The Bob Dylan song choices that Timothée Chalamet chose for his “Saturday Night Live” musical appearance were…well, completely unknown to most of the viewing audience. The actor delved into more obscure choices, delighting many Dylanologists who tuned in, even as his choices defied expectations that he would recreate songs Dylan had performed in a “complete unknown,” which turned out to be the furthest thing from his mind.
In his opening monologue as host, Chalamet noted that viewers would be surprised by the choices during his music category. “You may not know the Bob Dylan songs I do, but they are my personal favorites,” he told the audience. “I’m so grateful ‘Saturday Night Live’ is still doing weird stuff like this 50 years later. They’re either really nice to let me do it or they’re incredibly mean, and it’s all a big joke.”
In an unspecified cameo, Chalamet is joined by well-known singer-songwriter James Blake on keyboards for the musical numbers, much to the delight of ardent music fans.
It was quickly clear that Chalamet intended to perform in his voice — and have some irreverent fun with it — when he launched into two songs back for his first musical spot on the show, wearing sunglasses and a winter coat with a hood over his head.
For this first appearance, Chalamet sang a medley of “Outlaw Blues” and “Three Angels,” two numbers known to serious Dylan fans but never appearing on any greatest hits album. “Outlaw Blues” dates back to at least the period depicted in the film, having appeared on the 1965 “Bring It Back Home” album. He sat and settled into the mix which carried over to his second selection, “Three Angels.” This would be a figure for inclusion if James Mangold ever made a sequel—it’s from the 1970s “New Morning” album, when Dylan was transitioning into angst mode after the explosive mid-’60s period depicted in the film.
And then… Dylan/Chalamet goes my vote! Chalamet took a more subdued approach when he returned later in the show, opting for an acoustic guitar, to sing Dylan’s third selection…still avoiding affecting Dylan’s vocal mannerisms, and still adhering to Phair’s deep catalogue. He closed the night by performing “Tomorrow Is a Long Time,” a song Dylan first sang live and in demos in 1962 but was not issued in any form until the 1970s, although several other artists covered it in the 1960s. the past .
(The history of this particular track is complicated: a 1963 live version of “Long Ago Tomorrow” officially appeared in 1971’s “Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits Vol. II,” albeit as a sort of bonus, since it had never before been released, less Many artists have created their own versions, including Judy Collins, Ian and Sylvia and the Kingston Trio.)
Chalamet is clearly having a good time as he usurps expectations with the performance, a debut in particular that feels like an opportunity to put down and celebrate the Oscar nomination that picked him up for Best Actor this week, one of eight the film earned.
In his monologue, Chalamet said he was the first actor to host the show to double as a musical guest — and then immediately admitted he was lying, suggesting that Gary Busey had done that back in the day. (“Buddy Holly Story” starred with Rick Danko of the band and Paul Butterfield in 1979, though he only performed one of their two songs included in that episode.)
But there were about 50 hosts who did double duty. Recent examples include Ariana Grande and Charli Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Donald Glover, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa , Bad Bunny.
