Music / ↳ If You Belonged to Me

If You Belonged to Me

Written by: Bob Dylan (primary), with band contributions Lead vocals: Bob Dylan Length: 3:13 to 3:14 (sources vary slightly) Album: Vol. 3, track 3

A bright, multi-acoustic track built around Dylan's own harmonica, both the opening figure and a later full solo, "If You Belonged to Me" is widely considered one of the highlights of Vol. 3, and specifically one of the moments where Dylan sounds most like vintage Dylan. Critics have pointed directly to the harmonica work as recalling his 1960s folk period, a genuinely notable thing to say about a song recorded twenty-five years after that period ended.

The lyrics take the shape of a sympathetic, slightly rueful character study, a portrait of someone caught in a rough situation that the narrator wishes he could rescue them from. It's a mode Dylan has returned to across his entire catalog, sketching a specific, flawed person rather than a generic sentiment, and "If You Belonged to Me" fits comfortably alongside his own solo work from the same era without sounding like an outtake from it.

Of all the Vol. 3 deep cuts, this is the one most frequently cited by critics as proof that the band's songwriting chops hadn't dimmed even as the album's overall reception cooled compared to the debut.

Previous track: Inside Out. Next track: The Devil's Been Busy. Or see the full Vol. 3 tracklist.