I Shall Be Released

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“I Shall Be Released”
album cover
Song by The Band
Album	Music from Big Pink
Released	July 1, 1968
Length	3:19
Writer	Bob Dylan
Music from Big Pink track listing
"This Wheel's on Fire" (10) “I Shall Be Released” (11)

“I Shall Be Released”
Song by Bob Dylan
Album	Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II
Released	November 17, 1971
Writer	Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II track listing
"When I Paint My Masterpiece" (18) “I Shall Be Released” (19) "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (20)

"I Shall Be Released" is a 1967 song written by Bob Dylan.

The Band played it on their debut album, Music from Big Pink (1968), with Richard Manuel singing lead vocals, and Rick Danko and Levon Helm harmonizing in the chorus. A legendary performance of the song was performed near the end of The Band's farewell concert, The Last Waltz, in which all the night's performers (with the exception of Muddy Waters) plus Ringo Starr and Ronnie Wood graced the same stage.

Bob Dylan recorded two primary versions. The first is the Basement Tapes initial recording, recorded in 1967 and released on Bootleg Series 1-3 in 1991. Dylan recorded the song a second time in 1971, releasing this new recording on Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II.

[edit] Published, Print

• Rise Up Singing page 102, states copyright 1967 and 1976

[edit] Other versions

"I Shall Be Released" has been covered many times by many different artists.

• One of the earliest recorded versions of the song was Joan Baez' cover, which she included on her 1968 Dylan tribute album Any Day Now (the title of the album coming from a line in the song). Baez also frequently performed the song live, often dedicating it to political prisoners.

• Rick Nelson recorded the song during his legendary Live at The Troubadour performance in December of 1969.

• "I Shall Be Released" was also used by Bette Midler as the closing song of her concert tours throughout the mid to late 1970's. The hopeful message connected with her large following of gay fans that related the lyrics to being released from discrimination. Midler included the recording on her second, self-titled LP, as well as a live version on her concert film Divine Madness as part of a medley with The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want".

• Coheed and Cambria also covered this song, it was released on the band's MySpace as a Christmas present to their fans.

• A recording of "I Shall Be Released", sung by Jeff Buckley over the phone on live radio, was released on the album For New Orleans. A solo version was also released in Live at Sin-é (Legacy Edition).

• The Tom Robinson Band covered the song on their debut album, Power in the Darkness, with some lyrical changes.

• The Magic Numbers and Martha Wainwright performed a live version of this at the most recent Secret Policeman's Ball.

• Wilco played this song fifteen times on their A Ghost Is Born tour from December 31, 2004 to October 22, 2005.

• Nina Simone covered the song on her album To Love Somebody (1969).

• On April 21, 2007, Jack Johnson and various other artists including Ernie Cruz, The Girlas, and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder performed the song live at the Kokua Festival in Honolulu, Hawaii.

• The Slackers (New York based ska-band) made a cover of the song on their album Peculiar released in 2006

• Sopa de Cabra (Catalan rock group from Girona, Catalonia, Spain) adapted the song into Catalan for the album "El Nits Dels Anys", released in 2003.

• Other notable cover versions were done by Paul Weller, The Jerry Garcia Band, and Sting.

• Joe Cocker performed a live version at the Woodstock Festival, as did The Band later on the same day.

• Clammbon, a Japanese group with pop and jazz influences, also has a version of the song on their cover album, Lover Album.

• The Deftones, a hard rock group, released a version of the song.

• Mariam Makeba released a medley of this song and "Thulasizwe".

• The Hollies recorded it on their "Hollies Sing Dylan" album.

• Pearls Before Swine recorded it on their 1969 album These Things Too.

• Marion Williams recorded it in 1995.

• OK Go recorded it with New Orleans band Bonerama for the 2008 EP "You're Not Alone".

v • d • e The Band Original members Robbie Robertson • Rick Danko • Richard Manuel • Garth Hudson • Levon Helm Other members and related people Ronnie Hawkins • Bob Dylan • John Simon • Allen Toussaint • Jim Weider • Randy Ciarlante • Richard Bell • Stan Szelest Studio albums Music from Big Pink • The Band • Stage Fright • Cahoots • Moondog Matinee • Planet Waves • The Basement Tapes • Northern Lights - Southern Cross • Islands • Jericho • High On The Hog • Jubilation Live albums Rock of Ages • Before the Flood • The Last Waltz (album) • Live at Watkins Glen • The Last Waltz (box) Compilations The Best of The Band • Anthology • To Kingdom Come • Across The Great Divide • The Best of The Band, Vol. II • Greatest Hits • A Musical History • From Bacon Fat to Judgement Day Songs The Weight • This Wheel's on Fire • I Shall Be Released • Up on Cripple Creek • The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down • Don't Do It • Acadian Driftwood • Tears of Rage Related topics The Last Waltz • This Wheel's on Fire • Capitol Records • Americana • Summer Jam at Watkins Glen