One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)
One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) is a folk rock song by Bob Dylan that appeared on his seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde , and was produced by Bob Johnston for Columbia Records . Almost simultaneously with this release, the track was also released as a single , with Queen Jane Approximately on the B-side.
Emergence
Dylan recorded One of Us Must Know on January 25, 1966. According to allmusic.com, the song was created in a session that was aimed specifically at producing a successful single. The last single Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window was not as successful in the charts as its predecessors Like a Rolling Stone and Positively 4th Street . With Dylan (guitar and harmonica), the later members of The Band , Robbie Robertson and Rick Danko on guitar and bass, as well as Al Kooper on organ, Paul Griffin on piano and Sandy Konikoff on drums made music that day . In addition to One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) , I'll Keep It With Mine and an alternative version of Visions of Johanna , which was not used for the album Blonde on Blonde , were created.
publication
While the album Blonde on Blonde sold well and reached notable chart positions, the first single One of Us Must Know only made it to number 119 on the Billboard charts . In Great Britain the song came to number 33. Four more singles followed -Excouplings that all went better. Most successful was Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 , the controversial opening song of the album; it climbed to number 2 in the USA.
The text
From a formal point of view, the song consists of three stanzas with eight verses each and a refrain at the end of each stanza, which consists of four verses.
The lyrics describe an apology from the lyrical self to his ex-girlfriend and briefly review the relationship. It turns out that the protagonist initially thought that she was only interested in a short-lived affair.
- When I saw you say “goodbye” to your friend and smile
- I thought that it was well understood
- That you'd be comin 'back in a little while
- I didn't know that you were sayin '“goodbye” for good
In the second stanza it becomes clear that there must have been misunderstandings within the relationship as well.
- I couldn't see what you could show me
- Your scarf had kept your mouth well hid
The lyrical ego is amazed at the directness of the woman, who openly represented her interests and appeared to him older than she actually was.
- When you whispered in my ear
- And asked me if I was leavin 'with you of her
- I didn't realize just what I did hear
- I didn't realize how young you were
In the third verse, the protagonist realizes that the relationship is going nowhere (“I couldn't see where we were goin '”) and an argument eventually ensues, with which the relationship ends. The narrator asserts several times in the chorus that he seriously tried to get close to her, and one day one of them should have known that.
Discussions
In fan and critic circles there was much discussion about who Dylan is singing about in this song. One name that comes up frequently is that of Edie Sedgwick , who is also traded as a possible inspiration for snappy Dylan pieces like Like a Rolling Stone or Just Like a Woman . As usual, Dylan did not comment on the interpretation of the text.