You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

"You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II
ReleasedNovember 17, 1971
RecordedSeptember 24, 1971
GenreCountry rock
Length2:41
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)Leon Russell

"You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is a song written by American musician Bob Dylan in 1967 in Woodstock, New York, during the self-imposed exile from public appearances that followed his July 29, 1966 motorcycle accident.[1][2] A recording of Dylan performing the song in September 1971 was released on the Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II album in November of that year, marking the first official release of the song by its author.[3] Earlier 1967 recordings of the song, performed by Dylan and the Band, were issued on the 1975 album The Basement Tapes and the 2014 album The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete.[4]

The Byrds recorded a version of the song in 1968 and issued it as a single.[5][6] This was the first commercial release of the song, predating Dylan's own release by three years.[3][6][7] A later cover by ex-Byrds members Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman reached the top 10 of the Hot Country Songs charts in 1989.

"You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" has also been covered by many other artists, including Joan Baez, Unit 4 + 2, and Glen Hansard with Markéta Irglová.[8]

  1. ^ Marcus, Greil (1975). The Basement Tapes (1975 LP liner notes).
  2. ^ Williams, Paul (1990). Bob Dylan: Performing Artist - Book One 1960 - 1973. Xanadu Publications. p. 215. ISBN 1-85480-044-2.
  3. ^ a b Williams, Paul (1990). Bob Dylan: Performing Artist - Book One 1960 - 1973. Xanadu Publications Ltd. pp. 265–266. ISBN 1-85480-044-2.
  4. ^ "The Basement Tapes review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  5. ^ Hjort, Christopher (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965-1973). Jawbone Press. pp. 162–165. ISBN 978-1-906002-15-2.
  6. ^ a b Rogan, Johnny (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 544–546. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
  7. ^ "The B List: You Ain't Goin' Nowhere". Glide Magazine. 5 July 2007. Archived from the original on 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
  8. ^ "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere cover versions". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-08-28.[permanent dead link]