Peggy Day

Album: Nashville Skyline (1969)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Peggy Day stole Dylan's heart away, and there's nothing more that Dylan wants than to spend the night with her. That's the gist of this doo-wop country song, which is completely devoid of pretense or ambiguity.

    Its simplicity wouldn't mean much from most other musicians, but for an artist whose lyrics only two years earlier were so impactful that revolutionary political groups and spiritual seekers alike scrutinized them for signs and guidance, it was inscrutable at best and betrayal at worst.

    Dylan just wanted to have fun with the Nashville Skyline album. He was coming off 14 months of rest and recuperation from both the physical damage of a motorcycle accident and the psychological damage of years of pushing himself to the limit in touring and recording. He was feeling good and didn't want to get caught back up in the cyclone from which he'd barely escaped alive.
  • Dylan said he thought about The Mills Brothers while writing this one. The Mills Brothers were a successful Ohio-based African American vocal quartet active from 1928 to 1982.
  • There's a version of this song with Dylan and Johnny Cash recording together. It happened sometime during February 17-18, 1969, in CBS Studios in Nashville. None of the songs the pair did together were meant for release, but they snuck out into the public as a bootleg titled The Dylan/Cash Sessions.
  • Dylan never performed "Peggy Day" live.
  • This was the B-side to the "Lay Lady Lay" single.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")Songwriter Interviews

Inspired by his dear friend, "Seasons in the Sun" paid for Terry's boat, which led him away from music and into a battle with Canadian paper mills.

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Millie Jackson

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.

Desmond Child

Desmond ChildSongwriter Interviews

One of the most successful songwriters in the business, Desmond co-wrote "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Livin' On A Prayer."

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.