Bob Dylan wrote “If Not for You” as a love song for his first wife, Sara, and it’s today’s classic song of the day. The song has been recorded by Dylan himself, his pal George Harrison, and, as a much bigger hit, by singer Olivia Newton-John.
The first version of “If Not for You” to hit vinyl was by Bob Dylan himself. He first recorded the song in March of 1970, then recorded a second version in May of 1970 with George Harrison, bassist Charlie Daniels, and drummer Russ Kunkel playing along. The final release version of the tune was recorded in August of 1970 and was included as a track on Dylan’s 1970 album, New Morning. Dylan’s version of “If Not for You” was not released as a single on our shores, although it was in Europe, where it went to #30 on the Dutch charts.
George Harrison included his own version of “If Not for You” on the 1970 album, All Things Must Pass, his first post-Beatles LP. George recorded this one in late May and early June of 1970, right after he’d played on that session with his pal Mr. Dylan. The all-star group of musicians on George’s version included Peter Frampton on acoustic guitar, Gary Wright on piano, Billy Preston on organ, Klaus Voormann on bass, and Alan White on drums. George himself played acoustic guitar, Dobro, and harmonica, and he brought in his old bandmate Ringo Starr to shake a little tambourine. This one remained an album track, not released as a single.
The most famous version of “If Not for You,” however, was recorded by Australian songstress Olivia Newton-John. Her countrified version of the song, released in March of 1971, went to #25 on the Billboard Hot 100, #23 on the Cash Box Top 100, and all the way to #1 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. It’s probably the version most of you remember.
But let’s not forget the guy who wrote the thing and his guitar-playing friend from Liverpool. Today’s extra special daily bonus video of the day features Bob Dylan and George Harrison playing “If Not for You” together at rehearsals for the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971. They decided not to play it during the concert but wow, just wow.
