Lost 1970 Bob Dylan Song Pretty Saro Found Online

A Bob Dylan song, “Pretty Saro,” that was thought to have been lost for 33 years has emerged online, and it is now available to hear. You can watch its video above.

“Pretty Saro” is a cover of an English folk song from the 18th century, and Dylan apparently recorded it six times in March, 1970. Dylan was recording the song during the sessions for his, Self Portrait, album, however it never made it on to the record.

Columbia records locked up the track in their vaults after it failed to make it onto the LP, but it will now be released as part of, Another Self Portrait, boxset, which will be released on August 27. This collection will feature songs that Dylan produced during sessions for his New Morning, Self Portrait, and Nashville Skyline albums.

Filmmaker, Jennifer Lebeau, has also created a video to accompany “Pretty Saro,” which features photographs and images from the Farm Security Administration that was stored at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.

Labeau discussed her process for making the video with The Rolling Stone magazine. She revealed that she went through around 1,200 photos from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, and then picked the few that she felt fitted the song.

Labeau stated, “His vocal delivery is so haunting. I wanted to be able to visually represent that sort of unrequited love in a world that seems like it should be sad, but the people are always happy and fine.”

She then added about the clip, “It literally goes from women on farms with wagons to Rosie the Riveter. They were doing laundry and tilling the land, and at the end, they’re building planes and really in charge of everything at the work place. We wanted to include as many of these magnificent faces as we could, and tell this story across the years.”

What do you think of Bob Dylan’s new song?

[Image via U.S. Information Agency. Press and Publications Service. (ca. 1953 – ca. 1978)/Wikimedia]