I’ve always liked the song “Mr. Tambourine Man”, but I admit that until recently I was mainly familiar with the version by The Byrds. Having finally taken the time to get to know the Bob Dylan version (as heard on Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits) in the past year or so, I find it a lot more beautiful and interesting to listen to.
This is surprising to me, because on the face of it there seems to be a lot more going on in the Byrds’ version, what with that unforgettable hook and all. But I’ve figured out the reason:
Inversions.
The Byrds play the song as straight first-inversion major chords IV V I over and over again. (That’s why they need that hook!) It’s pretty boring if you start paying attention. Now Bob Dylan does something really interesting. His IV chord is in the first inversion, so that when it toggles back and forth between I and IV, there’s a very pleasing major sixth leap in the bass.
I did a cursory web survey of the various sites that offer chord changes for popular songs, to see what the standard is for this song. I found out two things: 1) There is no standard. Every site I checked had a different version, and they’re all in different keys, and 2) and not a single one of them matches the way Bob Dylan played it, which is:
(in the key of F)
IV6 V I IV6
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I IV6 V
I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to
IV6 V I IV6
Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me.
I IV6 V I
In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you
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