Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You

Dylan arrived at the Nashville Skyline recording sessions having written just four songs, including "I Threw It All Away" and "Lay Lady Lay". Having recorded these and three other new songs on February 13 and 14, 1969, he needed a few more songs to fill out the album. "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" was written over two days at the Ramada Inn where Dylan was staying, and recorded over 11 takes on February 17. The song is reminiscent of the last two songs from Dylan's previous album John Wesley Harding, "Down Along the Cove" and "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight", particularly the latter. The lyrics of "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" mark a change from many of Dylan's earlier love songs, which expressed a restlessness in search of perfect love. In contrast, "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" expresses Dylan's devotion to his lover and willingness to stay with her. ==Reception==

Upon the single release, Cash Box said that unlike previous Dylan singles, "this ballad is honed to a fine edge and further sharpened through excellent production touches." Billboard said that "this strong original rhythm item...offers much of the same potential [as 'Lay Lady Lay']." Record World called it "another classic from the master." Beck Hansen told Mojo that "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" is his favorite Bob Dylan song: "I didn't get too deep into his music until I got into the Nashville records. Those are the ones that really got to me, because I was so into country music when I was younger and hearing those records for the first time... I always liked his kind of throwaway love songs. For somebody who's a giant like him, who writes those great cinematic songs like Visions Of Johanna that draw you into a strange world, to just toss out a good little tune...that's an aspect of Dylan I always really appreciated." == Live performances ==

Dylan did not play "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" live in concert until the Rolling Thunder Revue tours in 1975 and 1976, and it was not played live again until February 1990 on the Neverending Tour. The first live performance was at Waltham, Massachusetts on November 22, 1975. ==References==