Released 1991 Length 6:58 | Genre Pop, rock Writer(s) Bob Dylan | |
Recorded May 4, 1981 (mixing session) at the Shot of Love recording sessions | ||
"Angelina" is a song written by Bob Dylan, originally recorded in the spring of 1981 for the album Shot of Love. However, "Angelina" was cut from the record, and fans would have to wait until 1991 when it was released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991. Like Dylan's similarly named "Farewell Angelina", "Angelina" is full of imagery and biblical allusions (the 'four faces', for example, of the final stanza appear to allude to Ezek.10. 14 and 10.21). Considered by most critics to be one of the best songs written during his "born-again" period, "Angelina" is the classic Dylan work in which obscure yet meaningful poetry and a seemingly all-encompassing vision take on mankind's most pressing problems, all the while making for a pleasant listen.
The movie Masked & Anonymous features an instrumental version of the tune over the ending credits, though it's not credited nor included on the soundtrack, it's performed by Bruce Kaphan.
Song structure
Dylan's recording on "The Bootleg Series Volumes 3" is in Db major (performed on a piano tuned to A = 437 Hz) and has the following simple chord structure:
Intro: I
Verse: IV I V I / IV I V
Refrain: IV I V / IV I V
Coda: V
Each pair of verses is followed by a refrain on the words "Oh, Angelina", resulting in an AAB structure repeated 5 times. The song ends on a repeat of the refrain, and interestingly, not on the tonic (Db), but rather on the dominant (Ab).