Last Update: 04/05/2026 at 2:50 PM EST
Angelina Reveals Dylan's Lost Masterpiece
Coverage from The Joker and the Thief, Alldylan, and others
Articles
4
Latest Article
09/09
Active Days
4428
Executive Summary
Dylan's 1981 song Angelina is a lost masterpiece, blending spare piano, biblical imagery, and spiritual doubt before its later bootleg release.
- Angelina was recorded during Dylan's 1981 Shot of Love sessions at Rundown Studios
- Sources disagree on the date, with March 26, 1981 and May 4, 1981 both cited
- Jimmy Iovine produced the session and Carolyn Dennis, Regina Havis, and Clydie King sang backing vocals
- The song was cut from the Shot of Love album sequence and stayed unreleased until 1991
- Two surviving takes have circulated on The Bootleg Series Vol. 3 and Vol. 16
- Commentary describes the arrangement as spare, piano driven, and in D-flat major
- Lyrics draw heavily on biblical imagery, spiritual conflict, and long-form narrative detail
Quick Facts
- What: Recorded Angelina, a long unreleased song from Shot of Love sessions
- Where: Rundown Studios during the 1981 sessions
- Why: Its biblical imagery and spare structure made it a standout outtake
- Who: Bob Dylan and backing vocalists Carolyn Dennis, Regina Havis, Clydie King
- When: In 1981, later released in 1991 on Bootleg Series
Coverage Timeline: 4428 Days
Featured Article
An analytical essay examines Bob Dylan’s 1981 song "Angelina," recorded at Rundown Studios and represented by outtakes on The Bootleg Series Vol. 3 and Vol. 16.
Additional Articles
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Bob Dylan recorded "Angelina" on Mar 26, 1981 during Shot of Love sessions; the track was cut from the album and released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 in 1991.
An online review examines Bob Dylan's song Angelina, recorded for Shot of Love, focusing on its forced rhymes and dense Biblical imagery.
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On Dec 17, 2021, a WordPress blog post analyzed Bob Dylan’s song Angelina through biblical references and narrative interpretation.