Shadow Kingdom cover art

  Soundtrack · No. 2

Shadow Kingdom Songwriting Credits by Bob Dylan

2023 Columbia Records 14 tracks 54 min
Columbia Records Folk rock
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 14 of 14 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 14 / 14 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 14 tracks with documented writers, by whether Bob Dylan carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
14 trackswritten by Bob Dylan 0 tracksoutside writers
Bob Dylan's roles on this album

Share of the 14 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer0%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

14
Tracks
1
Lyricists
0
Producers
2023
Released
Data Insight

Shadow Kingdom is the 2023 companion album to Bob Dylan's 2021 streaming film, consisting of newly recorded versions of his own older songs plus one instrumental, Sierra's Theme. Because the tracks are re-recordings of his catalog, all the songs are Dylan compositions. It is built around a drumless, accordion-led arrangement that critics praised for making the songs sound fresh.

Released June 2, 2023, Shadow Kingdom was a soundtrack to a concert film directed by Alma Har'el, recorded at Village Recorder in West Los Angeles in early 2021. The album was recorded without drums or percussion, a first for a Dylan studio band record, with session players including T Bone Burnett, Don Was, Greg Leisz, and Tim Pierce contributing, though no musicians received official credits. All thirteen songs are reimagined versions of earlier Dylan originals drawn from across his catalog, plus an instrumental track called "Sierra's Theme," with arrangements leaning heavily on accordion and acoustic instrumentation. Critics noted that the absence of drums and the accordion-led sound stripped the songs to an almost medieval or chamber-folk quality. The album received a Metacritic score of 84, earned five-star reviews from The Daily Telegraph and Exclaim!, and charted in more than nineteen countries, reaching the top ten in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Scotland, and Switzerland.

Track Listing & Credits 14 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
When I Paint My Masterpiece
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
2
Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
3
Queen Jane Approximately
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
4
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
5
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
6
Tombstone Blues
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
7
To Be Alone with You
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
8
What Was It You Wanted
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
9
Forever Young
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
10
Pledging My Time
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
11
The Wicked Messenger
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
12
Watching the River Flow
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
13
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
14
Sierra's Theme
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (Lead Vocals, Guitar)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 1 contributor

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Frequently Asked Questions Shadow Kingdom

Did Bob Dylan write the songs on Shadow Kingdom?
Yes. Shadow Kingdom is made up of newly recorded versions of Bob Dylan's own older songs, so all the songs are his compositions. It also includes one instrumental, Sierra's Theme.
Is Shadow Kingdom by Bob Dylan a soundtrack?
Yes. Shadow Kingdom is the companion soundtrack album to Dylan's 2021 streaming film Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan. The album was released on June 2, 2023.
Are the songs on Shadow Kingdom new or old Bob Dylan songs?
They are re-recordings of older Dylan songs drawn from across his catalog. The arrangements are new, but the compositions date from earlier in his career.
Why does Shadow Kingdom by Bob Dylan have no drums?
Shadow Kingdom is the first Dylan album recorded with a band that uses no drums or percussion. Critics highlighted its accordion-led, drumless sound as making the songs feel fresh.
What was the single from Shadow Kingdom?
Watching the River Flow, a re-recording of Dylan's 1971 song, was released as a single in April 2023. It is one of the older songs reworked for the album.
How did Shadow Kingdom by Bob Dylan chart?
Shadow Kingdom debuted at number 71 on the Billboard 200, though it was among the best-selling albums of its first week on pure sales. It reached the top 10 in several European countries.
Data note: Wikipedia explicitly notes no producer is credited on this album. Session players include T-Bone Burnett, Don Was, Greg Leisz, and others per outside sources, but no official production credits exist. Track 14 (Sierra's Theme) is an instrumental with no writing credit.

Sources