Timothée Chalamet Dives into Bob Dylan Catalog on ‘SNL’

The Bob Dylan song choices that Timothée Chalamet chose for his musical performance on “Saturday Night Live” were… well, completely unknown to most of the viewing audience. The actor’s turn to more obscure choices delighted many Dylanologists who tuned in, even as his choices defied expectations that he would recreate songs he performed as Dylan in “A Complete Unknown,” which turned out to be the furthest thing from his mind are.

In his opening monologue as host, Chalamet indicated that viewers would be surprised by the choices made during his musical segment. “You may not know the Bob Dylan songs I play, but they are my personal favorites,” he told the audience. “I’m so grateful that ‘Saturday Night Live’ is still doing such weird things 50 years later. They’re either really nice for letting me do this or incredibly mean and this is all a big joke.”

In an unannounced cameo, Chalamet was joined by noted singer-songwriter James Blake on keyboards for the musical numbers, further delighting avid music fans.

It quickly became clear that Chalamet intended to perform in his own voice – and have irreverent fun with it – as he launched into two songs in a row for his first musical spot on the show, wearing sunglasses and a winter coat with a hood over it. his head.

For that first performance, Chalamet sang a fast, fun and rollicking medley of “Outlaw Blues” and “Three Angels,” two songs familiar to serious Dylan fans but never featured on a greatest hits album. “Outlaw Blues” dates back at least to the period depicted in the film, appearing on the 1965 album “Bringing It Back Home.” The second choice, “Three Angels,” would be for inclusion if James Mangold ever made a sequel makes – it’s from the ’70s album ‘New Morning’, when Dylan settled into a mellower mode after the explosive period of the mid-’60s depicted in the film. .

Chalamet opted for a more subdued approach when he returned later in the show to sing a third Dylan selection, but he still avoided an outright Dylan singing style and still stuck to the deep catalogue. He closed the evening with a performance of ‘Tomorrow Is a Long Time’. a song that Dylan first sang live and made a demo in 1962, but was not released in any form until the 1970s, although many other artists covered it in the 1960s. (Note that number here.)

(The history of that particular song is complicated: a 1963 live version of “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” first officially appeared on 1971’s “Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits Vol. II,” albeit as a bonus of sorts, since it had never been released before, let alone a hit. A studio version, recorded in 1962, was bootlegged but not officially released until a “Bootleg” in 2010. Series” Elvis demo collection was released. Presley recorded the song for his 1966 album Spinout, and others recorded it before Dylan ever released his own versions, including Judy Collins, Ian & Sylvia and the Kingston Trio.)

Chalamet clearly had a blast as he exceeded expectations with the performance. The first performance in particular felt like an opportunity to let loose and celebrate the Oscar nomination he received this week for best actor, one of eight nominations the film received.