The year 1985 was a period of notable creations for Bob Dylan, songs that, for many songwriters, would represent career peaks. Yet, for Dylan, they seemed to be mere stepping stones in his relentless pursuit of innovation. Looking back at his songwriting chronology from late 1985, we observe a fascinating mix. It included Dark Eyes, a track hailed by some as a potential cornerstone for a new Dylan era. However, this promise felt somewhat unfulfilled. The following year concluded with another masterpiece, To Fall in Love with You. Interestingly, unlike Dark Eyes, this gem remained unfinished, echoing Leonardo da Vinci’s famous sentiment, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” Perhaps Dylan viewed To Fall in Love with You in a similar light.
Or perhaps, as Bono’s later comments suggest, Dylan felt it resonated too strongly with his established sound. Despite these creative hesitations, abandoning artistic endeavors was a luxury Dylan could scarcely afford, given the continuous demand for his musical genius.
End of 1985
- Dark Eyes
- Shake
- Under Your Spell
1986
- Rock Em Dead
- You Wanna Ramble
- Got My Mind Made Up
- Had A Dream About You Baby
- Ride This Train
- To Fall in Love with You
Following the incomplete yet brilliant To Fall in Love with You, a shift began to emerge, albeit subtly. This brings us to 1987 and the song in question:
1987
Initially, a detailed review of Handle With Care, from 1988, was the intended focus. However, to properly contextualize Handle With Care, it became essential to revisit the eclectic collection of songs that preceded it. This naturally leads us to examine Love Rescue Me, completing the quartet of songs from this period.
The well-known story behind Love Rescue Me recounts how Bono of U2, during their Joshua Tree tour, conceived the song. Believing it might be a Dylan original from memory, Bono ventured to Malibu to inquire. It turned out to be a new composition, and the two artists collaborated to finalize it. Love Rescue Me found its place on U2’s Rattle and Hum album, alongside another Dylan classic, All Along the Watchtower.
Recorded at the legendary Sun Studios—though significantly renovated since its Sam Phillips era—the session utilized an engineer with a history of working with Sun Studio icons like Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley, and reportedly some of the original studio equipment. The album, featuring Love Rescue Me, was released in 1988, bringing the rescue me song to a wider audience.
Personally, Love Rescue Me doesn’t deeply resonate. This might stem from a general lack of affinity for U2’s music. Neither the melody nor the lyrics strike a chord that transports me to a compelling new realm.
Many strangers have I met
On the road to my regret
Many lost who seek to find themselves in me
They ask me to reveal
The very thoughts they would conceal
Love rescue me
Compared to Dylan’s quintessential themes of movement and forward progression, evident in songs like Restless Farewell, Love Rescue Me seems to lack a similar depth and impact. The sudden surge in volume in the middle eight section feels like a somewhat conventional poetic interlude.
And the sun in the sky
Makes a shadow of you and I
Stretching out as the sun sinks in the sea
I’m here without a name
In the palace of my shame
Said, love rescue me
While lines such as “I’m here without a name / In the palace of my shame” hint at potential, they don’t fully develop or justify the dramatic shifts in volume. The song presents a rather commonplace set of ideas, set to a fairly standard tune built upon three primary chords.
However, an engaging anecdote is linked to Love Rescue Me. Bono, in an interview with New Musical Express, shared an insightful moment from his collaboration with Dylan:
“He’s very hung up on actually being Bob Dylan. He feels he’s trapped in his past… Like we were trading lines and verses off the top of our heads and Dylan comes out with this absolute classic – ‘I was listening to the Neville Brothers, it was a quarter to eight, I have an appointment with destiny, but I knew she’d come late, She tricked me, she addicted me, she turned me on my head, Now I can’t sleep with these secrets that leave me cold and alone in my bed.’
“Then he goes, ‘Nah, cancel that.’ He thought it was too close to what people expect of Bob Dylan.”
This perspective aligns with the song’s final verse, which could well represent Dylan’s lyrical contribution.
I’ve conquered my past
The future is here at last
I stand at the entrance
To a new world I can see
The ruins to the right of me
Will soon have lost sight of me
Love rescue me.
If these lines are indeed Dylan’s, they prove remarkably prophetic. This period marked the beginning of Dylan’s creative resurgence, albeit gradual.
It took two years for this renewed inspiration to fully bloom—partly due to his involvement with the Traveling Wilburys supergroup. Yet, the artistic output Dylan unleashed in 1989 was extraordinary.
As noted previously, for most songwriters, such a collection would be the pinnacle of a career. For the rare genius songwriters, from Irving Berlin to Bob Dylan, it’s simply a remarkable year’s work.
In conclusion, Love Rescue Me, in itself, might not stand out as a monumental work. However, its significance lies in its position just before Dylan’s powerful return to songwriting prominence. It served as a precursor to a period where Dylan not only honored Roy Orbison with a memorable collaboration but also reignited his own unparalleled songwriting prowess. While Love Rescue Me may not be a personal favorite for everyone, its context within Dylan’s artistic journey provides an interesting chapter in his ever-evolving story.
