The Bob Dylan Week In Review

New Bob Dylan Liner Notes | Willie Nelson About "Songwriting" With Bob | Fall Tour Review Coming Up

Bob Dylan Writes New Liner Notes for Dwight Yoakam

This week brought a rare surprise. Bob Dylan wrote a set of liner notes for a special 4-LP box set by Dwight Yoakam, issued for Record Store Day. The box is titled And Then I Wrote… The First Three Albums Of The ’90s. In the text you will see in the image Dylan moves in long, rolling sentences that feel part memory and part myth. He describes Yoakam on stage like a panther, full of electric energy. He writes of performances that “took your breath away and stopped the heart,” of truth exploding with beauty, of a man so alive it hurt. He shifts from recollections of a small theater in North Hollywood to reflections on Yoakam’s entire artistic journey. The writing is poetic, dense, playful, full of vivid metaphors.

Looking at Dwight Yoakam’s career helps show why Dylan chose to honour him in this way. Yoakam broke through in the 1980s with a sharp Bakersfield-country sound and helped revive traditional country at a time when Nashville leaned toward pop. Over decades he built a remarkable catalog, acted in films, and remained a leading figure in modern American roots music. Dylan’s liner notes place him among restless artists who refuse to be tamed by time.

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Willie Nelson Says He Wrote a Song With Bob Dylan

Another story this week came from Willie Nelson, who mentioned in an interview that he and Bob Dylan had exchanged ideas for a possible song a while back. Nelson explained that Dylan gave him a line built around the idea “I can’t read your mind,” followed by the thought that “the letters are too small.” Willie passed this small spark to his longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon, who shaped it into a complete song.

Whether this counts as a true song collaboration between Nelson and Dylan is open to debate. If their exchange consisted only of these two lines, some might say it was more of an inspiration than a full co-writing session. At the same time it is unclear whether their creative back-and-forth ended there or if more ideas were shared off the record. For fans it remains a charming glimpse into the way two giants can inspire each other with only a few words.

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Coming Next Week: The Big Fall Tour Review

Next week’s newsletter will be dedicated to Fall Tour Reviews. We will highlight fan impressions from the shows across the recent tour and share what made these nights special. If you were at one of the shows and want to be part of the roundup, you can still send us a short review in the next two days. We would love to include as many voices as possible.

Thanks as always!

Daniel