10 Most Underrated Bob Dylan Songs
1. Fourth Time Around
1966’s Blonde On Blonde is one of Dylan’s truly unimpeachable records. The album’s foundations are Nashville pickers, carnival horns, sprawling tracks and gaudy maximalism. But the hidden gem is the delicate, thoughtful “4th Time Around”, nestled towards the back end of the LP and taking a subtle approach that makes it so distinctive on this raucous album.
The track is primarily acoustic, a swaying waltz comprised of harmonica, beautiful fingerpicking, a propulsive snare, and Dylan’s vocals. He’s in a playfully obtuse mood for the entirety of the album, and while it’s no different here, the melody is no less sweet for the singer’s often charmingly odd turns of phrase.
The song was thought to be a response of sorts to John Lennon’s “Norwegian Wood”, but the rage and misogyny of the Beatles track is here tempered with humour and deft lyricism. Whatever the inspiration, it’s a gem of a track, old school singer songwriter stuff from an album of full blown rock.