Sign on the Window

"Sign on the Window"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album New Morning
ReleasedOctober 1970
RecordedJune 5, 1970[1]
StudioCBS Studio B (New York)
Length3:45
LabelColumbia
SongwriterBob Dylan
ProducerBob Johnston

"Sign on the Window" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was released on his eleventh studio album New Morning (1970). It has received positive reviews, with critics considering it a highlight of its parent album and some declaring it one of Dylan's masterpieces.

Background and recording

Writer Michael Gray opines that "Sign on the Window" portrays a conflicted look towards family life, a "marked expression of explicit doubt about the family-man-countryman role" which Dylan had developed over his previous two albums.[2] Gray highlights the repetition of the line "That must be what it's all about" as a "patently unconfident remark" which emphasizes the unease of the narrator.[2] Brian Hinton echoes this sentiment, stating the track "certainly catches a mood of come-down at the end of the 60s dream", accentuated by a vocal performance characterized by "pathos and uncertainty".[3]

Some writers opt for a more optimistic interpretation of the song. Robert Shelton considers the song to be "the apotheosis of personal contentment in a love relationship".[4] Shelton notes the song's mood as "wistful contentment, free of smugness".[4] Howard Sounes states that Dylan's voice "almost crack[s] with emotion" as he "[sings] joyfully about raising a family".[5]

Dylan recorded five takes of the song on May 1, 1970, during a session with George Harrison, while the album version was recorded on June 5, during a session which saw eight takes of the song performed.[1] A string arrangement by Al Kooper was created for the song, though it was omitted from the final track, a decision which Heylin states may have possibly been made in response to the negative reaction afforded to the recently-released Self Portrait (1970), which contained similar arrangements.[1]

Reception

"Sign on the Window" has received critical acclaim. Heylin considers the song an "overlooked masterpiece", with some of Dylan's "finest piano playing on record".[1] In the biography Dylan: Behind the Shades, Heylin deems the track one of Dylan's "best songs since his Woodstock heyday of 1967".[6] In a review of New Morning for Rolling Stone, Ed Ward called the song "the undisputed masterpiece of the album", further stating that it "ranks with the best work [Dylan has] done" and is "one of the most involved (and involving) pieces he's ever recorded".[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Heylin, Clinton (2009). Revolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan, 1957-1973 (1st ed.). Chicago Review Press. pp. 408–409. ISBN 978-1-55652-843-9.
  2. ^ a b Gray, Michael (1981). The Art of Bob Dylan: Song & Dance Man. The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited. pp. 171–173. ISBN 0-600-34224-7.
  3. ^ Hinton, Brian (2006). Bob Dylan Complete Discography. Universe Publishing. p. 87. ISBN 0-7893-1494-0.
  4. ^ a b Shelton, Robert (1987). No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan. Penguin Books. pp. 376–420. ISBN 0-14-010296-5.
  5. ^ Sounes, Howard (2001). Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan (1st ed.). Grove Press. p. 258. ISBN 0-8021-1686-8.
  6. ^ Heylin, Clinton (1992). Dylan: Behind the Shades. Penguin Books. p. 208. ISBN 0-14-014310-6.
  7. ^ Ward, Ed (November 26, 1970). "New Morning". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 27, 2026.

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