Cover Versions
My Chemical Romance performed a cover of "Desolation Row", for the 2009 soundtrack of Watchmen. The song peaked at #20 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks in March, 2009. The first chapter of Watchmen ("At Midnight All the Agents") takes its name from a line in the song. This line is also quoted at the end of the chapter.
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 65 |
| UK Singles Chart | 52 |
| UK Rock Chart | 1 |
| US Billboard Alternative Songs | 20 |
According to the Grateful Dead website, the Dead have performed a cover version of "Desolation Row" since the mid-1980s. The song is included on their 2002 release Postcards of the Hanging (which, in itself, is an allusion to the lyrics of "Desolation Row"), which features a recording from March 24, 1990, at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York. The song was frequently included in Dead set lists and is often abbreviated as "D-Row."
Italian singer-songwriter Fabrizio de André wrote "Via della Povertà", an Italian translation of "Desolation Row", and included it in his 1974 album Canzoni. In Norway, Åge Aleksandersen recorded his version called "Nederst på Karl Johan" (on Fredløs: Dylan på norsk, 1997). Dan Tillberg made a Swedish cover version called "Hopplöshetens gränd" on the "Kärlek minus noll" ("Love Minus Zero") cover album.
Chris Smither recorded the song on his 2003 album Train Home with Bonnie Raitt providing backup on vocals and slide guitar. It has also been recorded by Robyn Hitchcock on the album Robyn Sings.
Old 97's singer Rhett Miller borrowed "Desolation Row"'s melody for a new song, "Champaign, Illinois". It was recorded with Dylan's blessing and appears on their 2010 album The Grande Theatre, Volume One, with Dylan and Miller sharing writing credit.
Read more about this topic: Desolation Row
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