4 Bob Dylan Songs That He Never Performed Live (And Why)

Bob Dylan’s recorded discography is massive and spans more than 40 albums. Naturally, it probably isn’t possible for the artist himself to perform every song he’s ever written live. Let’s look at just a few Bob Dylan songs that have never been performed live, and why The Bard probably chose to keep them on the shelf.

1. “Can’t Help Falling In Love”

This track was featured on the 1973 album Dylan, which showcased some of his best and most underrated songwriting credits from 1961 to 2012. “Can’t Help Falling In Love” is an often overlooked track, and it also isn’t something Dylan wrote. The song was written back in 1961 for Elvis by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss. It’s not clear why Dylan never played this one live; it’s not a huge Bob Dylan hit, so maybe that’s why.

2. “Big Yellow Taxi”

Another underrated cover from Dylan, “Big Yellow Taxi” is one of many songs that have never been performed by Bob Dylan live. Originally a Joni Mitchell hit, critics really did not love Dylan’s version of the song. One critic referred to it as “an utter disgrace and one performance that Columbia should have had the good taste to withhold.” That’s pretty rough criticism.

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3. “Mr. Bojangles”

Yet another cover track from Dylan, “Mr. Bojangles” was originally written by Jerry Jeff Walker and made famous by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Dylan allegedly recorded the track while working on New Morning. Though, his cover of “Mr. Bojangles” was not released until Dylan came out. It was another unfavorable cover, and that’s likely why Dylan decided to leave it on the shelf.

4. “Skylark”

This track was originally written by Johnny Mercer in the 1940s. It was recorded by Bob Dylan in 2016 for Fallen Angels. And the cover album that the song is on got a ton of praise and even a Grammy nomination. Still, “Skylark” hasn’t made it to Dylan’s setlist. However, much of his more recent work has fallen to the wayside in favor of his classic hits on recent tours.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives

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