Diamonds & Rust

The story behind

This musical piece, *Diamonds & Rust*, was born from an unexpected phone call. In mid-1974, Joan Baez received a communication from an old love that transported her back a decade, to a modest hotel in Greenwich Village, around 1964 or 1965. Recalling that moment, Baez thought about how memories can be a mix of valuable and bitter things, like "diamonds and rust." She herself has pointed out that the lyrics are inspired by her relationship with Bob Dylan. The song became a hit, reaching the top spots on the US pop charts, and is considered by many to be one of her most accomplished compositions. It was the one that gave its name to her 1975 album, which went gold. The connection with Bob Dylan is a common thread in the story of *Diamonds & Rust*. Although his name does not appear explicitly in the lyrics, Baez confirmed in her 1987 memoir that he was the inspiration. She even recalled a 1975 conversation where Dylan asked her if she would sing "that song about quail eggs and diamonds," referring to the piece she had initially told him was about her ex-husband, David Harris, something that, according to Baez, was not true. In reality, her marriage to Harris had already ended when she composed the song. Baez explained that it was a call from Dylan that changed the course of the composition; he read her the complete lyrics of *Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts* from a payphone in the Midwest, and she realized that her own song, which originally dealt with another subject, was transforming to reflect that connection. Bob Dylan even included a scene of Baez performing *Diamonds & Rust* live in his 1978 film, *Renaldo and Clara*, and in 2009 he praised the song, saying he was still impressed to be part of something she had written. Over the years, Baez has subtly modified some lines when performing it live, adapting the lyrics to different contexts and moments. The original recording of this song, which lasts about 4 minutes and 39 seconds, was made in January 1975, and was produced by David Kershenbaum along with Joan Baez herself.