Lay Lady Lay

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“Lay Lady Lay”

Single by Bob Dylan from the album Nashville Skyline
B-side	"Peggy Day"
Released	July, 1969
Format	7" 45 RPM
Recorded	Columbia Studio A Nashville, Tennessee February 14, 1969
Genre	Country Rock
Length	3:20
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Bob Dylan
Producer	Bob Johnston

"Lay Lady Lay" is a song written by Bob Dylan and originally released in 1969 on his Nashville Skyline album. The words of the song are sung by Dylan in a low, soft-sounding voice instead of his familiar high-pitched nasal-sounding voice. Dylan credited his "new" voice to quitting smoking before recording the song, but some unreleased bootleg tapes from the early '60s reveal that this was an aspect of his vocal persona that he had actually possessed since at least that time.^[1] Released as a single in July of 1969, it became one of Dylan's biggest US Pop chart hits, peaking at number seven. The single did even better on the UK Singles Chart, reaching the number five spot. It is often performed live by Dylan, and was included on the Hard Rain and Before the Flood albums. It also appears on his quintuple-platinum Greatest Hits, Volume II album, as well as on compilations Biograph and The Essential Bob Dylan.

The song was originally written for the soundtrack of the movie Midnight Cowboy, but wasn't submitted in time to make the final cut. ^[2]

Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers has been quoted that Dylan offered them the song to record in the following way. The Everlys were appearing at the Bottom Line in New York, and after the show, Dylan went backstage to visit with them. Phil asked if Bob had any new songs they might record, and he said yes, there was one they could have. He picked up a guitar and sang, but so quietly that the Everlys could not clearly make out all the words, and thought they heard "lay lady lay, lay across my big breasts, babe." Thinking it was a song about lesbians, Don Everly said "thank you, it's a great song, but I don't think we could get away with that", and declined to record it. Dylan did not question them about it and went on to cut the track himself. Months later, they heard Dylan's version on the radio and realized they'd misunderstood the words. The Everlys felt they'd missed a big opportunity and later recorded the song on their album, "EB 84".

Dozens of other cover versions of the song have been recorded by numerous performers, including:

The Byrds, on a 1969 single
Made In Sweden, on the 1969 album Snakes In A Hole
Cher, on the 1969 album 3614 Jackson Highway
Ben E. King, on the 1970 album Rough Edges
The Isley Brothers, on the 1971 album Givin' It Back
Della Reese, on the 1973 album Let Me In Your Life
Neil Diamond, on the 1978 album Stages: Performances 1970-2002
Everly Brothers, on the 1984 album EB 84
Richie Havens, on the 1986 album Sings Beatles and Dylan
Booker T. & the MG's, on the 1992 album Time Is Tight
Duran Duran, on the 1995 album Thank You
Ministry, on the 1996 album Filth Pig
Isaac Hayes, on the 1999 album Tangled Up In Blues: Songs Of Bob Dylan
Steve Howe, on the 1999 album Portraits of Bob Dylan
Eddie and Ernie, on the 2002 album Lost Friends
Cassandra Wilson, on the 2003 album Glamoured
US Maple, on the 2003 album "Purple on Time"
Magnet and Gemma Hayes, on the 2003 album On Your Side, also featured in the 2005 film Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Buddy Guy (featuring Anthony Hamilton), on the 2005 album Bring 'Em In
Maria Muldaur, on the 2006 album Heart of Mine: Love Songs of Bob Dylan
Sparta on a tribute album entitled "My Favorite Song Writers"
Deana Carter, on the 2007 album The Chain