Pledging my time
| Pledging my time | |
|---|---|
| Bob Dylan | |
| publication | April 1966 (single) May 1966 (on album) |
| length | 3:47 |
| Genre (s) | Blues rock |
| Author (s) | Bob Dylan |
| Label | Columbia Records |
| album | Blonde on blonde |
Pledging my Time is a blues rock song by Bob Dylan that was first released in May 1966 as the b-side of the single Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 . A month later, the song appeared as the second track on the double LP Blonde on Blonde . The recordings were produced by Bob Johnston for Columbia Records .
Structure and structure of the song
Technically speaking, the song is an 8-bar blues with the AAD Dm AEA chord scheme with a bridge connecting the stanzas and played without lyrics. The chord progression of this part, which is repeated several times over the course of the song, is ADA E. Dylan's harmonica playing is heavily distorted by the microphone towards the end of the song. The sound approaches that of a blues harp, in contrast to the otherwise typical folk sound of the harmonica.
The song is driven by Kenny Buttrey's drumming and the introductory harmonica sounds. Its sound is reminiscent of the Chicago blues era through the use of guitar, piano, drums and harmonica .
Lyrically, the piece is about a lover who gives his girlfriend a lot of time and attention, but wonders how much he'll get in return. Occasionally he also has to outdo rivals . The text is characterized by surrealism in places .
Emergence
Bob Dylan had already approached the blues with the two previous albums to Blonde on Blonde and processed it independently. Especially the musicians of the Chicago Blues , but also the Delta Blues , had a considerable influence on Dylan, who was ultimately reflected to a large extent on his 1965 album Highway 61 Revisited , which contains some electrical and acoustic blues songs.
Dylan continued on this track on Blonde on Blonde , but the songs (recorded in the country mansion Nashville ) had a different atmosphere than the songs on the Highway 61 album.
Work on Blonde on Blonde at Columbia Studios began in the fall of 1965 shortly after Highway 61 Revisited was released . They went tough and did not satisfy Dylan. His producer Bob Johnston was finally able to convince him to continue work in Nashville, Tennessee, with local session musicians. Dylan arrived in Nashville in February 1966 and didn't have much new material. Only two musicians from the first sessions moved to Nashville, guitarist Robbie Robertson and organ and piano player Al Kooper . Producer Johnson eventually hired Nashville's best session musicians, including Charlie McCoy, Kenny Buttrey , Hargus "Pig" Robbins and Joe South .
Pledging my Time was written on the same day as the songs Absolutely Sweet Marie and Just Like a Woman .
publication
The piece first appeared in April 1966 as the B-side of the single Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 . The single was No. 2 on the Billboard charts and No. 7 in the UK .
A month later, Pledging my Time appeared as the second song on the double album Blonde on Blonde .
Live versions and cover versions
Dylan did not play the piece live until the later 1980s, although it was written in 1966, mostly with The Grateful Dead . and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
The song was first covered in 1969 by the Japanese band The Apryl Fool. This was followed by recordings by Luther Johnson and Greg Brown.
Web links
Chord progression and lyrics of the song