Wigwam (Bob Dylan song)

"Wigwam"
European picture sleeve
Single by Bob Dylan
from the album Self Portrait
B-side	"Copper Kettle"
Released	1970 (1970)
Recorded	March 1970
Genre	Country rock
Length	3:06 (album version) 3:28 (single version)[1]
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Bob Dylan
Producer(s)	Bob Johnston
Bob Dylan singles chronology
"Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" (1969) "Wigwam" (1970) "If Not for You" (1970)
Audio sample
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"Wigwam" is a song by Bob Dylan that was released on his 1970 album Self Portrait. It was a hit single that reached the Top 10 in several countries worldwide. The song's basic track, including "la-la" vocals, was recorded in early March 1970 in New York City. Later that month, producer Bob Johnston had brass instrument overdubs added to the track; these were recorded in Nashville, Tennessee at a session without Dylan present.

Critical appraisal of "Wigwam" has been mostly positive, and reviewers have called it a highlight of Self Portrait. Several artists have covered the composition, including Drafi Deutscher, whose version of it was a Top 20 hit in Germany.

Recording

"Wigwam" was recorded during the sessions for Bob Dylan's Self Portrait album, and produced by Bob Johnston.^[2] The basic track was put on tape on March 4, 1970,^[3] at Columbia Studio A in New York City,^[4] and was labelled "New Song 1" on the recording sheet.^[4] The musicians on the basic track were Dylan, vocals and guitar; David Bromberg, guitar; Al Kooper, piano.^[3] On April 20, 2013, this early version of "Wigwam" was released as a single for Record Store Day,^[5] and on August 27 of the same year, it appeared on The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971).^[3][6]

On March 17, 1970, at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, instrumental overdubs were recorded for "Wigwam" and several other songs.^[2] Dylan was not present for the overdubs, and they were overseen by Johnston.^[7]

In the song, Dylan sings "la-la" vocals, accompanied by horns,^[8] in an arrangement that has been called "mariachi-like",^[9] and "Tex-Mex".^[10] The feeling of the song has also been described as "campfire music"^[11] and as having a "hazy glow".^[12]

Release

"Wigwam" was released on Self Portrait on June 8, 1970,^[13] and as a single in June or July.^[4][14][15] The single's B-side is "Copper Kettle".^[1][14] The single was a Top 10 hit in Belgium,^[16] Denmark (in 1972),^[17] France,^[18] Malaysia,^[19] the Netherlands,^[1] Singapore,^[20] and Switzerland,^[21] and was a Top 40 hit in Canada^[22] and Germany.^[23] In the US, the song reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100,^[24] and No. 13 on the Billboard Top 40 Easy Listening chart.^[25]

Years later, in the early 2000s, "Wigwam" appeared on the "Limited Tour Edition" of The Essential Bob Dylan.^[26][27] The song was also included on the soundtrack to the film The Royal Tenenbaums (2001),^[12] as well as on the compilations One Hit Wonders and Hard to Find Classics (2003),^[28] Radio 2 - De Topcollectie '70 Vol. 2 (2010),^[29] Top 40 Hitarchief - 1970 (2011),^[30] and Remember the 70s Vol. 5.^[31]

Reception

Reactions to the song have been generally positive. A review in Billboard magazine describes the track as "winning".^[10] Biographer Rober Shelton includes "Wigwam" among the "quality" songs on Self Portrait, describing it as "hard to forget";^[32] Michael Gray similarly rates it as one of the "best tracks" on the album.^[33] Greil Marcus is likewise positive about the track, calling it "a great job of arranging".^[11] PopMatters reviewer Tom Useted calls the song "more than worthy",^[34] while NME writer Paul Stokes qualifies it as "melodious" and as demonstrating Dylan's "versatility and impact".^[35] In a review of The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack, critic Heather Phares writes that the "hazy glow" of the song "add[s] to the album's strangely timeless but emotionally direct atmosphere."^[12] Critic Sean Egan writes that "Dylan la-las against a big brass arrangement in a not disagreeable way—but is 'not disagreeable' supposed to be what a Dylan track amounts to?"^[8]

On a more negative note, writer Seth Rogovoy describes "Wigwam" as a "bizarre, wordless vocal tune," although Rogovoy claims that this is merely a description of the song and not a negative judgment at all ^[9] Critic Anthony Varesi considers the instrumentation on "Wigwam" to be an example of "horns misplaced", and "evidence of flaws" in Bob Johnston's production choices on Self Portrait.^[36] Pitchfork writer Rob Mitchum characterizes the song as "moaning along with the brass section" and "rather unpleasant".^[37]

Covers

Artists who have covered "Wigwam" include the New Christy Minstrels,^[38] Sounds Orchestral,^[39] and the French orchestra leaders Raymond Lefèvre^[40] and Caravelli.^[41] Drafi Deutscher released a version with German lyrics, entitled "Weil ich dich liebe" ("Because I Love You"), that was a Top 20 hit in Germany in 1970.^[42] Saragossa Band^[43] have covered this song as well.

Charts

Chart (1970)	Peak position
Belgium Single Charts	9[16]
Canadian RPM Singles Chart	17[22]
Dutch Single Top 100	3[1]
German Singles Charts	33[23]
Malaysia Top 10	8[19]
Swiss Music Charts	9[21]
US Billboard Hot 100	41[24]
US Billboard Top 40 Easy Listening	13[25]

Notes

1. Bob Dylan – Wigwam (GfK Dutch Charts)
2. Heylin 1995, pp. 77–79
3. Marcus 2013, p. 52
4. Björner 1996
5. WIGWAM single to be released for Record Store Day
6. Another Self Portrait 1969-1971: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10: Overview
7. Heylin 1995, p. 82
8. Egan 2011, p. 175
9. Rogovoy 2009, pp. 131–132
10. Top 60 Pop Spotlight, p. 80
11. Marcus 2010, p. 24
12. Phares
13. Erlewine: Self Portrait Review
14. Hinton 2006, pp. 412, 418
15. Portrait Single From LP Hot For Columbia 1970, p. 3
16. Bob Dylan – Wigwam (Belgian Charts)
17. Hits of the World (1972-03-18), p. 56
18. Hits of the World (1970-11-28), p. 68
19. Hits of the World (1970-11-07), p. 61
20. Hits of the World (1970-10-17), p. 66
21. Bob Dylan – Wigwam (Hitparade.ch)
22. Top Singles - Volume 14, No. 1, August 22, 1970
23. Single – Bob Dylan, Wigwam
24. Self Portrait: Billboard Singles
25. Top 40 Easy Listening, p. 58
26. Bob Dylan – The Essential (Album)
27. Erlewine: The Essential Bob Dylan Review
28. One Hit Wonders & Hard to Find Classics: Overview
29. Radio 2 - De Topcollectie '70 Vol. 2
30. Top 40 Hitarchief - 1970
31. Remember the 70s Vol. 5
32. Shelton 1986, p. 419
33. Gray 1981, p. 13
34. Useted 2008
35. Stokes 2011
36. Varesi 2002, p. 99
37. Mitchum 2002
38. Special Merit Picks, p. 65
39. Sounds Orchestral – Wigwam
40. Raymond Lefèvre – Wigwam
41. Bennett 2006, p. 160
42. Drafi Deutscher – Weil ich dich liebe
43. WIGWAM single by Saragossa Band harvnb error: no target: CITEREFWIGWAM_single_by_Saragossa_Band (help)

References

• "Another Self Portrait 1969-1971: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10: Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
• Bennett, Andy; et al. (2006). The Popular Music Studies Reader. Routledge. ISBN 9780415-307093. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
• Björner, Olof (March 15, 1996). "Still on the Road: Studio B Columbia Recording Studios New York City, New York 4 March 1970". Bjorner.com. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
• "Bob Dylan – The Essential (Album)" (in Dutch). GfK Dutch Charts. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
• "Bob Dylan – Wigwam" (in French). utltrapop. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
• "Bob Dylan – Wigwam" (in Dutch). GfK Dutch Charts. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
• "Bob Dylan – Wigwam". Hiparade.ch. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
• "Drafi Deutscher – Weil Ich Dich Liebe". Hiparade.ch. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
• Egan, Sean (2011). Self Portrait. Constable & Robinson Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84901-466-3. Retrieved August 12, 2012. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
• Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Essential Bob Dylan Limited Tour Edition: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
• Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Self Portrait: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
• Gray, Michael (1981). The Art of Bob Dylan: Song & Dance Man. Hamylin. ISBN 9780600342243.
• Heylin, Clinton (1995). Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions, 1960–1994. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-15067-9.
• Hinton, Brian (2006). Bob Dylan Complete Discography. Universe. ISBN 9780789314949.
• "Hits of the World". Billboard. October 17, 1970. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
• "Hits of the World". Billboard. November 7, 1970. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
• "Hits of the World". Billboard. November 28, 1970. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
• "Hits of the World". Billboard. March 18, 1972. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
• Marcus, Greil, with Michael Simmons (2013). The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971) (CD booklet). New York.
• Marcus, Greil (2010). Self Portrait No. 25. Public Affairs, New York. ISBN 9781586489199. Retrieved August 12, 2012. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• Mitchum, Rob (January 29, 2002). "The Royal Tenenbaums Sdtk". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
• "One Hit Wonders & Hard to Find Classics: Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
• Phares, Heather. "The Royal Tenenbaums Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
• "'Portrait' Single From LP Hot For Columbia". Billboard. April 17, 1970. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
• "Radio 2 - De Topcollectie '70 Vol. 2" (in Dutch). GfK Dutch Charts. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
• "Raymond Lefèvre – Wigwam". Hiparade.ch. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
• "Remember the 70s Vol. 5" (in Dutch). GfK Dutch Charts. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
• Rogovoy, Seth (2009). Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781416559832. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
• "Self Portrait: Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
• Shelton, Robert (1986). No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan (2003 ed.). Da Copa Press. ISBN 0-306-81287-8. Retrieved September 5, 2012.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
• "Single – Bob Dylan, Wigwam" (in German). Charts.de. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
• "Sounds Orchestral – Wigwam". Hiparade.ch. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
• "Special Merit Picks". Billboard. December 5, 1970. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
• Stokes, Paul (May 19, 2011). "Album A&E – Bob Dylan, 'Self Portrait'". NME. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
• "Top 40 Easy Listening". Billboard. September 5, 1970. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
• "Top 40 Hitarchief - 1970" (in Dutch). GfK Dutch Charts. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
• "Top Singles - Volume 14, No. 1, August 22, 1970". RPM. August 21, 1971. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
• "Top 60 Pop Spotlight". Billboard. July 11, 1970. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
• Useted, Tom (July 28, 2008). "Detours - The Strangest Albums From the Biggest Artists – Part One: The Icons". PopMatters. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
• Varesi, Anthony (2002). The Bob Dylan Albums: A Critical Study. Guernica Editions. ISBN 9781550711394. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
• "WIGWAM single to be released for Record Store Day". Bobdylan.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
• "Flight of the Barbarian". Clash of Clans TV advert, background music. December 27, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.