| "If Not for You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK single (solid centre) of the Bob Dylan recording | ||||
| Single byBob Dylan | ||||
| from the albumNew Morning | ||||
| B-side | "New Morning" | |||
| Released | Early 1971 | |||
| Recorded | August 12, 1970 | |||
| Genre | Country rock | |||
| Length | 2:39 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter | Bob Dylan | |||
| Producer | Bob Johnston | |||
| Bob Dylan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "If Not for You" (alternative take) by Bob Dylan onYouTube | ||||
| "If Not for You" by Bob Dylan onYouTube | ||||
"If Not for You" is a song by American singer-songwriterBob Dylan from his October 1970 albumNew Morning. It was issued as the A-side of a single in Europe in early 1971. The song is alove song to Dylan's first wife,Sara Dylan. He recorded it several times in 1970; the session for the released version took place in New York in August. He also recorded the song withGeorge Harrison on May 1, soon after thebreak-up of the Beatles, a session that attracted much speculation in the music press. The May recording remained unreleased until its inclusion onThe Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) in 1991.
In November 1970, Harrison released a version of "If Not for You" on his triple albumAll Things Must Pass. Another well-known cover was recorded byOlivia Newton-John in 1971, using Harrison's arrangement of the song. Newton-John's version became her first hit single, peaking at number 7 on theUK Singles Chart, as well as the title track to her debut album,If Not for You. That same year, Harrison and Dylan rehearsed the song for possible inclusion in theConcert for Bangladesh shows atMadison Square Garden in New York City. Footage of this rehearsal appeared early in the 1972 documentary filmThe Concert for Bangladesh and the complete performance was included in the 2005 DVD release.
Bob Dylan wrote "If Not for You" as alove song to his wifeSara.[1] It was one of several songs he wrote in 1970 that conveyed his contentment with family life[1][2] and celebrated the simple pleasures of nature.[3] Music journalist Thomas Ward describes it as "a song of rustic charms, heavily indebted to the simplest ofcountry music". He says that the lyrics favor "concise, economical descriptions" over "elegant poetry", a quality he finds most evident in thebridge lines "If not for you, my sky would fall / Rain would gather too / If not for you, I'd be nowhere at all / I'd be lost, if not for you."[4]
Commenting on the track in the 1980s, Dylan said: "It seemed simple enough, sort ofTex-Mex. I would never explore all the possibilities of instrumentation in the studio, add parts and so forth, change the beat around, so it came off kind of folky."[5][6]
Dylan first recorded "If Not for You" in March 1970, late in the sessions for hisSelf Portrait double LP, although it was never intended for that album.[7] He then recorded a new version on May 1 withGeorge Harrison[8] atColumbia Records'Studio B in New York.[9]Charlie Daniels, who played bass at the session, withRuss Kunkel on drums, described it as "a day I'll never forget", adding: "It wasn't Bob Dylan and George Harrison. It was four guys in the studio making music ... It was such a nice thing, such a great day, hour after hour."[10] News of the collaboration between Dylan and Harrison caused considerable excitement in the music press,[11] even though Columbia made a point of announcing that neither artist deemed the results worthy of release.[12]
According to biographerClinton Heylin, the May 1 session was "the true starting point" for Dylan'sNew Morning album. The remake of "If Not for You" was under consideration for the album, although Dylan recorded a new version in early June, andAl Kooper, Dylan's co-producer, preferred the March recording.[8]Overdubs were added to one of these versions at Columbia's studio in Nashville on July 23.[13][14]
Citing Kooper's frustration with Dylan at this time, Heylin says that the singer's indecisiveness led to him re-recording "If Not for You" once more, as well as "Time Passes Slowly", on August 12.[15] GuitaristBuzz Feiten was among the musicians at the session, which took place at Columbia's Studio E in New York.[13] It was the only song onNew Morning to include Dylan playing harmonica.[16] After Kooper and Dylan fell out,Bob Johnston was credited as sole producer.[17][nb 1]
The August 1970 version of "If Not for You" was sequenced as the opening track ofNew Morning.[19][20] Columbia released the album on October 21.[21] It was viewed as a return to form by many music critics after the poorly receivedSelf Portrait.[22][23] Reviewing forRolling Stone,Ed Ward described "If Not for You" as "a kind of invocation to the muse, if you will", and said that in contrast to Dylan's 1966 love song "I Want You", "He's celebrating the fact that not only has he found her, but they know each other well, and get strength from each other, depend on each other."[24]Geoffrey Cannon ofThe Guardian likened the song to "Let It Be Me" fromSelf Portrait, adding: "except that it's not lush. It's clipped and sceptical ... his voice is harsher than it has been lately; and he plays a lacerating harmonica."[25][nb 2]
"If Not for You" became the album's most popular track.[26] Issued as a singleA-side in Europe, the song peaked at number 30 on the DutchSingle Top 100 chart in April 1971.[27] Dylan considered following up the album's success with a series of concerts but chose to delay his return to live performance and continue to focus on his and Sara's family life.[28] He relented only to appear at Harrison'sConcert for Bangladesh benefit shows in August 1971.[29][30] Dylan rehearsed "If Not for You" with Harrison before the concerts,[31] but did not include the song in his set the following day.[32]
Dylan included "If Not for You" onBob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II,[33] a double album he compiled in late 1971 to placate Columbia in the absence of a new studio album.[34] The song has subsequently appeared on the Dylan compilationsMasterpieces (1978),[35]Biograph (1985),[36][37]The Best of Bob Dylan (1997),[38]The Essential Bob Dylan (2000),[33][39]Dylan (2007),[33]Playlist: The Very Best of Bob Dylan '70s (2009),[40] andThe Real ... (2012).[41]
The May 1 version with Harrison, Daniels and Kunkel was released on the 1991 Dylan box setThe Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased).[42][43] A June 2, 1970, outtake of "If Not for You", featuring only vocal, piano and violin, was included onThe Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971), released in 2013.[44] Music criticRobert Christgau said it was the only track fromNew Morning that was "any good" onAnother Self Portrait, adding: "But that's also an unruinable song. It is pretty straightforward and a wonderful love song and doesn't have any parallels in Dylan's body of work that I can think of."[45] A previously unissued version of the song appeared on the 2015 albumDylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City, coinciding with theCountry Music Hall of Fame's exhibition of the same name.[46][47] This take was from the Nashville overdubbing session[13] and featuresLloyd Green onpedal steel guitar.[47]
Dylan first played "If Not for You" in concert in April 1992, during a show in Sydney.[31][48] He has performed the song 89 times in total, with the last performance taking place in November 2004.[33] In 2016,Simon & Schuster's Atheneum imprint published the children's bookIf Not for You, containing artist David Walker's nature-themed illustrations inspired by the song's lyrics.[49]
| "If Not for You" | |
|---|---|
| Song byGeorge Harrison | |
| from the albumAll Things Must Pass | |
| Released | November 27, 1970 |
| Length | 3:29 |
| Label | Apple |
| Songwriter | Bob Dylan |
| Producers | George Harrison,Phil Spector |
| Audio | |
| "If Not for You" by George Harrison onYouTube | |
George Harrison included "If Not for You" on his first post-Beatles solo album,All Things Must Pass, released on November 27, 1970.[50] He first taped a solo performance of the song when previewing potential material for his co-producer,Phil Spector, atEMI Studios in London.[51] Recorded in late May, this recital also included Dylan's "I Don't Want to Do It" and the Harrison–Dylan collaboration "Nowhere to Go" (originally "When Everybody Comes to Town"),[52] both of which originated from Harrison's time in Woodstock with Dylan andthe Band in late 1968.[53] The three performances became available in the 1990s on thebootleg compilationBeware of ABKCO![52][54]
The basic track for Harrison's formal recording of "If Not for You" was recorded at EMI between late May and early June 1970.[55] In author Simon Leng's view, Harrison created a characteristically melody-centric version of the song, which more clearly defines itsverse andbridge sections and eschews Dylan's preference for spontaneity in favor of "aural pleasure".[56] The arrangement includes multiple acoustic guitars and aslide guitar motif that Harrison had played during the May 1 session with Dylan.[57] Leng also highlights the significance of Harrison's introduction to theDobro, via guitaristDavid Bromberg, as another legacy of his 1970 visit to New York.[58]Peter Frampton played one of the acoustic guitar parts on the song.[59][60][nb 3] According to the EMI master tape, the instrumentation also includesharmonium, piano and organ.[62]
Music historians Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon describe "If Not for You" as "one of Dylan's songs with the strongest connection to the Fab Four".[44] It was sequenced as the second track on side two of Harrison's triple album, before "Behind That Locked Door",[63] which he had written as a tribute to Dylan before the latter's performance at the1969 Isle of Wight Festival.[64] The album opened with "I'd Have You Anytime", a Harrison–Dylan collaboration that documented the two songwriters' meeting in Woodstock.[65][nb 4] According to Beatles biographerNicholas Schaffner, Dylan therefore had a tangible presence onAll Things Must Pass, "in spirit if not in person".[67]
Mikal Gilmore ofRolling Stone describes Harrison's "If Not for You" as "surprisingly beautiful",[68] while Leng deems it a "gleaming pop creation".[69] In his entry forAll Things Must Pass in the book1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die,Tom Moon names it as one of the album's three "key tracks", along with "Beware of Darkness" and "Isn't It a Pity".[70]
Dylan and Harrison duetted on "If Not for You" during the soundcheck for the 1971Concert for Bangladesh shows atMadison Square Garden in New York.[71] The rehearsal took place on July 31, the day before the concerts;[72][73] for Harrison, it was the first indication that Dylan had committed to performing at the event after days of deliberation.[74] Harrison's notes for a possibleset list include the song, along with "Watching the River Flow" and "Blowin' in the Wind",[75] although only the last of these was performed by Dylan at the two benefit concerts that day.[76] A portion of their rehearsal of "If Not for You" appeared early in the 1972 documentary filmThe Concert for Bangladesh.[32] The full performance was released on the 2005 remastered DVD.[71]
Leng describes the rehearsal footage as "remarkable" and, in light of Harrison's disdain for the limelight and Dylan's reluctance to return to it, "an intimate glimpse of the warm friendship between two major cultural figures at a point when both were emotionally vulnerable". Leng adds: "They don't hit every note precisely or even remember every line, but they are evidently relishing each other's company."[71][nb 5] In his 2005 review forRolling Stone,David Fricke welcomed the DVD release as a reminder of how Harrison "invented the superstar benefit concert" by enlisting friends such as Dylan,Eric Clapton,Ringo Starr andBilly Preston, and he said of the "If Not for You" rehearsal: "they spend the entire song looking at each other, as if they're singing about their own relationship."[79] Jack Whatley ofFar Out Magazine similarly views it as a document of "one of the more touching friendships to come out of the sixties", and comments on the "sense of care that Harrison affords his friend ... A few subtle glances, some shared moments and some body language cues show that their relationship went on far beyond their musical inclinations."[80]
Harrison performed "If Not for You" live, again at Madison Square Garden, in October 1992 during the all-star concert celebrating Dylan's first three decades as a recording artist.[81] Backed byBooker T. & the M.G.'s and other musicians includingG. E. Smith onslide guitar,[82] Harrison performed "startling versions" of "If Not for You" and "Absolutely Sweet Marie", according to Gilmore,[83] although only the latter was included on the30th Anniversary Concert Celebration live album.[84] The concert was Harrison's last major live performance.[31]
According to Simon Leng (except where noted), the musicians who performed on Harrison's studio version of the song are as follows:[69]
| "If Not for You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US single of the Olivia Newton-John recording | ||||
| Single byOlivia Newton-John | ||||
| from the albumIf Not for You | ||||
| B-side | "The Biggest Clown" | |||
| Released | March 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Genre | Country pop | |||
| Length | 2:50 | |||
| Label | Pye International | |||
| Songwriter | Bob Dylan | |||
| Producers | Bruce Welch,John Farrar | |||
| Olivia Newton-John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "If Not for You" by Olivia Newton-John onYouTube | ||||
In 1971, singerOlivia Newton-John recorded "If Not for You" on the suggestion of her manager after he had heard Harrison's treatment of the song despite her reservation that it was not "her type of song".[85] The producersJohn Farrar andBruce Welch arranged the song closer to Harrison's version than to Dylan's,[86][87][88] with theslide guitar used in Harrison's version featuring prominently.[85] She released "If Not for You" as her first international single, after appearances onCliff Richard's concert tour and the TV showIt's Cliff Richard.[86] Marking the start of her 1970scountry pop period, her recording was one of many examples of middle-of-the-road artists covering tracks fromAll Things Must Pass.[88] Music historianDave Thompson describes Newton-John's version as "superb" and, citing her readiness to acknowledge Harrison's influence, says that Dylan "never truly got to grips with what remains one of his most affecting love songs".[89]
The single enjoyed considerable international success, peaking at number 7 in the UK and number 25 on theBillboard Hot 100 in the US.[86][87] It also spent three weeksat number 1 onBillboard'sEasy Listening chart.[90] The song was subsequently issued as the title track of Newton-John's debut album,If Not for You.[87]
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| AustralianGo-Set National Top 60[91] | 14 |
| BelgianBRT Top 30[92] | 29 |
| CanadianRPM 100 Singles[93] | 18 |
| CanadianRPM Adult Contemporary[94] | 11 |
| Irish Singles Chart[95] | 6 |
| New ZealandListener Chart[96] | 8 |
| NorwegianVG-lista Singles[97] | 6 |
| South AfricanSpringbok Singles[98] | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart[99] | 7 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[100] | 25 |
| USBillboardEasy Listening[101] | 1 |
| USCash Box Top 100[102] | 23 |
| Quebec (ADISQ)[103] | 30 |
| Chart (1971) | Rank |
|---|---|
| USBillboard | 76 |
| South African Springbok Singles[104] | 13 |
Numerous other artists have covered "If Not for You".[4] These includeRod Stewart,[105]Bryan Ferry,[106]Richie Havens,[107]Sarah Vaughan,[108]Glen Campbell,[109]Barb Jungr,[110]Katie Buckhaven,[111]Susan McKeown,[112]Phil Keaggy,[113]Ed Kuepper,[114] andthe Flatmates.[115]
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