| "Watching the River Flow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 West German picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Bob Dylan | ||||
| B-side | "Spanish Is the Loving Tongue" | |||
| Released | June 3, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | March 16–19, 1971 | |||
| Studio | Blue Rock, New York City | |||
| Genre | Blues rock | |||
| Length | 3:34 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan | |||
| Producer(s) | Leon Russell | |||
| Bob Dylan singles chronology | ||||
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"Watching the River Flow" is a song by American singer Bob Dylan. Produced by Leon Russell, it was written and recorded during a session in March 1971 at the Blue Rock Studio in New York City. The collaboration with Russell formed in part through Dylan's desire for a new sound—after a period of immersion in country rock music—and for a change from his previous producer.
The song was praised by critics for its energy and distinctive vocals, guitar, and piano. It has been interpreted as Dylan's account of his writer's block in the early 1970s and of his wish to deliver less politically engaged material and to find a new balance between public and private life.
Charting in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, the song was included on the 1971 Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II and other Dylan compilation albums. In 2011, five current and former Rolling Stones appeared on a recording of "Watching the River Flow" as part of a tribute project for pianist Ian Stewart. The song has been covered by the Earl Scruggs Revue, Steve Gibbons, Colin James, Russell, and many others.