This was the 6th “Oh Mercy” recording session, and Dylan also landed another master: “Everything Is Broken”.

The Studio
New Orleans, Louisiana
14 or 15 March 1989
6th Oh Mercy recording session, produced by Daniel Lanois

1. Everything Is Broken
   What is delightful about “Everything Is Broken” is, once more, the vocal performance and the sound of the track (its feel ), and the stimulating effect of this sound and this vocal performance and this message alongside these other songs and their sounds and vocals and messages.
   ~Paul Williams (Bob Dylan: Performing Artist Volume 3: Mind Out Of Time 1986 And Beyond)
   –
   Overdubbed: Bob Dylan New vocal and harmonica overdub April 3, 1989
   Released on: Oh Mercy – 19 September 1989
   
2. Everything Is Broken
   Released on: Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 Rare & Unreleased 1989-2006, 6 October 2008.
   
3. Everything Is Broken
4. Jam
5. Three Of Us Be Free
6. Three Of Us Be Free
7. Shooting Star
8. Shooting Star
9. Shooting Star
   
10. Shooting Star
11. Shooting Star
12. Shooting Star
13. Shooting Star
    ..Best of all, anyway, is the harmonica solo that ends the song and the album and certainly manages to summarize and acknowledge any feeling that may have arisen in any listener while listening to this song or to all ten of these performances.
    ~Paul Williams (Bob Dylan: Performing Artist Volume 3: Mind Out Of Time 1986 And Beyond)
    –
    Overdubbed: Bob Dylan & Daniel Lanois 1-3 March.
    Released on: Oh Mercy – 19 September 1989
    Spotify:
    
14. Shooting Star

–

• 1-6 Bob Dylan (guitar), Brian Stoltz (guitar and 12-string guitar), Tony Hall (bass), Willie Green (drums) and Darryl Johnson (congas and percussion).
• 7-14 Bob Dylan (guitar), Brian Stoltz (guitar), Tony Hall (bass), Willie Green (drums), and Daniel Lanois (dobro).

–

Lyrics

Seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of you
You were trying to break into another world
A world I never knew
I always kind of wondered
If you ever made it through
Seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of you

Seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of me
If I was still the same
If I ever became what you wanted me to be
Did I miss the mark or overstep the line
That only you could see?
Seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of me

Listen to the engine, listen to the bell
As the last fire truck from hell
Goes rolling by
All good people are praying
It’s the last temptation, the last account
The last time you might hear the sermon on the mount
The last radio is playing

Seen a shooting star tonight
Slip away
Tomorrow will be
Another day
Guess it’s too late to say the things to you
That you needed to hear me say
Seen a shooting star tonight
Slip away

—

Check out:

• Alldylan @ Facebook
• –
• Bob Dylan: Live 1980 – 1989 (Video & audio)
  
• Bob Dylan: 8 essential videos from the 80’s
• –
• Karl Erik’s expectingrain.com
• Olof’s “Still On The Road“

-Egil