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TL;DR:

  • The Everly Brothers heard Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” before the song was complete.
  • The Everly Brothers weren’t sure if Dylan was trying to offer them “Lay Lady Lay.”
  • Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” hit the top 10 in the United States.
"Lay Lady Lay" singer Bob Dylan with a guitar
Bob Dylan | Bettmann / Contributor

Bob Dylan‘s “Lay Lady Lay” is one of the most famous country songs from the 1960s. Notably, The Everly Brothers once thought Dylan might’ve been offering it to them. Subsequently, the duo made the song their own.

The Everly Brothers discussed how the perception of rock changed in the 1960s

During a 1984 interview with Rolling Stone, The Everly Brothers’ Don Everly said rock ‘n’ roll was frowned upon when the duo started out. “And the press: interviewers were always older than us, and they let you know they didn’t like your music, they were just doing the interview because it was their job,” he said.

A new era changed this. “Then along came the ’60s, and everyone suddenly got real young, and if you were over 30, they didn’t trust you,” he said. A popular adage of the time was “Never trust anyone over 30.”

Bob Dylan showed ‘Lay Lady Lay’ to The Everly Brothers before it was finished

Don further discussed his feelings about the 1960s. “It was all very strange,” he said. “I took LSD — the best, Owsley’s orange sunshine – but I was wearing tuxedos at the same time. We’d be playing a country show one night, then the Fillmore West the next, with the Sons of Champlin or somebody.

“Played the Bitter End, too, finally,” he added. “Met Bob Dylan there one night. We were looking for songs, and he was writing ‘Lay Lady Lay’ at the time. He sang parts of it, and we weren’t quite sure whether he was offering it to us or not. It was one of those awestruck moments. We wound up cutting the song about 15 years later.”

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How ‘Lay Lady Lay’ and The Everly Brothers’ cover performed on the charts

“Lay Lady Lay” became one of Dylan’s biggest hits. The tune reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 14 weeks. The tune appeared on the album Nashville Skyline. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 47 weeks.

The Everly Brothers covered “Lay Lady Lay” for their album EB 84. The cover never reached the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile, the album hit No. 38 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 17 weeks.

The Everly Brothers weren’t the only group to put their spin on “Lay Lady Lay.” Ministry, The Byrds, Duran Duran, The Flaming Lips, The Isley Brothers, and numerous others covered “Lay Lady Lay.” Lana Del Rey also referenced the song by name in her song “Religion” on her album Honeymoon. That was one of many examples of Del Rey paying homage to classic rock artists in her songs.

“Lay Lady Lay” is a classic song even though Dylan didn’t give it to The Everly Brothers.

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