Nashville Skyline Songs Ranked
Nashville Skyline is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on April 9, 1969, by Columbia Records as LP record, reel to reel tape and audio cassette. Building on the rustic style he experimented with on John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline displayed a complete immersion into country music. Along with the more basic lyrical themes, simple songwriting structures, and charming domestic feel, it introduced audiences to a radically new singing voice from Dylan, who had temporarily quit smoking —a soft, affected country croon. The result received a generally positive reaction from critics, and was a commercial success. Reaching No. 3 in the U.S., the album also scored Dylan his fourth UK No. 1 album. Here are all of Nashville Skyline songs ranked.
Don’t miss out on the music of Bob Dylan. Click below and listen to his timeless songs.
8. Nashville Skyline Rag
“It certainly sets the tone for the album with it’s hokey country charm, but it is a pleasant sound nonetheless. Perfect for driving down a hilly country-road on a hot summer’s day. It’s got a certain upbeat charm and warmth to it.”
7. Peggy Day
” It’s ripe with cliche lyrics, but admittedly is a joy to listen to. It’s a happy little song, quite hokey, as Dylan just picks corny words that rhyme with “day” throughout it. It ends with a waltzy outro which really puts the corny-exclamation mark firmly in place to cap it off.”
6. One More Night
“one of my personal favorite songs on the album. Like pretty much all the other songs, it’s hokey, but this one has a nice, steady, foot-tapping rhythm to it that I particularly enjoy. It puts me in a good mood. I also really dig Dylan’s guitar on this song. It’s country, but it sounds good. It sounds happy, and the bass on the song sounds great too, and really accentuates the overall hokey, yet cheerful vibe of the song.”
See more: Bob Dylan Albums Ranked
5. Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You
“Nashville Skyline finishes up with “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You”. This song is kind of like a cousin to “Down Along The Cove” and “I”ll Be Your Baby Tonight” from John Wesley Harding. It’s got that type of catchiness to it. Another pretty good song, a fitting way to close out an incredibly hokey album.”
4. I Threw It All Away
“Then we have “I Threw It All Away” which is one of the best songs on the album. It’s kind of a “tear in your beer” type of country song, kind of sad in tone. Although it’s certainly cliche at times, the lyrics resonate with me personally. It’s about having everything good going for you, and then you “throw it all away”. I did that once, when I quit my job, broke up with my girlfriend, and moved to Chicago from San Francisco”
3. Girl from the North Country
“The first song on the album is a duet between Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. Normally, that combination would be enough to get this reviewer very excited, as these guys were bonafide legends. Unfortunately, they’re covering my favorite love song of all-time, Bob’s own “Girl From The North Country”. That song is absolute delicate perfection in my opinion, so there’s no need to cover it. You can’t make a song like that better, you can only make it worse. Perhaps if you hadn’t heard the original, this would sound like a pleasant duet from two legends, but given that the original is very special to me, I can’t really listen to the cover version.”
2. To Be Alone with You
“I can only imagine the reaction folks had back in the day when this album first hit the shelves. Maybe Bob was doing a different voice on the “Girl From The North Country” cover because he was singing with Johnny Cash? Surely the entire album isn’t going to be like that? It soon becomes apparent, that yes, the entire album is going to be like that. And quite hokey too, as “To Be Alone With You” reflects. It almost sounds like a parody of a country-song, must have really shocked people upon first hearing it. That said, it is a good country song, an upbeat tune with lots of charm.”
1. Lay Lady Lay
“This song has a bit of a bizarre, otherworldly quality to it. The organ gives the song a somewhat eerie feeling, and the cowbell adds to the quirkiness of it. Then of course you have the country-slide guitar and Dylan’s country-croon, just making it all around a rather peculiar listening experience. It’s one of the most unique songs in Dylan’s catalog, and overall, a pretty good song at that.”
