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The Bob Dylan song that taught Courtney Barnett about harmonies

Fri 4 August 2023 14:00, UK

Courtney Barnett’s ingenious indie rock is driven by her blunt, straightforward vocals and wordy lyrics. It’s no surprise, then, that she’s a huge fan of Bob Dylan. Widely accepted as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan is renowned for his poetic lyricism, which channels protest, philosophy, and literature.

Barnett’s rambling lyricism is accompanied by rough, indie rock riffs, while Dylan’s is soundtracked by soft, folky strums and harmonicas, but, in spite of their contrasting guitar styles, the similarities between Barnett and Dylan are rife. Though most of Barnett’s songs are inspired by her own experiences, in the footsteps of Dylan, Barnett has become the voice of a counterculture in her own generation by channelling the poetry of modern mundanity.

The indie rock singer-songwriter has previously acknowledged the influence of the folk legend on her songwriting. Barnett named five songs she considers to be essential Dylan tracks in an interview with FUV. The first song she named was ‘With God On Our Side’, from Dylan’s 1964 album, The Times They Are a-Changin’.

Barnett recalls that she first heard the song while she and her band were playing in the Melbourne psych-folk outfit Immigrant Union. Reminiscing on the period, she recalled: “I used to play in this band, Immigrant Union, with my friend Rob. We’d all been rehearsing and drinking one night, and when everyone else went home, we went on a Dylan binge. He was showing me all this stuff I’d never heard of. We were doin’ that ‘n’ playing guitars until about 6am and we only stopped ‘cos I had to leave for this office job I had at the time.”

Rob asked Barnett if she knew Joan Baez, to which she replied, “No, who’s that?” From there, the Dylan binge became a Baez binge as Rob searched for a live video of the couple singing ‘With God On Our Side’, which Barnett tentatively suggests was taken at “Newport Folk Fest, maybe?”

The duo sang the song at the 1963 edition of the Newport Folk Festival. The footage shows Dylan playing acoustic guitar while the two lean into each other to harmonise, “Oh, the country was young with God on its side.” It’s a song which criticises the use of God to justify war, but Barnett recalls the impact on her musically.

Barnett and Rob immediately learned the song and performed it together, and the Australian indie rocker recalls that “It was around that night that I kind of figured out how to sing harmonies with someone else. Then, of course, I fell in love with Joan Baez.” Barnett’s resulting love for Baez is just as fitting as her admiration for Dylan – she was another voice for the counterculture of her time.

Channelling the anxieties of a generation through her poetic lyricism, Barnett is clearly inspired by the legacies of Dylan and Baez. But their influence stretches beyond this, encouraging Barnett to experiment with harmonies too.

Watch the footage of Dylan and Baez harmonising on ‘With God On Our Side’ at Newport Folk Festival below.