| "Forever Young" | |
|---|---|
| Song byBob Dylan | |
| from the albumPlanet Waves | |
| Released | January 17, 1974 |
| Recorded | November 1973, California |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 4:57 |
| Label | Asylum |
| Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan |
| Producer(s) | Rob Fraboni |
| Audio | |
| "Forever Young" (studio version) onYouTube | |
| "Forever Young" | |
|---|---|
 German single cover | |
| Single byBob Dylan | |
| from the albumBob Dylan at Budokan | |
| B-side | "All Along the Watchtower" and "I Want You" |
| Released | June 22, 1979 |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 5:27 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan |
| Producer(s) | Don DeVito |
| Audio | |
| "Forever Young" (live, fromBob Dylan at Budokan) onYouTube | |
| "Forever Young" (live, 28 February 1978 onYouTube | |
| "Forever Young" (live, 1 March 1978 onYouTube | |
"Forever Young" is a song byBob Dylan, recorded inCalifornia in November 1973. The song first appeared, in two different versions, a slow-pace and a fast-pace, on Dylan's fourteenth studio albumPlanet Waves.
A demo version of the song, recorded inNew York City in June 1973, was included on Dylan's 1985 compilationBiograph. In the notes included with that album, Dylan is quoted as saying that he wrote "Forever Young" inTucson, Arizona, "thinking about" one of his sons and "not wanting to be too sentimental".
A live version of the song, recorded inTokyo on 28 February 1978 and included on Dylan's albumBob Dylan at Budokan, was released as a European single in 1979.
Written as alullaby for his eldest sonJesse, born in 1966, Dylan's song relates a father's hopes that his child will remain strong and happy. It opens with the lines, 'May God bless and keep you always / May your wishes all come true', echoing thepriestly blessing from theBook of Numbers, which has lines that begin: 'May the Lord bless you and guard you / May the Lord make His face shed light upon you.' Not wishing to sound 'too sentimental', Dylan included two versions of the song on the albumPlanet Waves, one a lullaby and the other morerock-oriented.[1]
In notes on "Forever Young" written for the 2007 albumDylan,Bill Flanagan writes that Dylan andthe Band "got together and quickly knocked off an album,Planet Waves, that featured two versions of a blessing from a parent to a child. In the years he was away from stage, Dylan had become a father. He had that in common with a good chunk of the audience. The song was memorably recited on American television byHoward Cosell whenMuhammad Ali won the heavyweight crown for the third time."[2]
According to his website, Dylan performed the song live 493 times between its live debut in 1974 and its last outing in 2011.[5] This includes a duet withBruce Springsteen at the Concert for theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH in 1995.[6] Dylan also performed the song live on theLate Show with David Letterman in 1993.[7] Dylan andThe Band, who originally recorded the song together for thePlanet Waves album, performed "Forever Young" live at The Band's 1976 farewell concert, "The Last Waltz". This live performance was included in the concert filmThe Last Waltz, directed byMartin Scorsese.[8]
Rod Stewart recorded a song titled "Forever Young" that was released as a single and included on his 1988 albumOut of Order. Stewart's manager, Arnold Stiefel, said, "[I]t would be fair to say that while the melody and the music is not at all the same [as Dylan's song], the idea of the song is similar. The architecture of the lyrics of the song is very much from Dylan–there are definite similarities." The similarities were enough to cause Stiefel to contact Dylan, who requested a share of the royalties, and Stewart agreed.[9] His version charted at #12 on theBillboardHot 100 in the US, while it made #57 in theUK Singles Chart on its release in 1988, and #55 on re-release in 2013.[10]
In 1974Joan Baez covered "Forever Young" as a single. It reached 13 on the US Adult Contemporary charts.
Michael Jackson's sisterRebbie Jackson covered "Forever Young" for theFree Willy 2: The Adventure Home soundtrack in 1995.
The Pretenders covered "Forever Young" for theWith Honors soundtrack and later included it in their albumLast of the Independents in 1994. This version also appeared on theFree Willy 2: The Adventure Home soundtrack alongside Rebbie Jackson's version in 1995.
| "Forever Young" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byLouisa Johnson | ||||
| Released | 13 December 2015 | |||
| Recorded | December 2015 | |||
| Length | 3:23 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Louisa Johnson singles chronology | ||||
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| Live video | ||||
| "Forever Young" (2015, atThe X-Factor UK) onYouTube | ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Forever Young" (studio version) onYouTube | ||||
In December 2015,Louisa Johnson, the winner of thetwelfth series ofThe X Factor, released a cover version of "Forever Young" as her winner's single. It was released on December 13, 2015, immediately after Johnson won.[11] Johnson performed the song live onThe X Factor final.[11] She also performed it onText Santa. Johnson's version entered the UK Singles Chart on December 18 at number nine, and was the firstX Factor winner single not to reach number one on UK Radio; however, it was Top for 5 week on Official Physical Single Charts during Holiday 2015 to Early 2016.[12] The song has sold 99,648 copies in the UK as of June 2016.[13]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Forever Young" | |
| 2. | "God Only Knows" | |
| 3. | "Let It Go" | |
| 4. | "Forever Young" (Instrumental) |
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[15] | 5 |
| Scotland (OCC)[16] | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 9 |
UK Physical Singles Reached #1 for 5 weeks in a row, holiday season 2015 to early 2016.
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | December 13, 2015 |
Dylan lent his name, voice, and song as the theme to the television showParenthood. Lucy Schwartz sang "When We Were Young" in seasons 1–6 internationally. On August 31, 2010, Arrival Records/Scion Music Group released a soundtrack forParenthood. The soundtrack includes both theme songs forParenthood, "Forever Young" byBob Dylan, and the international theme, "When We Were Young" byLucy Schwartz. It also includes a cover of "Forever Young" performed byJohn Doe and Lucy Schwartz.Rhiannon Giddens andIron & Wine's version appeared in the series finale titled "May God Bless and Keep You Always" which in-turn derives from the opening lyric to "Forever Young".[18]
The lyrics to “Forever Young” were published as a children's book along with illustrations by illustrator Paul Rogers. Rogers's visual interpretation of “Forever Young” includes references to Bob Dylan's life and livelihood juxtaposed against the backdrop of the social and political climate.[19]
