| Dirge | |
| Artist: | Bob Dylan |
| Album: | Planet Waves |
| Released: | January 17, 1974 |
| Recorded: | November 14, 1973 |
| Genre: | Folk rock |
| Length: | 5:36 |
| Label: | Columbia |
| Producer: | Rob Fraboni |
"Dirge" is a song by Bob Dylan. It was released on his 14th studio album Planet Waves in 1974.[1] Notable for its acidic tone, "Dirge" has never been performed in concert.[2]
A 2021 Guardian article included it on a list of "80 Bob Dylan songs everyone should know".[3]
After recalling his band to re-record the track "Forever Young," Dylan recorded "Dirge" on just the second take.[4] The song was labeled on the studio tape box as "Dirge for Martha." After performing one take with an acoustic guitar, Dylan switched to a piano when he performed the second and final take. Robbie Robertson played acoustic guitar on the second take, giving the song a bluesy and mandolin-like feel. According to Rob Fraboni, the producer, Dylan "wanted a kind of barroom sound from the piano" and a "raunchy vocal sound." Fraboni and Robertson mixed the song immediately after the recording.[5]