Studio Album · No. 10
Self Portrait Songwriting Credits by Bob Dylan
Holds writing credit on 8 of 24 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 8 / 24 documented
Scored across the 24 tracks with documented writers, by whether Bob Dylan carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 24 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Self Portrait is dominated by covers and traditional material rather than new Dylan compositions. Dylan's own writing appears on a handful of tracks including All the Tired Horses, Living the Blues, Woogie Boogie, Minstrel Boy and the instrumental Wigwam, while live or re-recorded versions of his earlier songs Like a Rolling Stone, She Belongs to Me and The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) are also included. The bulk of the double album draws on songs by other writers such as Gordon Lightfoot's Early Mornin' Rain, Paul Simon's The Boxer, Rodgers and Hart's Blue Moon, and traditional numbers like Alberta, Little Sadie and Belle Isle.
Released June 8, 1970 and produced by Bob Johnston, Self Portrait is a sprawling double album that blends cover versions of folk and pop standards, including "Blue Moon" and "The Boxer", with live recordings from the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival and a small number of new originals such as "Wigwam" and "Living the Blues." The mixture of covers and live material made it an anomaly in Dylan's catalog and was widely understood as a deliberate act of self-sabotage; Dylan later admitted he released it partly to shed the unwanted "spokesman of a generation" identity. Musically it continues the country-folk direction of Nashville Skyline but sprawls across genres without focused vision, drawing heavily on orchestral arrangements on several tracks. Critical reception was devastating, Greil Marcus opened his Rolling Stone review with "What is this shit?", and it remains one of the most controversial major-label releases of the era. Despite the critical panning it reached No. 4 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 1 in the UK, achieving gold certification.
Track Listing & Credits 24 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
All the Tired Horses
|
Robert Allen Zimmermann | Robert Allen Zimmermann | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 2 |
Alberta #1
|
Traditional | Traditional | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 3 |
I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know
|
Cecil A. Null | Cecil A. Null | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 4 |
Days of 49
|
Traditional | Traditional | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 5 |
Early Mornin' Rain
|
Gordon Lightfoot | Gordon Lightfoot | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 6 |
In Search of Little Sadie
|
Traditional | Traditional | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 7 |
Let It Be Me
|
Pierre Delanoë | Gilbert Bécaud | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 8 |
Little Sadie
|
Traditional | Traditional | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 9 |
Woogie Boogie
|
Robert Allen Zimmermann | Robert Allen Zimmermann | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 10 |
Belle Isle
|
Traditional | Traditional | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 11 |
Living the Blues
|
Robert Allen Zimmermann | Robert Allen Zimmermann | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 12 |
Like a Rolling Stone
|
Robert Allen Zimmermann | Robert Allen Zimmermann | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 13 |
Copper Kettle (The Pale Moonlight)
|
Alfred Frank Beddoe | Alfred Frank Beddoe | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 14 |
Gotta Travel On
|
Paul Clayton | Paul Clayton | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 15 |
Blue Moon
|
Lorenz Hart | Richard Rodgers | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 16 |
The Boxer
|
Paul Simon | Paul Simon | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 17 |
Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
|
Robert Allen Zimmermann | Robert Allen Zimmermann | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 18 |
Take Me as I Am (Or Let Me Go)
|
Boudleaux Bryant | Boudleaux Bryant | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 19 |
Take a Message to Mary
|
Felice Bryant | Boudleaux Bryant | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 20 |
It Hurts Me Too
|
Traditional | Traditional | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 21 |
Minstrel Boy
|
Robert Allen Zimmermann | Robert Allen Zimmermann | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 22 |
She Belongs to Me
|
Robert Allen Zimmermann | Robert Allen Zimmermann | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 23 |
Wigwam
#41
|
Robert Allen Zimmermann | Robert Allen Zimmermann | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |
| 24 |
Alberta #2
|
Traditional | Traditional | Bob Johnston | Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar) |