“I don’t think it’s a duet song”: The classic duet Keith Richards thought never worked
Every artist is always going to have to put their own spin on whatever song is in front of them. While no one can sing a song better than the person who wrote it, it’s always important to see the tune from all angles before deciding who should take the lead on everything. And while Keith Richards had the utmost respect for his fellow rock and roll legends, he thought thatthese two icons never quite did justice to one of the greatest songs of the 1960s.
Then again, Richards was usually lenient when it came to covering other people’s material. After all, The Rolling Stones got their start as a blues covers band, so it wasn’t out of the question for him to throw in traditional Bo Diddley or Chuck Berry songs and put their signature energy behind them during their glory years.
But rock and roll was beginning to look a lot less like party music when Richards was coming up. It was about making a statement, and by the time Bob Dylan emerged with an acoustic guitar, the world saw what a true artist could look like. Even if he wasn’t the most tuneful singer in the world, there was no question that songs like ‘Masters of War’ or ‘Blowin’ In the Wind’ would outlive all of the mindless rock and roll tunes around that time.
Whereas Dylan was more interested in making music for the people, it didn’t take long for Johnny Cash to take notice. He may have been a country legend at that point, but looking back on his own life, ‘The Man in Black’ always rooted for the underdog, and when everyone was crying out against Dylan for going electric, there was a good chance that Cash had that signature sly grin across his face watching Dylan change with the times.
That’s not to say that Dylan couldn’t reach across the aisle genre-wise, either. When working on the album Nashville Skyline, the folk-rocker had shaken off his rock credentials and had begun making country-infused records, which included a duet with Cash re-interpolating his song ‘Girl From the North Country’.
Even though Richards had a great love for country music with The Stones, he admitted that hearing Dylan and Cash play off each other never sat that well with him, saying, “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.”
And when looking at the lyrics, it makes sense why it wouldn’t work as a back-and-forth tune. As much as Cash’s signature growl hits every note perfectly, one can’t help but wonder how his version would have sounded had he recorded it on his own as he did with all of his classic covers, especially when hearing Dylan come in during another verse and sounding like he’s the same narrator only with a different voice this time.
Still, there was hardly anyone who was going to sway Dylan’s opinion in terms of where he was going to go. He had spent time in the limelight for more than he had bargained for, and since he couldn’t find a way around it, he was going to go down every weird avenue that he could until he landed on something he was happy with.
Never Miss A Tale
The Far Out Bob Dylan Newsletter
All the latest stories about Bob Dylan from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.