"Abandoned Love" is a song written by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

, recorded on July 31, 1975, but not released until 1985, on his compilation album '' Biograph''. It was originally recorded for inclusion on his 1976 album ''

Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...

'', but was dropped in favor of "Joey". "Abandoned Love" was written during Dylan's breakup with his then-wife Sara Lownds. A working title for the song was "

Sara Sara may refer to: People * Sara (given name), a feminine given name People with the given name * Sara Aboobacker (1936–2023), Indian writer and translator * Sara Ahmed (born 1969), British-Australian writer * Sara Allgood (1880–1950), Ir ...

Part II Abandoned Love." It was also known at one point as "Saint John the Evangelist", after a line in the song lyrics. Only one live performance of this song is known of, at

The Bitter End The Bitter End is a 230-person capacity nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually s ...

cafe on

Bleecker Street Bleecker Street is an east–west street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightlife, nightclub district. The street connects a neighborhood popular today for music venues and comedy as well as a ...

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

on July 3, 1975, during a show with

Ramblin' Jack Elliott Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliott Charles Adnopoz; August 1, 1931) is an American folk singer, songwriter and story teller. Life and career Elliott was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Florence (Rieger) and Abraham Adno ...

. Paul Cable, in his book ''Bob Dylan: His Unreleased Recordings'' (New York: Schirmer Books, 1980), described this live version of the song as "Beautiful, eerie, easily as good as ''

Blonde on Blonde ''Blonde on Blonde'' is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as a double album on June 20, 1966, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions began in New York in October 1965 with numerous backing musici ...

'' lyrics and a tune that is unusual and perfect".

Reception

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' listed "Abandoned Love" as #64 on its list of Dylan's 100 greatest songs, calling the ''Biograph'' version "one of Dylan's most tortured, heartbroken recordings". ''Billboard'' included the song in its list of Dylan's 15 "most poetic lyrics". ''

The Big Issue ''The Big Issue'' is a United Kingdom–based street newspaper founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991 and published in four continents. ''The Big Issue'' is one of the UK's leading social businesses and exists to offer ho ...

'' placed it at #37 on a 2021 list of the "80 best Bob Dylan songs - that aren't the greatest hits" and called it a "jolly break-up song for a change". A 2021 ''Guardian'' article included it on a list of "80 Bob Dylan songs everyone should know".

Personnel

–

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse (music), pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., d ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

Scarlet Rivera Donna Shea, better known as Scarlet Rivera is an American violinist. She is best known for her work with Bob Dylan, in particular on his 1976 album ''Desire'' and as part of the Rolling Thunder Revue. Life and career Born Donna Shea in Joliet, ...

– violin *

Rob Stoner Robert Rothstein (born April 20, 1948), known professionally as Rob Stoner, is an American singer and multi-instrumentalist known for his role as the musical director for three Bob Dylan tours and his contributions to hit albums, including Bob Dy ...

– bass guitar/backing vocalist *

Howard Wyeth Howard Pyle Wyeth (April 22, 1944 – March 27, 1996), also known as Howie Wyeth, was an American drummer and pianist. Wyeth is remembered for work with the saxophonist James Moody (saxophonist), James Moody, the rockabilly singer Robert Gordon ( ...

– drums, piano

Covers

"Abandoned Love" has been covered numerous times, notably by: *

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

recorded an unreleased demo version in the 1980s. *

Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, an ...

: '' Born Yesterday'' (1985) * Seán Keane: ''All Heart No Roses'' (1993) *

Chuck Prophet Charles William Prophet (born June 28, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. A Californian, Prophet first achieved notice in the American psychedelic/desert rock group Green on Red, with whom he toured and reco ...

: ''Outlaw Blues, Volume 2'' (1995) *Paul Rodgers Nils Lofgren: ''Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International'' (2012) *

Willie Nile Willie Nile (born Robert Anthony Noonan; June 7, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter. In 1980, Nile released his self-titled debut album. His early career was interrupted by various problems, but he eventually returned to recording and perf ...

on his Dylan covers record '' Positively Bob: Willie Nile Sings Bob Dylan'' (2017) *

Gillian Welch Gillian Howard Welch (; born October 2, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, bluegrass, coun ...

and

David Rawlings David Todd Rawlings (born December 30, 1969) is an American guitarist, singer, and record producer. He is known for his musical partnership with singer and songwriter Gillian Welch. He and Welch were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Or ...

on their album ''All the Good Times Are Past & Gone'' (2020) *Charlie Root on his single "Abandoned Love" (2024)

Notes

External links

Lyrics
from Bob Dylan's official site
Chords
at Dylanchords {{authority control 1975 songs Songs written by Bob Dylan Bob Dylan songs George Harrison songs