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Saturday, December 28, 2024
Saturday Music Post - Girl from the North Country
"Girl from the North Country" is on Bob Dylan's second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, released in 1963. Unlike his eponymous debut album, Freewheelin' featured mostly original tracks, including "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." It was the album that really brought him to national attention -- Bob Dylan had sold relatively poorly -- charting at number 22.
There is evidently some ongoing debate about the identity of the north country girl. Some say it was one of his Minnesota sweethearts, others that it was Suze Rotolo, who is holding his arm on the album cover. (I wouldn't call New York the north country, but she is wearing a "coat so warm.") I'm guessing it was no one in particular, given that the introductory line -- "Remember me to one who lives there/for she was once a true love of mine" -- was lifted from the traditional English ballad "Scarborough Fair" (no, Paul Simon didn't write it).
Either way, it became one of Dylan's memorable collaborations with Johnny Cash, which you can see at The Faculty Lounge.
(I've always been drawn to this song about the north country because of my ancestral ties to Winnipeg, which is about 325 miles northwest of Hibbing, and 450 miles from the Twin Cities. I originally had it queued up for mid-June, but we saw A Complete Unknown yesterday, which I recommend, and I decided to rearrange the schedule.)
Posted by Steve Lubet on December 28, 2024 at 06:28 AM | Permalink
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