Today we are up to number 66 on the Bob Dylan 70th birthday countdown.
That number brings to mind 1966, the year Dylan recorded his landmark double-LP, Blonde On Blonde. One of the most beloved and revered songs on the album was the third track, "Visions Of Johanna", which was originally called "Seems Like A Freeze-Out", although Dylan once introduced it as "Mother Revisited".
Singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock commented, "This is my favorite song. It's why I started writing songs"
Singer Marianne Faithfull hung out with Dylan in the mid-1960s, and can be seen in the documentary Dont Look Back. In 1970, Faithfull recorded an LP titled Rich Kid Blues, but it remained in the vaults until the mid 1980s. The released version included three Dylan covers - "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue,""It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry," and "Visions Of Johanna." It was recorded just before Faithfull hit rock bottom (and later, resurrected herself).
Faithfull reportedly hates the album, but many disagree with her assessment. You can listen to Faithfull's acoustic version of "Visions Of Johanna" in the embedded clip at the left.
According to Dylan Covers, Faithfull also covered "Blowin' In The Wind", "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight", "I'll Keep It With Mine", and "Gotta Serve Somebody".
Twenty years ago, when asked what she wished for Dylan on his 50th birthday, Faithfull replied, "A brand-new leopard-skin pillbox hat". Interestingly, in 1989, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards commissioned a "Brand new leopard skin pillbox hat" silver skull box with 18ct gold lid, as a gift for Dylan's fiftieth birthday.
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