In 1971, a vocal trio of brothers took a Bob Dylan song and reimagined it with their own soulful twist, and 55 years later, the tune is considered one of the greatest covers of the King of Folk’s music ever recorded. Though slightly unusual for Dylan (with reports even stating he never liked the song), The Isley Brothers‘ rendition of “Lay Lady Lay” has gone down as a hit that was actually “custom-made” for the R&B-funk legends’ style.
The original version was written and recorded by the folk icon and first released as a single in July 1969, following its inclusion on his album Nashville Skyline, released in April. It was reportedly written with Barbra Streisand in mind—but solely to perform, not as a romantic gesture, according to a “lost” interview from the ’70s recovered decades later.
In a 2020 statement to NBC News, Streisand responded to the claim. “I’m very flattered to find out that Bob Dylan wrote ‘Lay Lady Lay’ for me,” she said. “What I remember is getting flowers from him with a handwritten note asking me to sing a duet with him, but I just couldn’t imagine it then. Guess what, Bob, I can imagine doing it now!”
Two years after its release, The Isley Brothers, comprising O’Kelly, Rudolph, and Ronald Isley at the time, took a chance on the tune as they were experimenting with recording different genres. Turns out, it fit their voices perfectly, though their recording of the folk-rock hit stretched the song out to a lengthy runtime of ten minutes and 21 seconds.
The romantic soul ballad was ranked among Rolling Stone‘s list of the 80 greatest Bob Dylan covers of all time, coming in at No. 19.
“This sultry bedroom number was slightly out of character for Dylan, but it was custom-made for Ronald Isley, who would soon be acknowledged as a maestro of getting ladies to lay,” the famed music publication wrote. “The Isleys tried on a bunch of different styles throughout the Seventies, and for their 1971 album, Givin’ It Back, they covered a series of white folk-rockers, discovering that sweet spot where hippie free love meets R&B seduction.”
The song invites a woman to leave her worries behind and stay with the narrator for an evening of physical and intimate connection (we’re sure you catch the drift). “Stay, lady, stay
Stay with your man awhile / Until the break of day / Let me see you make him smile,” the track’s lyrics express, per Genius.
Other tracks from over the decades that made Rolling Stone‘s roundup are Nina Simone‘s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” (1969), Sam Cooke’s “Blowin’ In the Wind” (1964), The Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1965), Elvis Presley’s “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” (1966), Guns N’ Roses’ “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (1991), and The Jimi Hendrix Experience‘s “All Along the Watchtower” (1968) in the top spot as the No. 1 greatest Bob Dylan cover of all time. (Dylan himself reportedly said to Hendrix, “I don’t know if anyone has done my songs better,” according to the outlet).
Next, 1966 Song Ranked as One of the ‘Greatest Bob Dylan Covers’ of All Time