"Wigwam" is a song byBob Dylan that was released on his 1970 albumSelf Portrait. It was a hit single that reached the Top 10 in several countries worldwide. The song's basic track, including"la-la" vocals, was recorded in early March 1970 inNew York City. Later that month, producerBob Johnston had brass instrument overdubs added to the track; these were recorded inNashville, Tennessee at a session without Dylan present.
Critical appraisal of "Wigwam" has been mostly positive, and reviewers have called it a highlight ofSelf Portrait. Several artists have covered the composition, includingDrafi Deutscher, whose version of it was a Top 20 hit in Germany.
On March 17, 1970, at Columbia Recording Studios inNashville, Tennessee, instrumental overdubs were recorded for "Wigwam" and several other songs.[2] Dylan was not present for the overdubs, and they were overseen by Johnston.[7]
In the song, Dylan sings "la-la" vocals, accompanied by horns,[8] in an arrangement that has been called "mariachi-like",[9] and "Tex-Mex".[10] The feeling of the song has also been described as "campfire music"[11] and as having a "hazy glow".[12]
"Wigwam" was released onSelf Portrait on June 8, 1970,[13] and as a single in June or July.[4][14][15] The single'sB-side is "Copper Kettle".[1][14] The single was a Top 10 hit in Belgium,[16] Denmark (in 1972),[17] France,[18] Malaysia,[19] the Netherlands,[1] Singapore,[20] and Switzerland,[21] and was a Top 40 hit in Canada[22] and Germany.[23] In the US, the song reached No. 41 on theBillboard Hot 100,[24] and No. 13 on theBillboard Top 40Easy Listening chart.[25]
Years later, in the early 2000s, "Wigwam" appeared on the "Limited Tour Edition" ofThe Essential Bob Dylan.[26][27] The song was also included onthe soundtrack to the filmThe Royal Tenenbaums (2001),[12] as well as on the compilationsOne Hit Wonders and Hard to Find Classics (2003),[28]Radio 2 - De Topcollectie '70 Vol. 2 (2010),[29]Top 40 Hitarchief - 1970 (2011),[30] andRemember the 70s Vol. 5.[31]
Reactions to the song have been generally positive. A review inBillboard magazine describes the track as "winning".[10] BiographerRober Shelton includes "Wigwam" among the "quality" songs onSelf Portrait, describing it as "hard to forget";[32]Michael Gray similarly rates it as one of the "best tracks" on the album.[33]Greil Marcus is likewise positive about the track, calling it "a great job of arranging".[11]PopMatters reviewer Tom Useted calls the song "more than worthy",[34] whileNME writer Paul Stokes qualifies it as "melodious" and as demonstrating Dylan's "versatility and impact".[35] In a review ofThe Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack, critic Heather Phares writes that the "hazy glow" of the song "add[s] to the album's strangely timeless but emotionally direct atmosphere."[12] Critic Sean Egan writes that "Dylan la-las against a big brass arrangement in a not disagreeable way—but is 'not disagreeable' supposed to be what a Dylan track amounts to?"[8]
On a more negative note, writer Seth Rogovoy describes "Wigwam" as a "bizarre, wordless vocal tune," although Rogovoy claims that this is merely a description of the song and not a negative judgment at all[9] Critic Anthony Varesi considers the instrumentation on "Wigwam" to be an example of "horns misplaced", and "evidence of flaws" in Bob Johnston's production choices onSelf Portrait.[36]Pitchfork writer Rob Mitchum characterizes the song as "moaning along with the brass section" and "rather unpleasant".[37]
Marcus, Greil, with Michael Simmons (2013).The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971) (CD booklet). New York.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
