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"Girl from the North Country" (occasionally known as "Girl of the North Country") is a song written by Bob Dylan. It was recorded at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City in April 1963, and released the following month as the second track on Dylan's second studio album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Dylan re-recorded the song as a duet with Johnny Cash in February 1969. That recording became the opening track on Nashville Skyline, Dylan's ninth studio album.

Background and composition

The song was written following Dylan’s first trip to England in December 1962, upon what he thought to be the completion of his second album. It is debated as to whom this song is a tribute: some claim former girlfriend Echo Helstrom, and some Bonnie Beecher, both of whom Dylan knew before leaving for New York. However, it is suspected that this song could have been inspired by his then girlfriend, Suze Rotolo. Dylan left England for Italy to search for Rotolo, whose continuation of studies there had caused a serious rift in their relationship. Unbeknownst to Dylan, she had already returned to the United States, leaving about the same time that he arrived in Italy. It was there that he finished the song, ostensibly inspired by the apparent end of his relationship with Rotolo. Upon his return to New York in mid-January, he persuaded her to get back together, and to move back into his apartment on 4th Street. Rotolo is the woman featured on the album cover, walking arm in arm with Dylan down Jones Street, not far from their apartment.

While in London, Dylan met several figures in the local folk scene, including English folksinger Martin Carthy. "I ran into some people in England who really knew those songs," Dylan recalled in 1984. "Martin Carthy, another guy named Davenport. Martin Carthy's incredible. I learned a lot of stuff from Martin." Carthy exposed Dylan to a repertoire of traditional English ballads, including Carthy's own arrangement of "Scarborough Fair," which Dylan drew upon for aspects of the melody and lyrics of "Girl from the North Country," including the line from the refrain "Remember me to one who lives there, she once was a true love of mine". Musically, this song is nearly identical to his composition "Boots of Spanish Leather", composed and recorded one year later for the album The Times They Are a-Changin'.

Reception

Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song 30th on a list of the "100 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs". In an article accompanying the list, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards wrote: "While the British Invasion was going on, Bob Dylan was the man who really pulled the American point of view back into focus. At the same time, he had been drawing on Anglo-Celtic folk songs, and that's certainly true of 'Girl From the North Country'. It's got all the elements of beautiful folk writing without being pretentious. In the lyrics and the melody, there is an absence of Bob's later cutting edge. There's none of that resentment. He recorded it again later with Johnny Cash, but I don't think it's a duo song. Bob got it right the first time".

Live performances

According to his official website, Dylan performed the song 569 times live between 1963 and 2019. Live performances by Dylan appear on the albums Real Live (1984), The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (1993; recorded 1992), The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979–1981 (Deluxe Edition) (2017; recorded 1981), Live 1962-1966: Rare Performances From The Copyright Collections (2018; recorded 1964), and The Bootleg Series Vol. 15: Travelin' Thru, 1967-1969 (Deluxe Edition) (2019; recorded 1969). A February 1964 performance for Canadian television was included on the DVD release of Martin Scorsese's PBS television documentary on Dylan, No Direction Home in 2005.

Notable versions

• Altan performed this song on their album Another Sky.
• Johnny Cash and Dylan performed a duet of the song on The Johnny Cash Show, June 6, 1969.
• Cash also recorded a duet with Dylan during their February 1969 recording session while Dylan was in Nashville for Nashville Skyline. This version appears in the 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. This version with new orchestral arrangements by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra also appears on Cash's 2020 posthumous album Johnny Cash and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
• Rosanne Cash included the song on her 2009 album The List, which is based on a list of 100 country songs her father Johnny Cash recommended to her as "essential".
• Joe Cocker and Leon Russell performed the song on the 1970 live album Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Russell also performed the song on his 1970 live album at the Fillmore East.
• Counting Crows covered the song on their 2013 live album Echoes of the Outlaw Roadshow.
• Eels perform a slowed down, live, acoustic version on Eels with Strings: Live at Town Hall as well as The Myspace Transmissions Session 2009.
• Roy Harper recorded his version of the song on his 1974 album Valentine.
• Tom Northcott's 1968 single charted in Canada.
• Tony Rice covered the song on his 1993 album Tony Rice Plays and Sings Bluegrass.
• Rod Stewart also covered this song on his 1974 album Smiler.
• Stephen Stills performed the song on his 2009 album Live at Shepherd's Bush, and recorded a version with Judy Collins on their 2017 album Everybody Knows.
• Sting covered the song for Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International.
• The Black Crowes often covered the song in concert throughout their career, usually featuring an extended dual guitar solo.
• The Clancy Brothers released their version on their 1972 album Save the Land.
• John Waite covered the song on his 2004 album The Hard Way.
• Link Wray & his Ray Men released a version in 1965.
• Neil Young released a cover of this song on his 2014 album A Letter Home.
• The Lions covered the song for the soundtrack to Sons of Anarchy, released in 2009.
• Leo Kottke covered the song in a recorded performance at No Exit Coffeehouse in 1969.
• Conor Oberst, M. Ward and Jim James performed the song as part of Bright Eyes' concert on Austin City Limits in 2004.
• Sam Bush covered on his 2000 album Ice Caps: Peaks of Telluride.
• Passenger covered the song on his compilation album Sunday Night Sessions.
• A Tobin Bell cover was made for the film Spiral but was cut.
• Nitty Gritty Dirt Band covered the song on their 2022 album Dirt Does Dylan.
• Greg Dulli covered the song in a piano version together with Mark Lanegan, released in 2022
• Eddie Vedder covered this song in an acoustic version during his Water on the Road tour in 2008.
• Jonathan Foster covered the song and features National Fiddler Hall of Famer Scott Joss on his 2019 Wildlife album.
• Jackson Dean and Josh Ross covered the song and released it as a "Spotify Single" in 2023

See also

• List of Bob Dylan songs based on earlier tunes

References

1. ^ Bjorner, Olof (November 21, 2015). "5th Nashville Skyline session, 18 February 1969". bjorner.com. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
2. "The original 'Girl From the North Country,' Bob Dylan's high school sweetheart has died". Star Tribune. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
3. Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (27 October 2015). Bob Dylan: all the songs: the story behind every track (First ed.). New York. ISBN 978-1-57912-985-9. OCLC 869908038.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
4. Sheehy, Colleen Josephine; Thomas Swiss (2009). Highway 61 revisited: Bob Dylan's road from Minnesota to the world. U of Minnesota Press. p. 85. ISBN 9780816661008.
5. "100 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs". Rolling Stone. 2020-05-24. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
6. "Setlists | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
7. "Another Sky - Altan - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
8. Live at the Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville, Tennessee - 7 October 1970, The ABC Show Series Vol. 6, Ryman Records
9. Girl from the North Country (with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), retrieved 2022-01-26
10. "Mad Dogs & Englishmen - Joe Cocker - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
11. "With Strings: Live at Town Hall - Eels - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
12. "Smiler - Rod Stewart - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
13. "Amnesty International - Chimes of Freedom – Amnesty International - Chimes of Freedom". Music.amnestyusa.org. 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
14. Greg Prato (2004-09-21). "The Hard Way - John Waite | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
15. "Mr. Guitar - Link Wray - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
16. Greene, Andy (18 April 2014). "Neil Young's New Covers Album Available Right Now: Surprise!". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
17. Passenger | Girl From The North Country (Bob Dylan Cover), retrieved 2021-04-20
18. "Saw Star Tobin Bell Addresses Nearly Having a Cameo in Spiral: From the Book of Saw". comicbook.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
19. "Jackson Dean, Josh Ross cover Johnny Cash + Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country"". Country Top 40 with Fitz. May 25, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.

External links

• Lyrics at Bob Dylan's official site

• 1963 songs
• Songs written by Bob Dylan
• Bob Dylan songs
• Johnny Cash songs
• Boz Scaggs songs
• Folk rock songs
• Male vocal duets