About this episode
With so many dozens of albums over so many wildly disparate eras, it can take a lifetime to truly get your arms around Bob Dylan. On this episode, Kirk is joined by two guests who have spent their lifetimes doing exactly that. Matt Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell, in addition to co-hosting the terrific political history podcast Know Your Enemy , are both lifelong Dylan fans. This spring, they came on the show to give listeners a tour of Dylan's many eras, and to give newcomers a place, or places, they might start getting to know him better. DYLAN SONGS DISCUSSED, IN RELEASE CHRONOLOGY “Blowin in the Wind” and “Corrina, Corrina” from Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan , 1963 (and as sung by Peter, Paul and Mary) “Like A Rolling Stone,” “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” “From a Buick 6” from Highway 61 Revisisted , 1965 “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and “Outlaw Blues” from Bringing it All Back Home , 1965 “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” and “Pledging My Time” from Blonde on Blonde , 1966 “All Along the Watchtower” and “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” from John Wesley Harding , 1967 “Lay, Lady, Lay” and “Girl from the North Country” (with Johnny Cash) from Nashville Skyline, 1969 “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” from Pat Garret & Billy The Kid Original Soundtrack , 1973 “Forever Young” from Planet Waves , 1974 “Tangled Up in Blue” from Blood On The Tracks , 1975 “Hurricane” and “Romance in Durango” from Desire , 1976 “Changing of the Guards” from Street-Legal , 1978 “Serve Somebody,” and “Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)” from Slow Train Coming , 1979 “Saved” from Saved , 1980 “The Groom’s Still Waiting At the Alter” and “Lenny Bruce” from Shot of Love , 1981 “ Pressing On ” and " Solid Rock " live in Toronto, 1980 “Neighborhood Bully,” “Jokerman,” “Sweetheart Like You” from Infidels , 1983 “Dark Eyes” from _Empire Burlesqu_e, 1985 “Brownsville Girl” from Knocked Out and Loaded , 1986 “Sylvio” from Down In The Groove , 1988 “Everything Is Broken” and “Most of the Time” from Oh Mercy , 1989 “Hard Times” from Good As I Been to You , 1992 “ Train of Love ,” Johnny Cash tribute, 1999 “Pay In Blood” from Tempest , 2012 “I’m A Fool To Want You“ by Frank Sinatra, Jack Wolf, and Joel Herron from Shadows in the Night , 2015, and as recorded by Frank Sinatra “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke, from Fallen Angels , 2016 “How Deep is the Ocean” by Irving Berlin from Triplicate , 2017 “I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You” from Rough and Rowdy Ways , 2020 ALSO DISCUSSED/REFERENCED: The Know Your Enemy episode about Dylan's The Philosophy of Modern Song "Moonlight Mind" by Will Epstein and High Water from Crush , 2016 "Lonely Woman" by Ornette Coleman from The Shape of Jazz to Come , 1959 "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" as recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Sam’s review of A Complete Unknown in The Nation Bob Dylan: Expecting Rain website Episode one, "Weather”, from Dylan’s radio show Theme Time Radio Hour , featuring Muddy Waters on "Blow Wind, Blow” Audio from D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 documentary Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back Audio from Scorses’s 2005 documentary No Direction Home: Bob Dylan GUEST MUSIC PICKS: Sam: Lucinda Wiliams, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road , 1998 Matt: Willie Nelson, Across the Borderline, 1993 ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | Paypal 🏠 HOMEPAGE strongsongspodcast.com 👚 MERCH strongsongspodcast.com/store 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER newsletter.kirkhamilton.com 📷 SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: @Kirk_Hamilton Bluesky: @kirkhamilton.com 💬 STRONG SONGS DISCORD SERVER strongsongspodcast.com/discord 🎧 STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS kirkhamilton.com/gear 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC kirkhamilton.com/music 🎨 SHOW ART Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics -------------------- SEPTEMBER 2025 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS AccessViolation Andy Ben Barron Catherine Warner Cesar Christopher McConnell Christopher Miller Corpus Frisky Damon White Daniel Hannon-Barry Dave Florey David Mascetti Elizabeth Culver Jamie White Jay Swartz Jenness Gardner Jeremy Dawson Joe Laska Ken Hirsh Lisa Crotty Melanie Andrich Melissa Lucas Nathaniel Bauernfeind Paul Delaney Rick Keeler Robyn Metcalfe Rush Sami Samhuri Thomas McIlheran SEPTEMBER 2025 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Aaron Cain Aaron Wade Aaron Wilson Abbie Berg Abraham Benrubi Achint Srivastava Adam Clark Adam Stofsky Adam W Ailie Fraser AJ Schuster Alan Maass Alex Miller Alexander Alexander Polson Alison Dugan Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Fair Andrew Hofer Angela Livingstone Anthony Mentz Arjun Sharma Aruni Jayatilleke Ashley Bea Ben Stein Bernard Khoo Betsy Barre Bill Thornton Bonnie Prinsen Brad Callahan Brendan McLeod Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brian Rinckenberger Brian John Peter Bruno Gaeta Carlos Lerner Caro Field Catherine Clause cbalmain Charles McGee Cheryl Wilke Chris K Chris Remo Christian Hessmann Christopher Selby Spink Clare Holberton Claudia Carty Clint McElroy Colin Hodo Dallas Hockley Dan Cutter Dan Elias Dani Daniel Kaberon Daniel Markoff Daniel Nervo Dave Douglass Dave Kolas dave malloy Dave Sharpe David David David Futter David Joske David Noah David Stroud Deebs Dent Earl Dermot Crowley Dhu Wik Diane Hughes Diane Turner Dick Morgan Donald Mackie Doreen Carlson Doug Belew Douglas H Frazer Dr Arthur A Gray E Margaret Warton Edward Steen Eoin de Burca Eric Helm Eric Prestemon eric sp Erik Ethan Bauman Ethan Laser Freddy Freeman Gary Pierce Gavin Doig Geraldine Butler Glenn Jackson Grettir Asmundarson Henry Mindlin HiddenJester Ian Karmel Ian Pidd Ian Steding Inmar Givoni irritable James James Johnson James McMurry Jamie Janice Berry Jason Gerry Jason Pratt Jeff Jeff Ulm Jeffrey Bean Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jez Joe Gallo John Bauman John Berry john halpin Jonathan Daniels Jordan Gatenby Joseph Romero Josh Singer Joshua Hill JRRJ Julie Kellman Justin McElroy Kaya Woodall Kayla Russell Kellen Steffen Kelli Brockington KenIsWearingAHat Kenneth Jung Kevin Marcelo Kevin Potter Kevin Stafford Kym Griffith Lauren Knotts Lauren Reay Lawrence Lee R. LG Linda Duffy Lisa Turner Lottie Aron Lowell Meyer Luigi Boccia M Shane Borders Margaret McReynolds Martín Salías Mathias Schmidt Matt Baxter Matt Betzel Matthew Jones Max Melanie Stivers Melissa Kuhns Melmaniac Merv Adrian Meryl Allison Michael Michael Berman Michael Casner Michael Singer Michael Wisnosky mino capossela Misty Haisfield Monica St. Angelo Mordok’s Vape Pen Naomi Watson Nathan Gouwens Nell Morse Ol Parker Pascal Rueger Paul Wayper Peter Harding PhantomMare Philip Kelly Portland Eye Care Princess of Whales Rachel Rand LeShay Randal Vegter Randy Souza Richard Sneddon Richard Toller Rishi Sahay Rob Tsuk Robert Granat Robert Heuer RsP Ryan Rairigh Sarah Vetters Sean Murphy Seattle Trans And Nonbinary Chora Ensemble Simon Hellman STEPHEN Stephen Tsoneff Stephen Wolkwitz Steve B Steve Martino Steve Paquin Stu Baker Suzanne Crawford Sy Jacobs Tanner Morton TB Thomas Tim Sheehan Tom Coleman Tucker Ped Wendy Gilchrist Whit Sidener Wiggy Hash Zach Putnam Zak Remer ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | One-Time Donation 🏠 HOMEPAGE 👚 MERCH 💬 DISCORD SERVER 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC 📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram | Bluesky 🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎨 SHOW ART: Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics