Top Zimmerman.


It's perhaps surprising that one of my favourite love-songs was written by Bob Dylan.




He's someone you're more likely to associate with cynicism than romanticism, which may be why when he writes something tender, it hits home all the more. Take the much-covered 'Make You Feel My Love': Dylan's aged cigarette-and-Never-Ending-Tour-weary voice lends more beauty, warmth and sincerity to the song for me than Adele or (*shudder*) Garth Brooks ever could, particularly when hidden in the midst of the bitter, depression-filled, mortality-fearing atmosphere of the album 'Time Out of Mind'. It sounds genuine. When he wears his heart on his sleeve and shows a little frailty, it’s a fleeting yet wonderful thing to behold.

While I love 'Make You Feel My Love' (I could have worded that better), it doesn’t hold a candle to 'You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go'. It’s not just one of my favourite ballads; it’s one of my favourite songs full stop. It captures the feeling of new love perfectly, sounding like it's written from the perspective of someone whose heart has been broken in the past and never thought they'd get a second chance. It features perhaps my favourite lyric ever: 

“I could stay with you forever and never realise the time” 

I'd urge you to give the song a chance, even if you’re not a fan of Dylan's work and find it hard to get past the acquired taste of his voice. His harmonica playing isn’t even that piercing for once, which is a bonus.

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