Dirty World
| "Dirty World" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Traveling Wilburys | |
| from the album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 | |
| Released | 18 October 1988 |
| Genre | Pop[1] |
| Length | 3:30 |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Songwriter(s) | Traveling Wilburys[nb 1] |
| Producer(s) | |
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"Dirty World" is a song by the English-American supergroup Traveling Wilburys, it first appeared on their 1988 album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1.
Background
The Traveling Wilburys formed in 1988 when George Harrison and Jeff Lynne were working on Harrison's 1987 album Cloud Nine, when Lynne and Harrison were listening to the album, Lynne told Harrison: "Oh, I wish we could have a group". Harrison and Lynne tossed around members, which included Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton of Cream. The two settled on Orbison, as Lynne had been producing for Orbison. The three musicians later found a fourth member, Tom Petty, who had not collaborated with either of the three, but Petty's band the Heartbreakers had backed Dylan on his Temples in Flames Tour.[3] Harrison called Dylan to ask if his Malibu mansion garage recording center was available for use to record the album, as they wanted to stay under the radar, Dylan agreed to allow the four to use his recording studio, Lynne and American producer Bill Bottrell had already used Dylan's studio to record another song "I'm in the Mood for Love". In April 1988, Harrison reconvened with Lynne and the rest of the group to work on a new song, Harrison saw a box with a "Handle with Care" sticker on it, which led to the song of the same name being written.[4]
"Last Night" takes inspiration from two things: Prince[2] and Monty Python.[5]
Composition and lyrics
The lyrics of "Dirty World" describes various things that his wife loves, during the chorus sung by each member, they describe stuff that the singer has that his wife loves. As Harrison stated on the writing of the song in The True History of the Traveling Wilburys:
I love that track, it's just so funny, really. I don't know how other people write songs, but that bit, I just picked up a bunch of magazines and gave everybody a magazine, I had some copies of Autosport, and then we just started reading out little things like: "5 speed gearbox" and stuff like that.
— Nelson Wilbury, The True History of the Traveling Wllburys[6]
According to Harrison, Dylan also had a copy of Autosport while Orbison had a copy of Vogue.[7]
Recording
"Dirty World" was the first song the band recorded for the album.[8] The order of Wilburys singing during the chorus differs each time. According to Lynne, Orbison kept singing the line "Trembling Wilbury" when it would get to his part after the first time, which kept making everyone else laugh because of how funny it was.[9]
Release and reception
"Dirty World" was released as the second track on the Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 album.[10] Author Clinton Heylin stated that it was a "Dylanesque pastiche in the tradition of 'Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat' and 'Rita May'"
Personnel
According to the Jeff Lynne Song Database:[11]
Traveling Wilburys
- Bob Dylan – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Jeff Lynne – guitars, bass, backing vocals
- George Harrison – guitars, backing vocals
- Tom Petty – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Roy Orbison – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Other musicians
- Jim Keltner – drums
- Ray Cooper – percussion
- Jim Horn – saxophone
Notes
References
- ↑ Leng 2006, p. 260.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rapp, Alison. "When the Traveling Wilburys Tried to Write a Prince Song". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ↑ Rotondo 2014, pp. 142–43.
- ↑ Smax 2007, event occurs between 1:20 and 1:29.
- ↑ Boisvert, Lauren (2025-06-21). "How The Traveling Wilburys Paid Homage to Monty Python". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
- ↑ Smax 2007, event occurs between 9:47 and 10:04.
- ↑ Scott, Roger (10 February 1990). BBC Radio 1's Classic Albums: Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. Event occurs at 15:33-15:40. Retrieved 13 June 2025 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Heylin 2011, p. 626-627.
- ↑ Smax 2007, event occurs between 10:34 and 10:49.
- ↑ "Traveling Wilburys Vol.1". George Harrison. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ↑ "Dirty World - Song Details". www.jefflynnesongs.com. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
Sources
- Heylin, Clinton (2011). Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades (20th Anniversary ed.). London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-27240-2. Search this book on
- Leng, Simon (2006). While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1-4234-0609-9. Search this book on
- Rotondo, Andrea M. (2014). Tom Petty: Rock 'n' Roll Guardian. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-78038-742-0. Search this book on
- Smax, Willy (dir.) (2007). The True History of the Traveling Wilburys (DVD). Traveling Wilburys; Willy Smax and Olivia Harrison (producers). Wilbury Record Co.
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