50 of My Favorite Bob Dylan Songs

A while back, I posted a list of 50 favorite Bruce Springsteen songs. During a recent period of temporary insanity, I decided to compile a similar list of Bob Dylan performances. Please note the following:

• This list consists of the songs I find myself coming back to most often. It does not purport to be a list of Dylan’s best or most important recordings; it’s just the ones I enjoy most and that evoke the most memories for me. I’m aware that I’ve omitted many classics and that I’ve included some controversial choices, such as a bunch of tracks from Street Legal (which I consider underrated) and one from the relatively obscure Knocked Out Loaded.

• Note that the title says “50 of My Favorite,” not “My 50 Favorite.” I love a lot of tracks that are not listed here. I would have included them if I hadn’t limited myself to 50 songs—or if I’d compiled the list on a different day.

• The list is in alphabetical order. I may be crazy—but not crazy enough to try to put a list like this in order of preference.

1. “Absolutely Sweet Marie,” Blonde on Blonde
2. “As I Went Out One Morning,” John Wesley Harding
3. “Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest,” John Wesley Harding
4. “Boots of Spanish Leather,” The Times They Are a-Changin’
5. “Brownsville Girl,” Knocked Out Loaded
6. “Buckets of Rain,” Blood on the Tracks
7. “Changing of the Guards,” Street Legal
8. “Chimes of Freedom,” Another Side of Bob Dylan
9. “Desolation Row,” Highway 61 Revisited
10. “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
11. “Drifter’s Escape,” John Wesley Harding
12. “Duquesne Whistle,” Tempest
13. “Every Grain of Sand,” Shot of Love
14. “Girl from the North Country,” Nashville Skyline
15. “Highlands,” Time Out of Mind
16. “Highway 61 Revisited,” Highway 61 Revisited
17. “Hurricane,” Desire
18. “If You See Her, Say Hello,” Blood on the Tracks
19. “I’ll Remember You,” Empire Burlesque
20. “Is Your Love in Vain?,” Street Legal
21. “I Threw It All Away,” Nashville Skyline
22. “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” Bringing It All Back Home
23. “I Want You,” Blonde on Blonde
24. “Joey,” Desire
25. “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” Highway 61 Revisited
26. “Like a Rolling Stone,” Highway 61 Revisited
27. “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts,” Blood on the Tracks
28. “Love Minus Zero/No Limit,” Bringing It All Back Home
29. “Love Sick,” Time Out of Mind
30. “Mr. Tambourine Man,” Bringing It All Back Home
31. “No Time to Think,” Street Legal
32. “Not Dark Yet,” Time Out of Mind
33. “Peggy Day,” Nashville Skyline
34. “Positively Fourth Street,” Biograph
35. “Queen Jane Approximately,” Highway 61 Revisited
36. “Senor (Tales of Yankee Power),” Street Legal
37. “She Belongs to Me,” Bringing It All Back Home
38. “Shelter from the Storm,” Blood on the Tracks
39. “Shooting Star,” MTV Unplugged
40. “Simple Twist of Fate,” Blood on the Tracks
41. “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again,” Blonde on Blonde
42. “Tangled Up in Blue,” Blood on the Tracks
43. “Tight Connection to My Heart,” Empire Burlesque
44. “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You,” Nashville Skyline
45. “True Love Tends to Forget,” Street Legal
46. “Visions of Johanna,” Blonde on Blonde
47. “We Better Talk This Over,” Street Legal
48. “Went to See the Gypsy,” Another Self-Portrait
49. “Where Are You Tonight (Journey Through Dark Heat),” Street Legal
50. “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go,” Blood on the Tracks