Originally written on January, 16, 2018.
In 1997, at the age of 56, Bob Dylan released the album Time Out of Mind. The album is considered exceptionally successful; it won three Grammy Awards and effectively put Dylan back on the map. Critics found few flaws on the record, with the notable exception of track number nine—a low-key, simple, old-fashioned love song titled “Make You Feel My Love.”
The analyses of critics can hardly be considered the sacred truth. Their profound speculations are not necessarily in sync with what the average music lover is thinking. The listener listens to music to be moved. This certainly applies to track nine on this stellar album. No other song on the record has taken flight quite like “Make You Feel My Love.” Numerous musicians saw something in the song that the critics missed and created their own versions. Among them are performers no less distinguished than Billy Joel, Adele, Garth Brooks, Bryan Ferry, and Kelly Clarkson.
The list of those who have tackled this song is endless. However, it didn’t reach my ears until Sara Pétursdóttir performed it brilliantly in the National Singing Competition for Secondary Schools (Söngkeppni framhaldsskólanna) in 2014. Shortly thereafter, my daughter played a piano version of the song at her music school. That’s when it occurred to me to check if there were any fingerstyle guitar arrangements available. There proved to be no shortage of such arrangements. A vast multitude of people have tried their hand at playing it and posted it online. I chose an arrangement by Ulli Boegerhausen, transcribed it, and learned to play it, as can be heard in the video below. Strictly speaking, I probably shouldn’t include the arrangement with this article, but I’ll take the liberty since it is easily accessible in many places on the web. My notation is likely somewhat different from the original, as I didn’t use Boegerhausen’s sheet music when I wrote it down and probably changed a thing or two here and there.
When discussing a song by Dylan, one cannot avoid reflecting a little on the lyrics. The lyrics to “Make You Feel My Love” are not complex. They deal with love, the sacrifices the narrator is willing to make for it, and the longing for that love to be reciprocated. As with most of Dylan’s lyrics, one can find references suggesting it is more multifaceted than it first appears. Some have pointed out strong Biblical references, suggesting the narrator is Jesus Christ. Others have noted that the lyrics revolve around the narrator’s wretched state of mind and may even be rooted in Dylan’s divorce from his wife a few years earlier. Whatever meaning one derives from the text, it’s worth keeping in mind what Dylan himself said: “The meaning of the lyrics changes as time passes. People can find different meanings in them depending on their circumstances at any given time. They are multilayered.”
