Obviously 5 Believers

"Obviously Five Believers" is a song by Bob Dylan which appears on his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde. As with many other Dylan tracks of the 1965-1966 period ("From a Buick 6", "Outlaw Blues"), it is based around a slightly surreal lyric set to a blues-rock accompaniment.

The song borrows from American blues tradition liberally: the recurring riff resembles that of Memphis Minnie's "Me and My Chauffer Blues", Chuck Berry's "I Want to Be Your Driver" and the standard "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl". In addition, the turnaround is also similar to Muddy Waters' "Trouble No More." Furthermore, the opening mentions "Early in the morning" which is suggestive of Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman." The last verse repeats the line "feel so all alone" which is also found in the Blonde On Blonde opener "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35".

"Obviously 5 Believers" was not played in concert during Dylan's 1966 tour, and indeed was not played live at all until 1995 when it suddenly became a fairly frequent occurrence in Dylan's setlists for approximately 18 months.