The Rewind Button is a group blogging project that I’m participating in. We’re taking on Rolling Stone‘s Top 40 albums of all time and writing our own reviews of them. There will be a new album and review each Thursday.

I’ll admit that I had every intention on writing this review earlier in the day. Life happened, though, and I found myself relaxing on the couch and reading a book at the end of the night. Pausing to rest my eyes, the song “I Want You” popped into my head. And then it hit me–I forgot to write the review.

But maybe I didn’t forget. Maybe I procrastinated because Blonde on Blonde is another album in this series that, while good, just doesn’t inspire me to rush out and exclaim its virtues. I do like it better than Highway 61 Revisited, primarily because of its pop qualities. “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” reminds me of the opening music to a big-top circus performance. (Cue obvious note of the song influencing how The Beatles opened Sgt. Pepper’s.)

All the other songs on the album are good, yes, but as I write this review, they don’t come to mind as easily as “I Want You” or “Rainy Day Women.” I readily admit that I’m a sucker for a good pop hook, and perhaps that is what is throwing me off with this album. I may be focusing too heavily on those songs that are obvious singles for radio play. There’s nothing wrong with loving singles, but this is supposed to be a review of an entire album, a critique of how the individual parts work toward a superb achievement.

Tonight is not that night, though. Tonight is about pouring a big glass of Sangiovese wine, sliding on some headphones, and locking a song on repeat. I don’t think Dylan would mind. He wanted to be the voice of the common man, and for every individual, that voice comes through one song. Tonight, that song for me is “I Want You.”

Please visit these other blogs participating in The Rewind Button project:

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