| Nashville Skyline | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 9, 1969 (1969-04-09) | |||
| Recorded | February 13–18, 1969 | |||
| Studio | Columbia Studio A (Nashville, Tennessee)[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 26:46 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Bob Johnston | |||
| Bob Dylan chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Nashville Skyline | ||||
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Nashville Skyline is the ninth studio album by the American singer-songwriterBob Dylan, released on April 9, 1969, byColumbia Records asLP record,reel-to-reel tape, andaudio cassette.
Building on the rustic style he experimented with onJohn Wesley Harding,Nashville Skyline displayed a complete immersion intocountry music. Along with the more basic lyrical themes, simple songwriting structures, and charming domestic feel, it introduced audiences to a radically new singing voice from Dylan, who had temporarily quit smoking[4]—a soft, affected countrycroon.
The result received a generally positive reaction from critics, and was a commercial success. ReachingNo. 3 in the U.S., the album also scored Dylan his fourth UK No. 1 album.
The concept of recording a country album in Nashville was first discussed with Dylan in 1965 byJohnny Cash, who expressed interest in producing such an album.[5] "I've got my own ideas about that Nashville sound and I'd like to try it with Bob," Cash said in a March 1965 interview withMusic Business magazine. Those sessions did not end up materializing until 1969 and by June of 1965, Dylan was going fully electric with the recording ofHighway 61 Revisited. By the timeNashville Skyline was recorded, the political climate in the United States had grown more polarized. In 1968, civil rights leaderMartin Luther King Jr. and SenatorRobert F. Kennedy (a leading candidate for the presidency) were assassinated. Riots related to the Vietnam War and civil rights broke out in most large American cities. Amajor one surrounding theDemocratic National Convention inChicago and racially motivated conflagrations spurred by King's assassination marked this period. A new president,Richard Nixon, was sworn into office in January 1969, but the U.S. engagement in Southeast Asia, particularly theVietnam War, would continue for several years. Protests over a wide range of political topics became more frequent. Dylan had been a leading cultural figure, noted for political and social commentary throughout the 1960s. Even as he moved away fromtopical songs, he never lost his cultural stature. However, asClinton Heylin wrote ofNashville Skyline, "If Dylan was concerned about retaining a hold on the rock constituency, making albums withJohnny Cash in Nashville was tantamount to abdication in many eyes."[6]
"Our generation owes him our artistic lives," observedKris Kristofferson, who later sang with Cash inThe Highwaymen, "because he opened all the doors in Nashville when he didBlonde on Blonde andNashville Skyline. The country scene was so conservative until he arrived. He brought in a whole new audience. He changed the way people thought about it – even theGrand Ole Opry was never the same again."[7]
Helped by a promotional appearance onThe Johnny Cash Show on June 7,Nashville Skyline went on to become one of Dylan's best-selling albums. Three singles were pulled from it, all of which received significant airplay on AM radio.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [8] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [9] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
| MusicHound Rock | 3.5/5[11] |
| Paste | 10/10[12] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [13] |
| Tom Hull | A−[14] |
Despite the dramatic commercial shift in direction, the press also gaveNashville Skyline a warm reception. A critic forNewsweek wrote of "the great charm... and the ways Dylan, both as composer and performer, has found to exploit subtle differences on a deliberately limited emotional and verbal scale."[15] InRolling Stone,Paul Nelson wrote, "Nashville Skyline achieves the artistically impossible: a deep, humane, and interesting statement about being happy. It could well be... his best album."[16] However, Nelson would reconsider his opinion in a review forBob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II less than three years later, writing, "I was misinformed. That's why no one should pay any attention to critics, especially the artist."[17] InThe Village Voice,Robert Christgau argued that "the beauty of the album" was in the "totally undemanding" and "one-dimensional" quality of the songs, believing Dylan had toyed with the public's expectations again by embracing a country tenor voice and aesthetic.[18] He later included it in his "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published inChristgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981).[19] It was voted number 579 in the third edition ofColin Larkin'sAll Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[20]
A few critics expressed some disappointment. Ed Ochs ofBillboard wrote, "the satisfied man speaks in clichés, and blushes as if every day were Valentine's Day."Tim Souster of theBBC'sThe Listener magazine wrote, "One can't help feeling something is missing. Isn't this idyllic country landscape too good to be true?"[21]
Hip hop groupPublic Enemy reference it in their 2007 Dylan tribute song "Long and Whining Road": "Fans, if it's not for you, there'd be no PE / From the Nashville Skyline, to the homeboys and girls of South Country".[22]
All songs written byBob Dylan.
| No. | Title | Recorded | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Girl from the North Country" (duet withJohnny Cash) | February 18, 1969 | 3:41 |
| 2. | "Nashville Skyline Rag" | February 17, 1969 | 3:12 |
| 3. | "To Be Alone with You" | February 13, 1969 | 2:07 |
| 4. | "I Threw It All Away" | February 13, 1969 | 2:23 |
| 5. | "Peggy Day" | February 14, 1969 | 2:01 |
| Total length: | 13:24 | ||
| No. | Title | Recorded | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lay Lady Lay" | February 14, 1969 | 3:18 |
| 2. | "One More Night" | February 13, 1969 | 2:23 |
| 3. | "Tell Me That It Isn't True" | February 14, 1969 | 2:41 |
| 4. | "Country Pie" | February 14, 1969 | 1:37 |
| 5. | "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" | February 17, 1969 | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 13:22 | ||
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Billboard 200[25] | 3 |
| 1969 | Cash Box Album Charts[26] | 3 |
| 1969 | Record World Album Charts[27] | 1 |
| 1969 | Spanish Albums Chart[28] | 4 |
| 1969 | UK Top 75[29] | 1 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | "I Threw it All Away" | Billboard Hot 100[30] | 85 |
| 1969 | "I Threw it All Away" | UK Top 100[31] | 30 |
| 1969 | "Lay Lady Lay" | Billboard Hot 100[30] | 7 |
| 1969 | "Lay Lady Lay" | UK Top 75[32] | 5 |
| 1969 | "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" | Billboard Hot 100[30] | 50 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[33] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[34] 2004 release | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[36] | Platinum | 1,000,000[35] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
