Bob Dylan – People Puttin’ People Down

Tributes to late or great artists are a welcome, somewhat common occurrence in Bob Dylan shows. People Puttin’ People Down, the John Prine track featured on his Aimless Love release, sounds brilliant with Dylan on lead vocals. It happened just twice on stage, both performances in 1991. Thankfully, it was captured. The Sao Paolo version of the song is the last time Dylan pulled this one out, though it is not the first, nor the last time, he had paid tribute to a fellow music legend. Warren Zevon and Grateful Dead songs would crop up in his set occasionally, and to hear a cover or two in the 1980s and 1990s was part of the charm. It is a break Dylan needs from his original material, which, as is the case for the Outlaw Music Festival shows, is something he is still feeding into sets.  

It works not just because it gives audiences a more obvious take-home moment, but because it gives Dylan the chance to explore a song from an admired artist. People Puttin’ People Down is a simple song. A call for those who are putting others down to stop, to think about what trouble they are causing. Dylan adapts the song to the stage and exceeds the relatively low bar of quality set for his early 1990s appearances. These are the days when Dylan was struggling to find the next step after a rocked-out, pop-chasing sound in the 1980s. He would find some new work as an act pursuing the imagery of his past, amplifying it for the next generation with a few modern flourishes. You can hear that touch on this Prine cover, where Dylan has those nasally, croaking vocals at work alongside an inspired, warm instrumental touch. That latter selection, the guitar work and gliding, drifting feeling to the song, makes it feel more intimate than the San Paolo stage should allow. 

Despite that size, Dylan tackles the song wonderfully. Its repetitive lyrics are all part of the meaning this song tries to carry. The people put down are given their time in the spotlight thanks to a tremendous cover. The original wins out most of the time, but at least this Dylan cover is accessible and worth a listen. A simple message from the song, and some regrettably shaky lyrics with crowns and frowns rhymed by Prine on the studio recording, sound somewhat better with Dylan at the helm. This is more because listening to Dylan read anything, from electric bill readings to an Irvine Welsh paperback, is at least entertaining. People Puttin’ People Down is catchy because of its simplicity, and no artist can add any more to it.  

Dylan finds there is little more needing to be added anyway. There is enough to the performance without the need to seek out a new or deeper meaning. People will put people down, and that is enough to carry listeners through this three-minute-long cover. A nice little nod for a two-show stretch, and nothing more than that. Not as delightful or inspired as some of the other, out-there covers Dylan would provide the likes of Johnny Cash or Johnny Mercer, but fun enough. For the Dylan completionists, this will no doubt feel like a surprise, to hear a Prine song, and not a popular one at that, feature. Dylan frequently chooses those left-field recordings to cover; it makes them stand out that little bit more.