Studio Album · No. 22
Down in the Groove Songwriting Credits by Bob Dylan
Holds writing credit on 4 of 10 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 4 / 10 documented
Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Bob Dylan carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Down in the Groove leans heavily on covers and traditional material, with only a handful of Dylan-credited songs. The Dylan-written tracks are Death Is Not the End and Had a Dream About You, Baby, plus two co-writes with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter: Ugliest Girl in the World and Silvio. The rest are covers, including Wilbert Harrison's Let's Stick Together, the standard When Did You Leave Heaven?, Arthur Alexander's Sally Sue Brown, and the traditional Shenandoah arranged by Dylan. Mark Knopfler co-produced Death Is Not the End, while the rest of the album's production went uncredited.
Released May 30, 1988, Down in the Groove was one of Dylan's most troubled releases, with sessions spanning five years (1983-1987) and the track listing altered at least three times before publication. The album mixed four Dylan originals, two co-written with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, with covers of material by Wilbert Harrison, Arthur Alexander, and others, including traditional songs. Its tone shifted erratically across sessions, reflecting the fragmented recording history, with the Encyclopedia of Popular Music describing it as lurching "raucous to pensive to sombre in a heartbeat." Commercially it peaked at number 61 in the US and number 32 in the UK, with its sole single "Silvio" failing to chart in either country. Rolling Stone later named it Dylan's worst album.
Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Let's Stick Together
|
Wilbert Harrison | Wilbert Harrison | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 2 |
When Did You Leave Heaven?
|
Walter Bullock | Richard Whiting | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 3 |
Sally Sue Brown
|
Arthur Alexander | Arthur Alexander | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 4 |
Death Is Not the End
|
Robert Allen Zimmermann | Robert Allen Zimmermann | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 5 |
Had a Dream About You, Baby
|
Robert Allen Zimmermann | Robert Allen Zimmermann | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 6 |
Ugliest Girl in the World
|
Robert Allen ZimmermannRobert Hunter | Robert Allen ZimmermannRobert Hunter | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 7 |
Silvio
|
Robert Allen ZimmermannRobert Hunter | Robert Allen ZimmermannRobert Hunter | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 8 |
Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street)
|
Hal BlairDon Robertson | Hal BlairDon Robertson | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 9 |
Shenandoah
|
Traditional | Traditional | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 10 |
Rank Strangers to Me
|
Albert E. Brumley | Albert E. Brumley | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |