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Bob Dylan: 31 best songs from the 1990s (poll results)

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Back in April 2014:

We again challenge you to put together a top 10 list, or at least 10 songs (if you only provide a top 5 list, they will count as well). Songs 1-5 will receive 2 points each & 6-10 will receive 1 point.

Here is my list:

  1. Not Dark Yet (1997)
  2. Red River Shore (1997)
  3. Standing In The Doorway (1997)
  4. Highlands (1997)
  5. Things Have Changed (1999)
  6. Love Sick (1997)
  7. Hard Times (1992)
  8. Tryin’ To Get To Heaven (1997)
  9. Can’t Wait (1997)
  10. Delia (1993)

–

Hallgeir’s list:

  1. Red River Shore
  2. Not Dark Yet
  3. Love Sick
  4. Cold Irons Bound
  5. Make you feel my love
  6. Standing in the doorway
  7. Can’t Wait
  8. Things Have Changed
  9. Jack-a-Roe
  10. Lone Pilgrim

—

Use the comments section in this post or move over to our facebook page and comment on my post there.
Now… cast your votes…

————————————————————————————-

The major issue this time was if “Mississippi” was voteable.. did it count..

I have not set any strict rules for any of these polls, and I’ve counted most songs suggested. So also with “Mississippi”.

As I’ve pointed out in the comments section & in the comments section on Facebook:

Mississippi for me is a 2000s song. Even though it was recorded first in jan 1997 (two versions from these sessions were released on TTS in 2008). The version recorded and released in 2001 is to me the best versions (by far).

If Mississippi would been part of my list, it would have been at the top. It will be on top of the next list.

–

38 people voted, most of them with a top 10 list. Thanks for the input folks… this is a another GREAT list.

Here are the results of the JV community jury:

1

Not Dark Yet (1997)

59 points

2

Things Have Changed (1999)

51 points

3

Red River Shore (1997)

48 points

4

Standing In The Doorway (1997)

37 points

4

Tryin’ To Get To Heaven (1997)

37 points

6

Love Sick (1997)

29 points

7

Highlands (1997)

26 points

8

Mississippi (1997)

25 points

9

Cold Irons Bound (1997)

20 points

9

Make You Feel My Love (1997)

20 points

11

Lone Pilgrim (1993)

15 points

12

Born In Time (1990)

13 points

13

Can’t Wait (1997)

12 points

14

Delia (1993)

11 points

15

Handy Dandy (1990)

8 points

15

Dreamin’ Of You (1997)

8 points

17

Blood In My Eyes (1993)

7 points

17

Arthur McBride (1992)

7 points

17

Love Henry (1993)

7 points

20

God Knows (1990)

6 points

20

Jim Jones (1992)

6 points

22

Till I Fell In Love With You

5 points

22

Tomorrow Night

5 points

22

Marchin To The City

5 points

22

Dirt Road Blues

5 points

22

Hard Times

5 points

27

Blackjack Davey

4 points

27

Under The Red Sky

4 points

27

The Lonesome River

4 points

27

Two Soliders

4 points

27

Broke Down Engine

4 points

18 songs with 3 points or less.

Spotify Playlist:

Not Dark Yet:

Standing In The Doorway – Live 2000:

-Egil

50 thoughts on “Bob Dylan: 31 best songs from the 1990s (poll results)”

  1. Great to see “Not Dark Yet” get the acknowledgement it deserves. Wonderful song, beautiful production, perfect vocal and the band nails it. In my view, the best song recorded by anyone, ever.

  2. Hei Egil og Hallgeir!

    Kommer dere på “Bob Dylan 75 år” på Parkteateret 24. mai får dere høre versjoner av både Not dark Yet og Red River Shore.

    Steinar

  3. 1. Mississippi (alt. version)
    2. Not Dark Yet
    3. Red River Shore
    4. Standing In the Doorway
    5. Trying to Get to Heaven
    6. Till I Fell In Love With You
    7. Lovesick
    8. Marching to the City
    9. Things Have Changed
    10. (tie) Under the Red Sky
    10. (tie) Born In Time
    10. (tie) God Knows

  4. Nice list. Thanks.
    My late vote would be for Born in Time, live in Newark, NJ, February 1, 1998!

  5. 1. Mississippi
    2. Red River Shore
    3. Not Dark Yet
    4. Standing in the Doorway
    5. Love Sick
    6. Things have Changed
    7. Trying to get to Heaven
    8. Cold Irons Bound
    9. Make you feel my Love
    10. Highlands

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  8. I’m very surprised that Tell Ol’ Bill has not surfaced in any of these lists – this has to be in my top 3 or 4 (Huck’s Tune is also conspicuous by its absence…).

      1. Tell Ol’ Bill – 2005, Huck’s Tune – 2006. Also, Cross The Green Mountain – 2002. I’m sure those will appear here and there on the next list.

  9. Mississippi (All versions !!)
    Can’t Wait (TTS versions)
    Not Dark Yet
    Highlands
    Tryin’ To Get To Heaven
    Cold Irons Bound
    Under The Red Sky
    Dreamin’ Of You
    Standing In The Doorway
    Things Have Changed

    I’m sticking to original songs, and as has been pointed out, your previous list for 80’s songs set the precedent by including Dignity (it should therefore also include Born In Time etc), and so this list should include Mississippi. I like Dirt Road Blues & Lovesick, but they’re outside of the Top 10 for me. I still can’t really enjoy MYFML and Red River Shore is hugely overrated in my opinion. It’s a cool outtake, but I reckon it’s ‘classic’ status was somewhat fuelled by it’s prerelease reputation. Thanks for the fun and games.

    1. MYFML might get my vote as worst song dylan’s ever written/recorded. No disrespect to others here. Nevertheless, how many others have taken their versions up the various sales-volume charts? 😉

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  11. For the 80s I had to cut my list down from 20 or so, but for the 90s if it wasn’t for Time Out Of Mind I’d have a very short list.

    1. Not Dark Yet
    2. Highlands
    3. Dreamin’ of You
    4. Trying To Get To Heaven
    5. Things Have Changed
    6. Love Sick
    7. Lone Pilgrim
    8. Make You Feel My Love
    9. Marchin’ To The City
    10. Froggie Went A Courtin’

  12. 1. Mississippi
    2. Red river shore
    3. Not dark yet
    4. Standing in the doorway
    5. Born in time
    6. Things have changed
    7. Till I fell in love with you
    8. Trying to get to heaven
    9. The lonesome river
    10. Frankie and Albert

  13. 1. Highlands
    2. A hard rain’s a-gonna fall (Nara performance, ‘Dignity’ single, 1995)
    3. Not dark yet
    4. Standing in the doorway
    5. Lone pilgrim
    6. Tryin’ to get to heaven
    7. Lovesick
    8. Love Henry
    9. Broke down engine
    10. John Brown (Unplugged)

  14. Hmmm… I see the poll is songs “recorded” by Dylan in the 90s, not necessarily written by him? Since WGW and GAIBTY were included in your list I am assuming that they are eligible? And if Blind Willie McTell and Dignity are included in the 80s I would think MIssissippi would be 90s? I also include Traveling Wilburies Vol 3 since that was recorded in 1990… With all those considerations…

    1. MIssissippi
    2. Things Have Changed
    3. Tryin’ to Get To Heaven
    4. Not Dark Yet
    5. Red River Shore
    6. Highlands
    7. Delia
    8. Cold Irons Bound
    9. Can’t Wait
    10. If You Belonged to Me

  15. Songs:
    1 Not Dark Yet (Jan 97)
    2 Love Sick (Jan 97)
    3 Red River Shore (Jan 97)
    4 Things Have Changed (May 5, 1999)
    5 Polly Vaughn (Bromberg sessions, Jun 5/92)
    6 Can’t Wait (Jan 1997,the slow, creepy one for Tell Tale Signs)
    7 The Lonesome River (w/ Ralph Stanley, Dec 97)
    8 Arthur McBride (Jul 1992)
    9 Two Soldiers (World Gone Wrong, May 20, 1993
    10 Wiggle, Wiggle (Under the Red Sky, Mar 30, 1990)

    and just for fun,
    Performances:
    1 A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (Nara, Japan, May 22, 1994)
    2 Pancho and Lefty (w/ Willie Nelson, Big 6-0, Apr 28, 1993)
    3 Friend of the Devil (Stolen Roses, Dead tribute, Mar 1, 1999)
    4 Restless Farewell (Sinatra Tribute, Nov 19, 1995)
    5 Moon River (for Stevie Ray, Aug 27, 1990)
    6 Weepin’ Willow (Supper Club, Nov 17, 1993, awww shucks)
    7. Boots of Spanish Leather (Atlanta Aug 4, 1996 Live 96)
    8 Blind Willie McTell (cd single from Aug 17, 1997)
    9 Love Sick (The Grammies, Feb 25 1998)
    10 Born in Time (cd single, Feb 1, 1998)

  16. Cold Irons Bound
    Not dark Yet
    Make You Feel My Love
    Standing in the Doorway
    Love Sick
    Things Have Changed
    Red River Shore
    Marching to the City
    Lone Pilgrim
    Highlands

  17. 1. Mississippi
    2. Not Dark Yet
    3. Red River Shore
    4. Highlands
    5. Diamond Joe
    6. Standing in the Doorway
    7. Cold Irons Bound
    8. Dreamin’ Of You
    9. Handy Dandy
    10. Tryin’ To Get To Heaven

  18. 1. Dignity – Wasn’t released until 90’s, does that count? (Unplugged version)
    2. Cold Irons Bound
    3. Dirt Road Blues
    4. Things Have Changed
    5. God Knows
    6. Love Sick
    7. Mississippi
    8. Blood In My Eyes
    9.Under The Red Sky
    10. Not Dark Yet

  19. On second thought (out of mind)…please place Dreamin’ of You in my number ten position!

  20. Although I think very highly of World Gone Wrong (maybe even placing it in the lowest reaches of Dylan’s ‘top 10 best lps’), I won’t consider anything from that record or (the somewhat inferior, to my ears) Good as I Been to You, since the songs are not Dylan compositions. And Mississippi, for me, belongs to “Love and Theft” and the next decade.

    1. Not Dark Yet
    2. Red River Shore
    3. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven
    4. Things Have Changed
    5. Highlands
    6. Marching to the City
    7. Standing in the Doorway
    8. Lovesick
    9. Cold Irons Bound
    10, Dreamin’ of You

  21. Red River Shore/Not Dark Yet/Love Sick/Highlands/Born in Time/Delia/Lone Pilgrim/Can’t Wait/Cold Irons Bound/Trying to Get to Heaven/

  22. 1.Not Dark Yet
    2.Tryin’ to Get to Heaven
    3.World Gone Wrong
    4.Mississippi
    5.Red River Shore
    6.Things Have Change
    7.Cold Iron Bounds
    8.Make You Feel My Love
    9.Standing in a Doorway
    10.Can’t Wait

  23. I’m assuming you all are saving Mississippi for the 00s but maybe not everyone is clear about what should count as the 90s, so that may throw the results of a bit, and that “Declaration of Independence” of a song is at the top of whatever decade you decide to include it in.

    1. Yes.. I should maybe update my post with some info. on this.

      I myself did not consider Mississippi for my top 10, even though he did record & release (in 2008) 2 versions in 1997.
      The first (and by far the best) released version was recorded in 2001…

      1. Thanks for these. For the 1997 version, I think most folks are thinking of the lead off track on TTS with the fabulously evocative vocal and spare setting (many folks’ favorite version), so I’d recommend that one for the Spotify list.

        Overall, the 90’s were a very different decade for Dylan, with a long break from songwriting after one poorly received album and dominated by the latter-day “comeback” album and the two great outtakes from those sessions. You could say this was the decade that Bob learned to “seal up the book” for a while and wait for inspiration to strike again.

  24. Mississippi, Trying to Get to Heaven, Not Dark Yet, I Got Blood in My Eyes for You,Standing in the Doorway, Make You Feel My Love,

  25. 1) Things Have Changed
    2) Can’t Wait
    3) Cold Irons Bound
    4) Hard Times
    5) Delia
    6) Love Henry
    7) Lone Pilgrim
    8) Highlands
    9) Black Jack Davey
    10) Step It Up And Go

  26. mina förslag

    Lone pilgrim
    Red river shore
    Make you feel my love
    Things Have Changed
    Tomorrow night
    Hard times
    Highlands
    Trying to get to heaven
    Not Dark Yet
    Love Henry
    Arthur McBride

  27. Not Dark Yet / Trying to Get To Heaven / Red River Shore / Things Have Changed / Dreamin of You / Marchin To The City / Mississippi / Standing In The Doorway / Born In Time / Cold Irons Bound

    I didnt consider songs off GAIBTY or WGW – love them, but I dont see them as ‘real’ Dylan compositions.

    1. Yes – they’re not Dylan songs, real or not. I thought the premise of these lists was ‘greatest Dylan songs’. World Gone Wrong and especially GAIBTY are super performances though. That’s another list though, isn’t it?

      1. Yep – they don’t really fit here for me but each to his own. I’m happy with my 10 regardless. The 2 albums of folk and blues reinterpretations are interesting and important, but nothing matches a Dylan original for me !

        1. Agreed, although at the same time nothing really matches Dylan doing Canadee-I-O or Jim Jones (or Froggie Went A-Courtin’, the best performance on the album and, I would argue possibly his best album performance of the decade).

  28. 1. Not Dark Yet
    2. Highlands
    3. Things Have Changed
    4. Delia
    5. Standing In The Doorway
    6. Red River Shore
    7. You’re Gonna Quit Me
    8. Handy Dandy
    9. Tryin’ To Get To Heaven
    10. Cat’s In The Well

  29. Not Dark Yet
    Things Have Changed
    Arthur McBride
    Frankie & Albert
    Love Henry
    Jim Jones
    Lone Pilgrim
    Two Soldiers
    ‘Til I Fell In Love With You
    Born In TIme

  30. Things Have Changed
    Dreamin’ of You
    Love Sick
    Not Dark Yet
    Make You Feel My Love
    Cold Irons Bound
    Delia
    Standing in the Doorway
    Dirt Road Blues
    Arthur McBride

  31. Standing In The Doorway
    Red River Shore
    Trying to get to Heaven
    God Knows
    Make You Feel My Love
    Delia
    Born In Time
    Things Have Changed
    Love Sick
    Tomorrow Night

  32. Dirt Road Blues
    Love Sick
    Highlands
    Standing In The Doorway
    Broke Down Engine
    Hard Times
    Tryin’ to Get To Heaven
    Tomorrow Night
    Cold Irons Bound
    ‘Till I Fell In Love With You

  33. I have never listened to Under the Red Sky and Good As I Been To You, sorry 😀

    1. Love Sick
    2. Not Dark Yet
    3. Things Have Changed
    4. Mississippi
    5. Red River Shore
    6. Standing In The Doorway
    7. Highlands
    8. Cold Irons Bound
    9. Make You Feel My Love
    10. Blood In My Eyes

  34. 1. Things Have Changed
    2. Mississipi #2
    3. Trying To Get To Heaven
    4. Two Soldiers
    5. ‘Til I Fell In Love With You
    6. Red River Shore
    7. Cocaine Bllues
    8. The Lonesome River
    9. Highlands
    10. Broke Down Engine

    1. Nice song, but I guess you know that ‘The Lonesome River’ is a Stanley Brothers song.

  35. 1. Things have changed
    2. Mississippi
    3red river shore
    4 love sick
    5 standing in the doorway
    6 born in time
    7 trying to get to heaven
    8 Jim jones
    9 blood in my eyes
    10 can adee I o

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