A black and white picture of Bob Dylan strumming an acoustic guitar and singing into a microphone.

Music

7 Songs You Didn’t Know Bob Dylan Wrote

Hundreds of musicians have covered Bob Dylan's songs. Some of these cover are so successful that they eclipse Dylan's. He also wrote songs for other artists.

by Emma McKee

Published on July 16, 2023

3 min read

Bob Dylan has been writing songs for decades. While he has had quite a few hits under his own name, other musicians made some Dylan songs more famous. He also wrote songs with other artists that he never released himself. Here are seven surprising songs that Dylan wrote.

‘Wagon Wheel’

In 2004, Old Crow Medicine Show released “Wagon Wheel,” the lead single on their debut album. Since then, musician Darius Rucker released a popular cover of the song. While Ketch Secor, the lead singer of Old Crow Medicine Show, wrote the verses to the song, he borrowed the chorus and melody from a 1973 Dylan demo entitled “Rock Me Mama.”

“Bob Dylan cast a spell with every song he made, particularly in 1973, when he wrote that chorus,” Secor told Relix. “I’m convinced that he put down his legal pad after he wrote that chorus, and he scrapped it because he wrote ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.’ I wrote [‘Wagon Wheel’] because I didn’t know what else to write about when I was 17.”

‘If Not For You’

In 1970, George Harrison released “If Not For You” on his first post-Beatles album All Things Must Pass. Dylan wrote the song about his first wife, Sara, and released it on his 1971 album, New Morning.

Harrison and Dylan had grown closer in the late 1960s, with Harrison spending time in Woodstock with Dylan and The Band. Dylan had a big influence on the Beatle. As a result, Harrison also included the song “I’d Have You Anytime” on All Things Must Pass.

‘Love Rescue Me’

In 1987, Bono and Dylan met up and began working on a song together. While they originally called it “Prisoner of Love,” they renamed the finished song “Love Rescue Me.” It appeared on U2’s 1988 album Rattle and Hum.

Per American Songwriter, Dylan initially sang lead vocals on the song. He ultimately asked the band not to release his version because he was working with The Traveling Wilburys at the time. Bono sings the version on the album.

‘Tomorrow is a Long Time’

In 1963, Dylan performed “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” at a New York concert. He officially released it in 1971 on the album Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits Vol. II, but not before Elvis Presley recorded a cover of the song in 1966. Dylan, who was a big fan of Elvis, considered this the highest honor.

“Elvis Presley recorded a song of mine. That’s the one recording I treasure the most,” Dylan told Rolling Stone in 1969. “It was called ‘Tomorrow Is A Long Time.’ I wrote it but never recorded it.”

‘You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere’

In 1967, Dylan wrote the song “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” but he didn’t release it until Greatest Hits Vol. II. In 1968, The Byrds released their own version of the song.

The band covered Dylan multiple times — most famously with “Mr. Tambourine Man” — and Dylan was typically happy with their take on his songs. He reportedly didn’t like this version as much, though, as Roger McGuinn unintentionally missang a line in The Byrds’ recording.

‘Make You Feel My Love’

Many artists have covered Dylan’s early songs, but one of his most-covered songs is 1997’s “Make You Feel My Love.” Since its release, over 450 artists have put out their own take on the song.

Artists like Billy Joel, Michael Bolton, and Garth Brooks have released covers, but the most well-known version is the one Adele released in 2008.

“I heard that song and I read the lyrics and they’re the most beautiful lyrics I’ve ever read or heard or sung,” she said, per Rolling Stone. “And they kind of summed up everything I’m trying to write in my songs about how I felt. It’s such a beautiful song.”

‘I Shall Be Released’

In the mid-1960s, Dylan began working with Canadian group The Band. They worked as his backing band for several years. In 1968, The Band released a version of the Dylan song “I Shall Be Released” on their debut album Music From the Big Pink.