Last Update: 04/05/2026 at 2:50 PM EST
Oh Mercy Revives Dylan's Darker Voice
Coverage from American Songwriter, Nick DeRiso, and others
Articles
5
Latest Article
03/08
Active Days
1364
Executive Summary
Bob Dylan's Oh Mercy sessions with Daniel Lanois in New Orleans sparked a moody comeback, shaping a darker sound and key late-1980s songs
- Oh Mercy was recorded in New Orleans with producer Daniel Lanois in a Victorian mansion on Soniat Street
- The sessions began with unfinished songs and several false starts before the album took shape
- Political World and Most of the Time went through repeated rewrites and difficult recording attempts
- Lanois and Dylan clashed at times, including a heated session where a dobro was smashed
- Songs including Everything Is Broken, Man in the Long Black Coat, and What Good Am I helped define the album
- Dignity and Series of Dreams were recorded but left off the final Oh Mercy track list
- The album marked a late-1980s creative rebound and a shift toward a darker more atmospheric style
Quick Facts
- What: Recorded Oh Mercy and reshaped Dylan's sound
- Where: In New Orleans at Soniat Street studio
- Why: To create a stronger comeback after weak albums
- Who: Bob Dylan and producer Daniel Lanois
- When: During the late 1980s sessions in 1989
Coverage Timeline: 1364 Days
Featured Article
Bob Dylan's Oh Mercy sessions in New Orleans with producer Daniel Lanois in the late 1980s center on the closing track Shooting Star.
Additional Articles
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In the late eighties in New Orleans, Bob Dylan and Daniel Lanois recorded Oh Mercy at a Soniat Street mansion-turned-studio, reshaping Dylan's sound and outlook.
On Mar 23, 1989, Bob Dylan recorded Series of Dreams during the Oh Mercy sessions, later leaving the track off the final album.
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In an Untold Dylan article, Jochen examines Bob Dylan's Dreamin' Of You, exploring its closing lines and their possible literary and musical sources.
Daniel Lanois and Bob Dylan collaborated on the Oh Mercy sessions in the 1980s, in the studio, to refine the sonic texture as Dylan pursued secular songs.