Dylan Song by Song: "Lay, Lady, Lay" Quiz

Answer: Kris Kristofferson

In his 1995 book "The Recording Sessions 1960-1994," Heylin reports that Dylan had suggested bongos be used in the song while the producer proposed they employ cowbells. The drummer, Kenny Buttery, thought that was a terrible idea. To show them why, Buttery got then janitor Kris Kristofferon to hold both instruments while he played them together.

Answer: Charlie Daniels

Charlie Daniels played on three of Dylan's albums from 1969 to 1970: "Nashville Skyline," "Self Portrait," and "New Morning." In 1971, he recorded his first self-titled solo album. In 2014, he released a Dylan tribute album titled "Off the Grid: Doin' It Dylan." He did not include "Lay, Lady, Lay" on the album, however.

Answer: Nashville Skyline

Released in 1969, "Nashville Skyline" was Dylan's ninth studio album. The album contained a duet he recorded with Johnny Cash titled "Girl from the North Country." The B-side of the "Lay, Lady, Lay" single featured "Peggy Day."

Answer: brass

"Lay, lady, lay
Lay across my big brass bed."

Dylan had temporarily quit smoking when he recorded "Lay, Lady, Lay," and his voice on the album was very different from his usual sound. In Rolling Stone magazine, singer Lenny Kravitz is quoted as saying that he first heard this song as a kid and thought Dylan sang in that "low, crooning" voice all the time. Kravitz called the song "soulful and sensual" and pointed out that it's "a lyric you would expect to hear from Isaac Hayes. The beautiful thing about Dylan is that he is such a chameleon."

Answer: shine

"Lay, Lady, Lay" was one of Bob Dylan's few top ten hits. It peaked at number seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at number eight on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100. It peaked even higher, however, on the U.K. Singles Chart (OCC), at number five. It also entered the top ten on singles charts in New Zealand and Canada.

Answer: clothes, hands

"His clothes are dirty, but his-
His hands are clean
And you're the best thing that he's
Ever seen."

Dylan played guitar, harmonica, and keyboards on this song, while Pete Drake was on pedal steel guitar and Charlie McCoy on bass. Bob Wilson played organ and piano.

Answer: Stay

"Lay, lady, lay
Lay across my big brass bed
Stay, lady, stay
Stay while the night is still ahead
I long to see you in the morning light
I long to reach for you in the night."

Isaac Hayes covered this song in 1999 on the Dylan tribute album "Tangled Up in Blues." Folk singer Richie Havens recorded a version in 1987 on "Sings Beatles and Dylan: Old & New, Together & Apart."

Answer: Midnight Cowboy

Heylin includes this tidbit in his 1991 biography, "Dylan: Behind The Shades." Dylan originally wrote "Lay, Lady, Lay" to be the theme song for the buddy drama, but he unfortunately didn't submit it in time. The theme was supplied instead by John Barry and featured harmonic by Toots Thielemans on the movie and by Tommy Reilly on the album version.

Answer: The Byrds

The Byrd's released the song as a single on May 2, 1969 with "Old Blue" on the B-side. Their cover peaked at 132 on the Billboard chart and didn't even enter the UK chart. The Byrd's version included a female choir.

Answer: Ministry

Ministry originally covered the song for the October 1994 Bridge School Benefit Charity Concert with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam on backing vocals. Their studio version of the song was released as a single in February of 1996 with "Paisely" on the B-Side.

The pop rock band Duran Duran included a version of "Lay, Lady, Lay" on their 1995 covers album "Thank You."