"Love is Just a Four Letter Word" Joan Baez

There has been no better interpreter of Bob Dylan's songs than Joan Baez. "Love is Just a Four-Letter Word" is from Any Day Now, her album of Dylan covers released in 1968 on the Vanguard label. It is available on CD.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Joan
• Baez.
• Folk
• 1960s

[Shufflerisms]

Incredible song - and production. They nailed this powerfully bitter sentiment perfectly with the slide guitar and country format. These older, original Baez recordings not only showcase her voice at it's youthful finest, but were with great care by the producers and engineers who let her shine through without a lot of the gratuitous over-production that plagued so many recording from the early 60's.

I haven't heard this one in over 30 years, and YES, it's just good as I remember.

[catman916]

This song is a perfect vehicle for her voice.

[Shufflerisms]

And she incorporates that octave jump, which she glides through without losing vibrato...a difficult technical acrobatic she pulls off like it's no big deal.

With some proper training, she might have had a brilliant operatic career. I'm so glad she choose to keep it real and sing for the rest of us instead.

These early recordings are my favorite, as they capture a gifted voice in its prime, singing some of the best poetry ever written.

Thanks again for the uploads.

[catman916]

Yes, she was incredible and still sounds good. I saw her live at Royce Hall at UCLA a few years ago. She is very bright, funny, down to earth, and still relevant.

[catman916]

I'm no prude, but comments like yours' are not appropriate.

[jsdschugaschwili]

@Shufflerisms

Chapeau - no one could have put it better!!!

[MrThuglifegangsta69]

JB is my shit when it comes to music

[MetrazolElectricity]

She had a great voice ...but if she had latent talent she didn't consummate it. I mean look how bob dylan shot to the stars ,while she remained courting pine trees

[Mahinaarangi]

Amazing. I hadn't heard this before, We have this in common, Joan. Sad.

[bernie17x]

@VALEHALE Why do you say that?

[the101program]

how many humans accomplish the personal achievements she has. Look at her, she went thru the 60's to 2011 looking great - moving politics - being great to herself, and providing us some of the best entertainment for the soundtrax of our life - She is the best host! Being great to the earth and your vision of wellness. Joan has one of the top ten voices known to our culture. Dance and Enjoy- then take your happiness and the message home and raise yourselves and your children with her message..

[will30078]

Bob Dylan is a genius & Joan an instigator of awareness . Saw her once in SF in the 70's at a Brazilian club. Actually, sitting outside of it on a step by herself...She was around SF a lot & I heard she was a very down to Earth person. Beautiful voice.

[VALEHALE]

Joan Baez has always been extremely talented, but the story she tells about Dylan forgetting he wrote this song is absurd. Dylan doesn't forget anything. He let her have the song and she has made it her own.

[roehmig]

A sitar, maybe, but more like a dobro..the steel rattle is a giveaway..MHOO..And Catman is right, Baez is the best Dylan cover ever..but nobody writes them like Dylan..

[roehmig]

A sitar, maybe, but more like a dobro..the steel rattle is a giveaway..MHOO..And Catman is right, Baez is the best Dylan cover ever..