Jack Elliott.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-heylin_2-13" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hjort2_47-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timeless2_52-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  Although the band members were initially unimpressed with the song, they eventually agreed to begin rehearsing and demoing it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-creswell_53-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-54" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[53]  In an attempt to make it sound more like The Beatles, the band and Dickson elected to give the song a full, electric rock band treatment, effectively creating the musical subgenre of folk rock.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allbyrds_36-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timeless2_52-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-creswell_53-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52]  To further bolster the group's confidence in the song, Dickson invited Dylan to hear the band's rendition.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timeless3_55-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[54]  Dylan was impressed, enthusiastically commenting, "Wow, you can dance to that!" His endorsement erased any lingering doubts the band had about the song.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timeless3_55-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[54]  During this period, drummer Michael Clarke and bass player Chris Hillman joined,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hjort2_47-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46]  and the band changed their name to The Byrds over Thanksgiving 1964.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timeless2_52-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  The two surviving demos of "Mr. Tambourine Man" dating from this period feature an incongruous marching band drum part from Clarke but overall the arrangement, which utilized a 4/4 time signature instead of Dylan's 2/4 configuration, is very close to the later single version.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-56" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[55] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-57" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[56] ===Production<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);">  === <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The master take of "Mr. Tambourine Man" was recorded on January 20, 1965, at Columbia Studios in Hollywood, prior to the release of Dylan's own version.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-58" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[57]  The song's jangling, melodic guitar playing (performed by McGuinn on a 12-string Rickenbacker guitar) was immediately influential and has remained so to the present day.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timeless2_52-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  The group's complex harmony work, as featured on "Mr. Tambourine Man," became another major characteristic of their sound.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-59" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  Due to producer Terry Melcher's initial lack of confidence in The Byrds' musicianship, McGuinn was the only Byrd to play on both "Mr. Tambourine Man" and its B-side, "I Knew I'd Want You."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timeless2_52-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  Rather than using band members, Melcher hired The Wrecking Crew, a collection of top L.A. session musicians, who (with McGuinn on guitar) provided the backing track over which McGuinn, Crosby, and Clark sang.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-60" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[59]  By the time the sessions for their debut album began in March 1965, however, Melcher was satisfied that the band was competent enough to record its own musical backing.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allbyrds_36-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The Byrds' recording of the song opens with a distinctive, Bach-inspired guitar introduction played by McGuinn and then, like Dylan's version, goes into the song's chorus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timeless2_52-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  Although Dylan's version contains four verses, The Byrds only perform the song's second verse and two repeats of the chorus, followed by a variation on the song's introduction, which then fades out.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic1_13-7" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  The Byrds' arrangement of the song had been shortened during the band's rehearsals at World Pacific Studios in 1964, at the suggestion of Jim Dickson, in order to accommodate commercial radio stations, which were reluctant to play songs that were over two-and-a-half minutes long.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timeless2_52-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-creswell_53-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52]  Thus, while Dylan's version is five-and-a-half minutes long, The Byrds' runs just short of two-and-a-half minutes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic1_13-8" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  The lead vocal on The Byrds' version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" was sung by McGuinn, who attempted to modify his singing style to fill what he perceived as a gap in the popular music scene of the day, somewhere between the vocal sound of John Lennon and Bob Dylan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timeless2_52-7" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  The song also took on a spiritual aspect for McGuinn during the recording sessions, as he told The Byrds' biographerJohnny Rogan in 1997: "I was singing to God and I was saying that God was the Tambourine Man and I was saying to him, 'Hey, God, take me for a trip and I'll follow you.' It was a prayer of submission."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timeless2_52-8" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51] ===Reception<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> === <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The single reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the first recording of a Dylan song to reach number 1 on any pop music chart.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-61" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[60] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-62" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[61] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-63" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[62]  Critic William Ruhlmann has argued that in the wake of "Mr. Tambourine Man", the influence of The Byrds could be heard in recordings by a number of other Los Angeles-based acts, including The Turtles, The Leaves, Barry McGuire, and Sonny & Cher.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic1_13-9" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  In addition, author and music historian Richie Unterberger sees the influence of The Byrds in recordings by The Lovin' Spoonful, The Mamas & the Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, and Love,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-unterberger_45-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-64" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[63]  while author John Einarson has noted that both The Grass Roots and We Five enjoyed commercial success by emulating The Byrds' folk rock sound.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-65" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[64]  In addition, a number of commentators, including Richie Unterberger, Scott Plangenhoef, and Ian MacDonald have noted that by late 1965, The Beatles themselves were assimilating the sound of folk rock, and in particular The Byrds, into the material found on their Rubber Soul album, most notably on the songs "Nowhere Man" and "If I Needed Someone".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-66" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[65] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[66] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-68" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[67]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">As the 1960s came to a close, folk rock changed and evolved away from the jangly template pioneered by The Byrds,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-folkrock_39-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38]  but, Unterberger argues, the band's influence could still be heard in the music of Fairport Convention.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-69" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[68]  Since the 1960s, The Byrds' jangly, folk rock sound has continued to influence popular music up to the present day, with authors Chris Smith, Johnny Rogan, Mark Deming and Stephen Thomas Erlewine all noting the band's influence on such acts as Big Star, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, R.E.M., The Long Ryders, The Smiths, The Bangles, The Stone Roses, Teenage Fanclub, and The La's.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-70" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[69] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-71" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[70] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-72" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[71] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-73" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[72]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In addition to appearing on The Byrds' debut album, "Mr. Tambourine Man" is included on several Byrds' compilation and live albums, including The Byrds Greatest Hits, Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971, The Very Best of The Byrds, The Essential Byrds, The Byrds Play Dylan, and the live disc of The Byrds' (Untitled) album.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic2_74-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[73]  The Byrds' version of the song also appears on compilation albums that include hit songs by multiple artists.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic2_74-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[73]  Two earlier demo recordings of "Mr. Tambourine Man", dating from the World Pacific rehearsal sessions, can be heard on The Byrds' archival albums Preflyte, In the Beginning, and The Preflyte Sessions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-75" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[74] ==Other covers and references<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);">  == Folk singer Judy Collins covered "Mr. Tambourine Man" in 1965.<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">"Mr. Tambourine Man" has been covered by many artists over the years, including at least 13 versions recorded in 1965 alone.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-keys_9-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8]  In addition to The Byrds' rendition, notable recordings of the song have been made by Odetta, Judy Collins, Stevie Wonder, The Four Seasons, The Barbarians, and Chad and Jeremy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic1_13-10" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  Other artists who have covered the song include Alvin and the Chipmunks (1965), The Beau Brummels (1966), The Lettermen (1966), Kenny Rankin (1967), Melanie (1968), Gene Clark (1984), Les Fradkin (2007), Bob Sinclar (2009), Jack's Mannequin(2012), and The Flowers of Hell (2012).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-keys_9-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allcovers_76-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[75] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-77" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[76]  William Shatner also covered the song in a spoken-word recitation on his 1968 album, The Transformed Man.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-keys_9-7" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allcovers_76-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[75]  A reunited line-up of The Byrds, featuring Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and David Crosby, performed "Mr. Tambourine Man" with Dylan at a Roy Orbison tribute concert on February 24, 1990. This live performance of the song was included on the 1990 box set, The Byrds.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timeless3_55-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[54]  At the October 1992 Bob Dylan 30th anniversary tribute concert at Madison Square Garden, McGuinn performed the song, backed byTom Petty, Mike Campbell, and Benmont Tench, among others.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-keys_9-8" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allcovers_76-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[75] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-78" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[77]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The song has been translated and recorded in a number of languages. Müslüm Gürses has covered the song with different lyrics written in Turkish. The Turkish version of the song was calledHayat Berbat.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-79" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[78]  It was translated into Romanian by Florian Pittiş, and sung by Pasărea Colibri on their 1995 album În căutarea cuibului pierdut.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-80" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[79]  There are also at least two Brazilian Portuguese versions of the song, covered by Zé Ramalho and Zé Geraldo on their Zé Ramalho canta Bob Dylan and Catadô de Bromélias albums respectively.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-81" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[80] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-82" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[81]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">"Mr. Tambourine Man" has also been referenced in books and film, including Tom Wolfe's nonfiction novel The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-83" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[82]  Stephen King's book Carrie,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-84" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[83]  the film Dangerous Minds,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-85" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[84] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-86" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[85] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-87" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[86]  and the documentary film Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. The subject of the latter film, journalist Hunter S. Thompson, had "Mr. Tambourine Man" played at his funeral and dedicated his novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to Dylan because of the song.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-88" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[87] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-89" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[88]  The song was also performed by Pete Townshend at the funeral of Neil Aspinall, The Beatles' road manager and personal assistant.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-90" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[89] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-91" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[90]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">"Mr. Tambourine Man" is one of seven Dylan songs whose lyrics were reset for soprano and piano (or orchestra) by John Corigliano for his song cycle Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-schirmer_92-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[91] ==Legacy<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> == <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The Byrds' version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" was listed as the number 79 song on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and Dylan's version was ranked number 106.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rs_93-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[92]  It is one of three songs to place twice, along with "Walk This Way" by both Aerosmith and Run-DMC with Perry and Tyler, and "Blue Suede Shoes" by both Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rs_93-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[92]  The Byrds' version was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998, and Dylan's version was honored with the same award in 2002.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-94" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[93]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In 1989 Rolling Stone ranked The Byrds' version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" as the number 86 single of the prior 25 years.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-95" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[94]  That same year, music critic Dave Marsh listed it as number 207 in his list of the top 1001 singles ever made.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-96" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[95]  In 1999, National Public Radio in the United States listed this version as one of the 300 most important American records of the 20th century.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-97" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[96]  In the UK, music critic Colin Larkin listed The Byrds' version as the number 1 single of all time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-98" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[97]  Other UK publishers that have listed this song as one of the top songs or singles include Mojo, New Musical Express, and Sounds.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-99" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[98] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-100" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[99] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-101" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[100]  Australian music critic Toby Creswell included the song in his book 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-creswell_53-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">In a 2005 reader's poll reported in Mojo, Dylan's version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" was listed as the number 4 all-time greatest Bob Dylan song, and a similar poll of artists ranked the song number 14.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-102" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[101]  In 2002, Uncut listed it as the number 15 all-time Dylan song.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-103" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[