1971 Madison Square Garden: Watch Bob Dylan Perform “Love Minus Zero/No Limit”

Bob Dylan’s “Love Minus Zero/No Limit” is part of his fifth studio album, Bringing It All Back Home in 1965. A laidback track using a steady descending hook to drive it, Dylan sings about his woman, most likely Sara Lownds who he married in the same year the song was recorded.

Dylan references Lownds’ inclination to Eastern philosophies like Taoism and Buddhism with his contrasting imagery, referring to her as the peace in his chaos – a representation of the Yin and Yang components common in these philosophies. Dylan also goes back to iconic literary works like Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, or The Old Testament’s Book of Daniel in his lyrics. The song presents elements of admiration, turmoil, and vulnerability over the run of its course, making it quite a relatable cut to most people.

Watch Bob Dylan perform a rare version of “Love Minus Zero/ No Limit” live on August 1, 1971, at the Madison Square Garden in New York.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufbHfGU7WxA