Not all rock tracks are about hard-hitting guitar solos, partying, and wild nights, as Bob Dylan proved in one of his classics, “Shelter from the Storm,” that a good love song fits just fine in the genre.
Billboard compiled a list of some of the “Best Rock Love Songs” throughout the decades from the 70’s, 80’s, and 2000s. Among tracks from The Monkees, Heart, and the Rolling Stones, Dylan’s 1975 folk rock song landed at No. 26 on their list.
Since its release, “Shelter from the Storm” has been interpreted in a variety of ways, largely as a staple religious track often heard during Bible study or in religious events. According to Billboard, “But while the song is indeed woven with religious symbology and esoteric double meaning, its ultimate message is obvious and universal: that good love functions as shelter.”
It was recorded in 1974 with only three chords and a clear melody. He released it a year later for his 15th studio album, Blood on the Tracks, but it never entered the Billboard charts, as it was never released as a single. According to American Songwriter, Dylan originally titled it “Up to Me” while working on the album, but later decided to rewrite its lyrics.
The inspiration for “Shelter from the Storm” is often discussed as having been about Dylan’s wife, Sara Dylan. The two met around 1964 when Sara was working on Don’t Look Back, the popular documentary about the singer’s 1965 UK tour. Their relationship developed quickly, and Sara was pregnant with their first child by 1965 and later married.
By the mid-1970s, their marriage began to deteriorate and is believed to have been the basis for “Shelter from the Storm.” According to Biography, their marriage was strained due to art classes he took in Manhattan and their move to Malibu in 1973. Dylan and his wife were separated by 1975.
Dylan had often pushed back at claims that Blood on the Tracks was a diary of his failed marriage. He did try to reconcile with Sara at the time, and it briefly worked until they officially divorced in 1977.
“It just wasn’t the kind of life that she had ever envisioned for herself, any more than the kind of life that I was living, that I had envisioned for mine,” Dylan told CBS.
Related: 1974 Rock Song, Written by Bob Dylan as a Lullaby, Is Still a Heartfelt Hit 52 Years Later