Positively 4th Street

"Positively 4th Street"
US picture sleeve
Single by Bob Dylan
B-side"From a Buick 6"
ReleasedSeptember 7, 1965 (1965-09-07)
RecordedJuly 29, 1965
Genre
Length3:54
LabelColumbia (43389)
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)Bob Johnston
Bob Dylan singles chronology
"Like a Rolling Stone"
(1965) 		"Positively 4th Street"
(1965) 		"Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?"
(1965)

"Positively 4th Street" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, first recorded in New York City on July 29, 1965.[4] It was released as a single by Columbia Records on September 7, 1965, reaching No. 1 on Canada's RPM chart, No. 7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart.[5][6][7][8] Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song as No. 203 in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.[9]

The song was released between Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde, as the follow-up to Dylan's hit single "Like a Rolling Stone", but was not included on either album.[10] The song's title does not appear anywhere in the lyrics and there has been much debate over the years as to the significance or which individual the song concerns.

An unreleased promo spot of the song can be found on the No Direction Home DVD special features.

  1. ^ "The story behind Bob Dylan's classic 'Positively 4th Street'". September 7, 2021.
  2. ^ "Positively 4th Street by Bob Dylan - Track Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Kruth, John (2015). This Bird Has Flown: The Enduring Beauty of Rubber Soul, Fifty Years On. Milwaukee: Backbeat Books. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-61713-573-6.
  4. ^ Williams, Paul. (1991). Bob Dylan Performing Artist: Book One 1960–1973. Xanadu Publications Ltd. pp. 158–159. ISBN 1-85480-044-2.
  5. ^ Fraser, Alan (1998). "Mono 7" Singles 1965 - Positively 4th Street". Searching for a Gem. Maccllesfield, Cheshire, England: Flying Pig. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  6. ^ Williams, Paul. (1991). Bob Dylan Performing Artist: Book One 1960–1973. Xanadu Publications Ltd. p. 289. ISBN 1-85480-044-2.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel. (2008). Top Pop Singles 1955-2006. Record Research Inc. p. 262. ISBN 978-0-89820-172-7.
  8. ^ Brown, Tony. (2000). The Complete Book of the British Charts. Omnibus Press. p. 266. ISBN 0-7119-7670-8.
  9. ^ "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 25, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2008.
  10. ^ "How the 45 RPM Single Changed Music Forever". Rolling Stone. March 1, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.