David Letterman’s penultimate show on Tuesday will have Bill Murray as guest and a performance by Bob Dylan, it was confirmed Friday.
There’s still some mystery around the Dave’s sendoff on Wednesday, particularly who will be the last guest. We still think it will be Jay Leno, so the pair can finally kiss and make up publicly. And our money is on Bruce Springsteen, who played “Glory Days” on Dave’s last NBC show in 1993 to play the finale.
And we wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Mayor Bill de Blasio stop by to give Letterman a proclamation.
But what we’re dying to know now is which of his billion-song catalog will Dylan choose to send off Dave. Will it be something sentimental? Or maybe simply Dave’s favorite Dylan track?
While we’re quite sure it won’t be “Desolation Row,” here are classics Dylan might play:
Blowin in the Wind (1963)
Will probably get some tears flowing in the crowd, and from behind the desk.
Like A Rolling Stone (1965)
Dylan performed this on Letterman’s 10th anniversary show for NBC. Makes sense, considering Letterman is free now to go wherever the road takes him. Although his “direction home” points to Connecticut.
My Back Pages (1964)
This is our pick for Tuesday’s show.
While listeners have for ages been trying to interpret its cryptic message, it’s safe to say the narrator is examining how he’s changed in a deep way. Retiring from one of the most iconic shows in TV history is such a change, in our opinion.
Tangled Up in Blue (1975)
While the lyrics can’t be related to Letterman’s goodbye by any stretch, weare betting Dave would simply want to experience one of Dylan’s most genius songs live.
The Times They Are a-Changin (1964)
Dave was about 17 years old and living in Indiana when this song was released. Its influence, particularly on young people who had never heard protest music before, has endured for almost six decades.
“And the first one now will later be last/ For the times they are a-changin’…”
