jmjiloveyou

<h1>Lay Lady Lay</h1><p>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#mw-head" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jump to navigation</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#searchInput" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jump to search</a></p><p><strong>"Lay Lady Lay"</strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LayLadyLay45.jpg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/22/LayLadyLay45.jpg/220px-LayLadyLay45.jpg" alt="LayLadyLay45.jpg" height="220" width="220"></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_(music)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Single</a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bob Dylan</a>from the album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville_Skyline" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nashville Skyline</em></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-side_and_B-side" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">B-side</a>"Peggy Day"ReleasedJuly&nbsp;1969RecordedFebruary 14, 1969<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_studio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Studio</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quonset_Hut_Studio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Columbia</a>, Nashville, Tennessee<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_genre" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Genre</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_rock" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Country rock</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[1]</a>Length3:20<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_label" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Label</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Records" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Columbia</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songwriter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Songwriter(s)</a>Bob Dylan<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_producer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Producer(s)</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Johnston" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bob Johnston</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bob Dylan</a> singles chronology "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Threw_It_All_Away" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">I Threw It All Away</a>"</p><p>(1969) "<strong>Lay Lady Lay</strong>"</p><p>(1969) "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonight_I%27ll_Be_Staying_Here_with_You" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You</a>"</p><p>(1969)</p><p><br></p><p>"<strong>Lay Lady Lay</strong>", sometimes rendered "<strong>Lay, Lady, Lay</strong>",<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[2]</a> is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">song</a> written by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bob Dylan</a> and originally released in 1969 on his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville_Skyline" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nashville Skyline</em></a> album.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-allmusic-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[3]</a> Like many of the tracks on the album, Dylan sings the song in a low croon, rather than in the high nasal singing style associated with his earlier (and eventually later) recordings.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-allmusic2-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[4]</a> The song has become a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_(music)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">standard</a> and has been <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_version" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">covered</a> by numerous bands and artists over the years, including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Byrds" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the Byrds</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramblin%27_Jack_Elliott" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ramblin' Jack Elliott</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Everly_Brothers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the Everly Brothers</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Guy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Buddy Guy</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Hamilton_(musician)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Anthony Hamilton</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanie_Safka" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Melanie</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Isley_Brothers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the Isley Brothers</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Andy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bob Andy</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duran_Duran" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Duran Duran</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnet_(musician)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Magnet</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoyt_Axton" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hoyt Axton</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ang%C3%A9lique_Kidjo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Angélique Kidjo</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_(band)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ministry</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria_(band)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Malaria!</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorrie_Morgan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lorrie Morgan</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimal_Compact" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Minimal Compact</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-allmusic-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[3]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-allmusic3-5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[5]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-minimalcompact-6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[6]</a>, and Pete Yorn</p><h2>Contents</h2><ul><li class="ql-indent-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#Bob_Dylan's_version" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1 Bob Dylan's version</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#Music_and_lyrics" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1.1 Music and lyrics</a></li><li class="ql-indent-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#Live_performances_and_other_releases" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1.2 Live performances and other releases</a></li><li class="ql-indent-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#Charts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2 Charts</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#Weekly_charts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2.1 Weekly charts</a></li><li class="ql-indent-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#Year-end_charts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2.2 Year-end charts</a></li><li class="ql-indent-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#Personnel" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2.3 Personnel</a></li><li class="ql-indent-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#Other_recordings" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">3 Other recordings</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#The_Byrds'_version" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">3.1 The Byrds' version</a></li><li class="ql-indent-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#Duran_Duran's_version" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">3.2 Duran Duran's version</a></li><li class="ql-indent-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#Ministry_version" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">3.3 Ministry version</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#References" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">4 References</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#External_links" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">5 External links</a></li></ul><h2>Bob Dylan's version</h2><p>"Lay Lady Lay" was originally written for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundtrack" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">soundtrack</a> of the movie <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Cowboy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Midnight Cowboy</em></a> but wasn't submitted in time to be included in the finished film.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-7" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[7]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[8]</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Whitburn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joel Whitburn</a> said instead that the song was "written for his wife Sarah Lowndes".<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[9]</a> In a 1971 interview for which transcripts were auctioned in 2020, Dylan said the song was written for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbra_Streisand" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Barbra Streisand</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-10" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[10]</a></p><p>Dylan's recording was released as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_(music)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">single</a> in July 1969 and quickly became one of his top U.S. hits, peaking at #7 on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Billboard</em> Hot 100</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-11" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[11]</a> The single did even better in the United Kingdom where it reached #5 on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Chart" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UK Singles Chart</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-brown-12" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[12]</a> Like many of the tracks on <em>Nashville Skyline</em>, the song is sung by Dylan in a warm, relatively low sounding voice, rather than the more abrasive nasal singing style with which he had become famous.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-allmusic2-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[4]</a> Dylan attributed his "new" voice to having quit smoking before recording the album, but some unreleased <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootleg_recording" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bootleg</a> recordings from the early 1960s reveal that, in fact, Dylan had used a similar singing style before.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-allmusic-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[3]</a></p><p>Don Everly of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Everly_Brothers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the Everly Brothers</a> recounted in a 1986 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Rolling Stone</em></a> interview that Dylan performed parts of the song for them after a late 1960s appearance by the duo in New York, as they were "looking for songs, and he was writing 'Lay Lady Lay' at the time."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-Loder-13" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[13]</a> Despite a popular story that the Everly Brothers rejected the song due to misunderstanding the lyrics as sexual in nature, Everly continued "He sang parts of it, and we weren't quite sure whether he was offering it to us or not. It was one of those awestruck moments."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-Loder-13" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[13]</a> In a 1994 interview Don Everly further explained the encounter, stating that "It really wasn't a business meeting ... It wasn't that kind of atmosphere."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Lady_Lay#cite_note-14" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[14]</a> The Everly Brothers later covered the song on their <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EB_84" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>EB 84</em></a> album, 15 years after Dylan's release.</p><p>According to country musician <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Cash" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Johnny Cash</a>, Dylan played the song first in a circle of singer-songwriters at Cash's house outside of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville,_Tennessee" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nashville</a>. Cash claimed that several other musicians also played their own new, unheard songs.^[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^{<em>citation needed</em>}</a>^]</p><p>Drummer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Buttrey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kenny Buttrey</a> has said that he had a difficult time coming up with a drum part for the song. Dylan had suggested <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bongo_drum" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bongos</a>, while producer Bob Johnston said <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowbell_(instrument)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cowbells</a>. In order to "show them how bad their ideas were", Buttrey used both instruments together. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris_Kristofferson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kris Kristofferson</a>, who was working as a janitor in the studio at the time, was enlisted to hold the bongos in one hand and the cowbell in the other.</p>