Ring Them Bells (song)

"Ring Them Bells" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, released in 1989 as the fourth track on his album Oh Mercy. It is a piano-driven, hymn-like ballad that is considered by many to be the best song on Oh Mercy[1] and it is the track from that album that has been covered the most by other artists.[2]

"Ring Them Bells"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album Oh Mercy
ReleasedSeptember 18, 1989
RecordedMarch/April 1989
GenreFolk
Length3:00
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)Daniel Lanois

It has been anthologized on the albums Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3 in 1993 and Dylan in 2007. The song was produced by Daniel Lanois.

Composition and recording

In their book Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track, authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon cite the Gospel of Matthew as Dylan's main source of inspiration: "The bells ring to announce the celestial reign of God, who sent his son Jesus Christ to fulfill his divine will on earth and put the 'lost sheep' back on the right track. These bells proclaim the end of humankind".[3]

In his memoir Chronicles: Volume One, Dylan praised Daniel Lanois' role as producer in creating this specific track: "Lanois captured the essence of it on this, put the magic into its heartbeat and pulse. We cut this song exactly the way I found it...two or three takes with me on the piano, Dan on guitar and Malcolm Burn on keyboards."[4]

Critical reception

An article in The Daily Telegraph about Dylan's "30 greatest songs" ranked "Ring Them Bells" 27th, calling it a "post-apocalyptic gospel prayer" and praising its "stately piano chord progression" and Dylan's lyrics for their "Biblical richness and elegance".[5]

In their book Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track, authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon note that the "dynamic of the arrangement and the keen harmonic sense of the song establish 'Ring Them Bells' as one of the triumphs of this album'".[6]

Bruce Springsteen, in an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2020, cited it as one of his three favorite Dylan songs (along with "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Visions of Johanna").[7]

A USA Today article ranking "all of Bob Dylan's songs" placed "Ring Them Bells" 86th (out of 359).[8]

Other versions

The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006 contains two different versions of the song: an alternate version recorded during the Oh Mercy sessions and a live acoustic version from Dylan's residency at the Supper Club in New York City in 1993.[9]

Dylan performed the song backed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in Nara, Japan as part of a UNESCO-backed concert titled The Great Music Experience in 1994. It was the first time Dylan had ever played with an orchestra, which was conducted by Michael Kamen. The concert was broadcast on television in 50 countries and earned Dylan rave reviews.[10]

Live performances

Between 1989 and 2005 Dylan performed the song 34 times in concert on the Never Ending Tour.[11]

Notable covers

There have been dozens of covers of "Ring Them Bells". Among the most notable:

References
  1. "Ring them bells: more Times a-Changing than religious treatise | Untold DylanUntold Dylan". 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  2. "Cover versions of Ring Them Bells written by Bob Dylan | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  3. Margotin, Philippe (27 October 2015). Bob Dylan : all the songs : the story behind every track. Guesdon, Jean-Michel (First ed.). New York. ISBN 978-1-57912-985-9. OCLC 869908038.
  4. Dylan, Bob, 1941- (2004). Chronicles. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-2815-4. OCLC 56111894.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. "Bob Dylan: 30 greatest songs". The Telegraph. 2015-07-24. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  6. Margotin, Philippe (27 October 2015). Bob Dylan : all the songs : the story behind every track. Guesdon, Jean-Michel (First ed.). New York. ISBN 978-1-57912-985-9. OCLC 869908038.
  7. "Can You Guess Bruce Springsteen's Favorite Bob Dylan Songs? - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  8. "Ranking all of Bob Dylan's songs, from No. 1 to No. 359". For The Win. 2015-11-06. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  9. "The Bootleg Series, Vol 8: Tell Tale Signs | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  10. Egil (2017-05-22). "May 22: Bob Dylan The Great Music Experience, Nara, Japan 1994 (video)". All Dylan - A Bob Dylan blog. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  11. "Bob Dylan Tour Statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  12. "Gordon Lightfoot -- Christmas 2020 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  13. "Chris Cornell - Ring Them Bells (Bob Dylan) - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
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