I never really listened to Bob Dylan when I was younger. He’s really grown on me since though. There’s no denying that his songwriting ability is very special.
However, the melody of “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” derives from Paul Clayton’s “Who’s Gonna Buy You Ribbons When I’m Gone?”, which in turn is from an old folk song.
There’s even a few line shared between the two songs. But Dylan’s performance and arrangement is just classic. The song is essentially him saying to an ex that it’s all fine and they should move on. That’s why the comma in the song title is important!
The song was released in 1963 on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. As a single it was the B-side to the legendary “Blowin’ In The Wind”.
The song is simple, with just a fingerpicking guitar as a accompaniment. Sometimes, that’s the best way to do it…