This week we’re continuing the Definitely Dylan tradition of doing a special episode dedicated to International Women’s Day. These are episodes that are very important to me because, even though the fight for women’s equality is a struggle that continues throughout the year, I like taking this opportunity to highlight the role of women in the world of Bob Dylan. This is a space that is still male-dominated, but women have played decisive roles as collaborators, scholars, fans, and interpreters of Bob Dylan’s work.
This year, I’m very proud to bring you an episode with some Bob Dylan covers that were almost all exclusively recorded for Definitely Dylan by wonderfully talented female artists. I love their interpretations so much, and I know you will too!
Playlist:
Don’t Think Twice (It’s All Right) - Michele Stodart
If You Gotta Go, Go Now* - Annie Needham (Definitely Dylan Basement Tapes)
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll - Angela Gannon (Definitely Dylan Basement Tapes)
One More Cup Of Coffee (The Valley Below) - Ren Harvieu
Mama You Been On My Mind - Naomi In Blue
I Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You - Emma Swift (Live at Grimey’s in Nashville, September 2020)
Please check out these artists’ work and support them:
You can stay up to date and support Michele Stodart’s work on her Patreon page, and you can listen to her first two solo records on Spotify.
Find Annie Needham’s band Big Peyote on Spotify and instagram.
Catch Angela Gannon on tour with The Magic Numbers in the UK this autumn.
Ren Harvieu is on Instagram and you can ilsten to her brilliant album Revel In The Drama on Spotify.
Listen to (and buy) Naomi in Blue’s excellent EP An Experiment on Bandcamp
Should you not yet own Emma Swift’s beautiful album of Bob Dylan albums, Blonde On The Tracks, you can rectify this on her bandcamp, and you can also stay up to date with her upcoming projects on her Patreon page.
Here’s the Spotify Playlist of Bob Dylan covers by female artists that I made last year:
* Since we recorded this, I’ve thought quite a bit about the song “If You Gotta Go, Go Now”, which Annie Needham is singing so brilliantly here. I love her version because it’s deadpan, yet funny and lighthearted. When she sings it it’s flirty and, as I called it in the episode, cheeky. But I also think this song is very much of its time, and the lyrics, especially when sung by a man, can at times be perceived as pushy or even coercive, which is played for laughs in Dylan’s version, but consent is actually serious and crucial. There’s a lot more to this conversation, but it was just important to me, especially in the context of an episode for IWD, to clarify that this is not a topic that should be taken lightly.