"Wigwam" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Bob Dylan | ||||
from the album Self Portrait | ||||
B-side | " Copper Kettle" | |||
Released | 1970 | |||
Recorded | March 1970 | |||
Genre | Country rock | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan | |||
Producer(s) | Bob Johnston | |||
Bob Dylan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Wigwam" is a song by Bob Dylan that was released on his 1970 album Self Portrait. It was a hit single that reached the Top 10 in several countries worldwide. The song's basic track, including "la-la" vocals, was recorded in early March 1970 in New York City. Later that month, producer Bob Johnston had brass instrument overdubs added to the track; these were recorded in Nashville, Tennessee at a session without Dylan present.
Critical appraisal of "Wigwam" has been mostly positive, and reviewers have called it a highlight of Self Portrait. Several artists have covered the composition, including Drafi Deutscher, whose version of it was a Top 20 hit in Germany.
"Wigwam" was recorded during the sessions for Dylan's Self Portrait album, and produced by Bob Johnston. [2] The basic track was put on tape on March 4, 1970, [3] at Columbia Studio A in New York City, [4] and was labelled "New Song 1" on the recording sheet. [4] The musicians on the basic track were Dylan, vocals and guitar; David Bromberg, guitar; Al Kooper, piano. [3] On April 20, 2013, this early version of "Wigwam" was released as a single for Record Store Day, [5] and on August 27 of the same year, it appeared on The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971). [3] [6]
On March 17, 1970, at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, instrumental overdubs were recorded for "Wigwam" and several other songs. [2] Dylan was not present for the overdubs, and they were overseen by Johnston. [7]
In the song, Dylan sings "la-la" vocals, accompanied by horns, [8] in an arrangement that has been called " mariachi-like", [9] and " Tex-Mex". [10] The feeling of the song has also been described as "campfire music" [11] and as having a "hazy glow". [12]
"Wigwam" was released on Self Portrait on June 8, 1970, [13] and as a single in June or July. [4] [14] [15] The single's B-side is "Copper Kettle". [1] [14] The single was a Top 10 hit in Belgium, [16] Denmark (in 1972), [17] France, [18] Malaysia, [19] the Netherlands, [1] Singapore, [20] and Switzerland, [21] and was a Top 40 hit in Canada [22] and Germany. [23] In the US, the song reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, [24] and No. 13 on the Billboard Top 40 Easy Listening chart. [25]
Years later, in the early 2000s, "Wigwam" appeared on the "Limited Tour Edition" of The Essential Bob Dylan. [26] [27] The song was also included on the soundtrack to the film The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), [12] as well as on the compilations One Hit Wonders and Hard to Find Classics (2003), [28] Radio 2 - De Topcollectie '70 Vol. 2 (2010), [29] Top 40 Hitarchief - 1970 (2011), [30] and Remember the 70s Vol. 5. [31]
Reactions to the song have been generally positive. A review in Billboard magazine describes the track as "winning". [10] Biographer Rober Shelton includes "Wigwam" among the "quality" songs on Self Portrait, describing it as "hard to forget"; [32] Michael Gray similarly rates it as one of the "best tracks" on the album. [33] Greil Marcus is likewise positive about the track, calling it "a great job of arranging". [11] PopMatters reviewer Tom Useted calls the song "more than worthy", [34] while NME writer Paul Stokes qualifies it as "melodious" and as demonstrating Dylan's "versatility and impact". [35] In a review of The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack, critic Heather Phares writes that the "hazy glow" of the song "add[s] to the album's strangely timeless but emotionally direct atmosphere." [12] Critic Sean Egan writes that "Dylan la-las against a big brass arrangement in a not disagreeable way—but is 'not disagreeable' supposed to be what a Dylan track amounts to?" [8]
On a more negative note, writer Seth Rogovoy describes "Wigwam" as a "bizarre, wordless vocal tune," although Rogovoy claims that this is merely a description of the song and not a negative judgment at all [9] Critic Anthony Varesi considers the instrumentation on "Wigwam" to be an example of "horns misplaced", and "evidence of flaws" in Bob Johnston's production choices on Self Portrait. [36] Pitchfork writer Rob Mitchum characterizes the song as "moaning along with the brass section" and "rather unpleasant". [37]
Artists who have covered "Wigwam" include the New Christy Minstrels, [38] Sounds Orchestral, [39] and the French orchestra leaders Raymond Lefèvre [40] and Caravelli. [41] Drafi Deutscher released a version with German lyrics, entitled "Weil ich dich liebe" ("Because I Love You"), that was a Top 20 hit in Germany in 1970. [42] Saragossa Band [43] have covered this song as well.
Chart (1970) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium Single Charts | 9 [16] |
Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 17 [22] |
Dutch Single Top 100 | 3 [1] |
German Singles Charts | 33 [23] |
Malaysia Top 10 | 8 [19] |
Swiss Music Charts | 9 [21] |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 41 [24] |
US Billboard Top 40 Easy Listening | 13 [25] |
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"Wigwam" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Bob Dylan | ||||
from the album Self Portrait | ||||
B-side | " Copper Kettle" | |||
Released | 1970 | |||
Recorded | March 1970 | |||
Genre | Country rock | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan | |||
Producer(s) | Bob Johnston | |||
Bob Dylan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Wigwam" is a song by Bob Dylan that was released on his 1970 album Self Portrait. It was a hit single that reached the Top 10 in several countries worldwide. The song's basic track, including "la-la" vocals, was recorded in early March 1970 in New York City. Later that month, producer Bob Johnston had brass instrument overdubs added to the track; these were recorded in Nashville, Tennessee at a session without Dylan present.
Critical appraisal of "Wigwam" has been mostly positive, and reviewers have called it a highlight of Self Portrait. Several artists have covered the composition, including Drafi Deutscher, whose version of it was a Top 20 hit in Germany.
"Wigwam" was recorded during the sessions for Dylan's Self Portrait album, and produced by Bob Johnston. [2] The basic track was put on tape on March 4, 1970, [3] at Columbia Studio A in New York City, [4] and was labelled "New Song 1" on the recording sheet. [4] The musicians on the basic track were Dylan, vocals and guitar; David Bromberg, guitar; Al Kooper, piano. [3] On April 20, 2013, this early version of "Wigwam" was released as a single for Record Store Day, [5] and on August 27 of the same year, it appeared on The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971). [3] [6]
On March 17, 1970, at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, instrumental overdubs were recorded for "Wigwam" and several other songs. [2] Dylan was not present for the overdubs, and they were overseen by Johnston. [7]
In the song, Dylan sings "la-la" vocals, accompanied by horns, [8] in an arrangement that has been called " mariachi-like", [9] and " Tex-Mex". [10] The feeling of the song has also been described as "campfire music" [11] and as having a "hazy glow". [12]
"Wigwam" was released on Self Portrait on June 8, 1970, [13] and as a single in June or July. [4] [14] [15] The single's B-side is "Copper Kettle". [1] [14] The single was a Top 10 hit in Belgium, [16] Denmark (in 1972), [17] France, [18] Malaysia, [19] the Netherlands, [1] Singapore, [20] and Switzerland, [21] and was a Top 40 hit in Canada [22] and Germany. [23] In the US, the song reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, [24] and No. 13 on the Billboard Top 40 Easy Listening chart. [25]
Years later, in the early 2000s, "Wigwam" appeared on the "Limited Tour Edition" of The Essential Bob Dylan. [26] [27] The song was also included on the soundtrack to the film The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), [12] as well as on the compilations One Hit Wonders and Hard to Find Classics (2003), [28] Radio 2 - De Topcollectie '70 Vol. 2 (2010), [29] Top 40 Hitarchief - 1970 (2011), [30] and Remember the 70s Vol. 5. [31]
Reactions to the song have been generally positive. A review in Billboard magazine describes the track as "winning". [10] Biographer Rober Shelton includes "Wigwam" among the "quality" songs on Self Portrait, describing it as "hard to forget"; [32] Michael Gray similarly rates it as one of the "best tracks" on the album. [33] Greil Marcus is likewise positive about the track, calling it "a great job of arranging". [11] PopMatters reviewer Tom Useted calls the song "more than worthy", [34] while NME writer Paul Stokes qualifies it as "melodious" and as demonstrating Dylan's "versatility and impact". [35] In a review of The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack, critic Heather Phares writes that the "hazy glow" of the song "add[s] to the album's strangely timeless but emotionally direct atmosphere." [12] Critic Sean Egan writes that "Dylan la-las against a big brass arrangement in a not disagreeable way—but is 'not disagreeable' supposed to be what a Dylan track amounts to?" [8]
On a more negative note, writer Seth Rogovoy describes "Wigwam" as a "bizarre, wordless vocal tune," although Rogovoy claims that this is merely a description of the song and not a negative judgment at all [9] Critic Anthony Varesi considers the instrumentation on "Wigwam" to be an example of "horns misplaced", and "evidence of flaws" in Bob Johnston's production choices on Self Portrait. [36] Pitchfork writer Rob Mitchum characterizes the song as "moaning along with the brass section" and "rather unpleasant". [37]
Artists who have covered "Wigwam" include the New Christy Minstrels, [38] Sounds Orchestral, [39] and the French orchestra leaders Raymond Lefèvre [40] and Caravelli. [41] Drafi Deutscher released a version with German lyrics, entitled "Weil ich dich liebe" ("Because I Love You"), that was a Top 20 hit in Germany in 1970. [42] Saragossa Band [43] have covered this song as well.
Chart (1970) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium Single Charts | 9 [16] |
Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 17 [22] |
Dutch Single Top 100 | 3 [1] |
German Singles Charts | 33 [23] |
Malaysia Top 10 | 8 [19] |
Swiss Music Charts | 9 [21] |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 41 [24] |
US Billboard Top 40 Easy Listening | 13 [25] |
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cite book}}
: |work=
ignored (
help){{
cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link){{
cite book}}
: |work=
ignored (
help)