10 Most Underrated Bob Dylan Songs
6. Oh Sister
1976’s Desire is one of the great Dylan LPs, a great mix of country, protest, and rock, backed by a banging band and with some of his most interesting story songs (the right-on “Hurricane”, the ill conceived but fun ode to a gangster “Joey”).
Nestled among the record’s more muscular tracks is the sweet, sensitive “Oh Sister”. A duet with the great Emmylou Harris, this was a live favourite of the time when Dylan hit the road on his Rolling Thunder Revue tour (as captured by Scorsese’s excellent documentary), but fell out of favour as he stripped back his band to the simpler, more rocking troupe he’s favoured of late.
Dylan’s admittedly limited vocals are as good as they’ve been on Desire, and they mesh wonderfully with Harris’ Alabama lilt. This is a downbeat album all told, and “Oh Sister” continues that vibe with its pessimistic love story, but that doesn’t stop it from sounding beautiful.