Bob Dylan's Body Parts Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hair

One of the songs from what is known as the "Minnesota Party Tape", "Bonnie, Why'd You Cut My Hair?" can be found, and heard, by a quick search for the title, even though it remains officially unreleased. The answer to the question seems to be "because you asked me to cut it", but were unhappy with the result. The Bonnie of the title is said to have been Dylan's college girlfriend.

Answer: Side

Until I listened to "With God on Our Side" just now, I hadn't realised that the anti-war protest songs of the sixties had begun so early in the decade, before the United States had become as heavily involved in Vietnam as they came to be by the end of the decade. Dylan names numerous wars, from the American Civil War to World War II, but when this was recorded in 1963, "Vietnam" did not yet mean "the war in Vietnam".

This song was released in 1964 on the album "The Times They Are A-Changin'". A new verse mentioning Vietnam was added years later.

Answer: Mind

Recorded in 1964, but not released until 1991 as part of "The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991", "Mama, You Been on My Mind" is pretty much a straight-up love song, with a tempo that is reasonably upbeat considering that it seems to be about the end of a relationship. Artists who have covered the song include The Kingston Trio, Rod Stewart and Joan Baez (who apparently substituted "Daddy" for "Mama" in the lyrics).

Answer: Back

"My Back Pages" was released in 1964 on the album "Another Side of Dylan", and is the song in which he tells us:

"Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now"

This is an interesting concept, coming from a man who was 23 at the time, but effective nevertheless.

Answer: Skin

"Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" was released on the album "Blonde on Blonde" in 1966. The song comes across as a jab at the fashion sense of a woman who may (or may not) have cheated on the singer.

Answer: Mind

The one rendition of "Trouble in Mind" that I've been able to listen to online is not by Dylan, and several sources note that though he tried to record it he was never satisfied enough to release his version. One source indicates that it was finally released in 2017 on "The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979-1981". The song has the feel of a gospel meeting about it, especially the refrain:

"Trouble in mind, Lord, trouble in mind
Lord, take away this trouble in mind."

Answer: Heart

"Heart of Mine" appeared on the album "Shot of Love" in 1981, and was released as a single in both Europe and the USA, but with different B-sides. It was popular enough in Norway to reach number 8 on their charts, and a cover by Norah Jones and the Peter Malick Group was featured on the soundtrack of the movie "Runaway Jury" (2003).

Answer: Foot

Full disclosure: I don't like this song. The rendition I found (not Dylan) is angry, strident and disturbing. With lyrics like

"Well, there ain't no goin' back
When your foot of pride come down
Ain't no goin' back"

I can fully understand why it was cut from the album "Infidels" in 1983.

Answer: Eyes

There's a story (which might be true) that Dylan wrote "Dark Eyes" quickly, because a closing song was needed for the album "Empire Burlesque" (1985). Whatever the inspiration, the resulting song is rather pretty and was recorded for the album with little studio embellishment, unlike the other tracks on the album.

Answer: Blood

Written for the album "Tempest" (2012) the song "Pay in Blood" is as bleak as its title suggests. The final verse sums it up:

"This is how I spend my days
I came to bury not to praise
I`ll drink my fill and sleep alone
I pay in blood, but not my own."

I went back and listened to some early Dylan after this one.