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Rolling Stones unreleased: It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
The Rolling Stones spending time with a Bob Dylan song in the studio sounds less surprising than it actually is—until you discover when and how it happens. During the 1993 Voodoo Lounge sessions in Dublin, the band turns an unexpected studio break into a loose, bluesy take on It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry. There is no grand plan, no polished attempt at a comeback single, and apparently no concern about what anyone might think. Just the Stones, Dylan’s song, and a tape machine capturing another fascinating detour that never makes it onto an official album. Naturally, collectors remember it.
Written by: Bob Dylan Recorded: Windmill Lane Recording, Dublin, Ireland, Nov. 3-Dec. 1 1993 (Voodoo Lounge sessions)
More about The Rolling Stones’ take on Bob Dylan’s It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
The Stones Do Dylan
Sometimes the most interesting Rolling Stones recordings happen when nobody appears to be taking the session particularly seriously. During an overdub session for the unreleased You Got It Made, the band drifted away from the planned work and into an unexpected studio jam built around Bob Dylan’s It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry. Originally released on Highway 61 Revisitedin 1965, Dylan’s bluesy, unhurried composition gives the Stones plenty of room to stretch out. There is no grand production strategy here, no carefully constructed arrangement demanding attention—just musicians following a groove and seeing where it leads. Keith Richards settles naturally into the riff, while Mick Jagger brings his own unmistakable attitude to the performance, occasionally sounding as though Dylan’s influence has wandered into the room without bothering to introduce itself. The result is loose, spontaneous and unmistakably Rolling Stones: a reminder that great rock music sometimes appears precisely when the schedule gets ignored.
A Dylan Song Takes Over the Session
The jam becomes an unexpected detour from the original purpose of the recording session. Rather than concentrating exclusively on overdubbing You Got It Made, the Stones allow themselves to follow the music wherever it happens to go.
Bob Dylan’s It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry is an especially natural choice. Its relaxed blues structure and rolling rhythm fit comfortably within the Stones’ musical vocabulary. The song already carries a sense of movement and looseness, making it ideal material for a band that has never needed much encouragement to turn a recording session into something less predictable.
Keith Richards’ guitar work gives the performance its effortless character, while Jagger approaches the song without trying to reproduce Dylan literally. There is influence, certainly, but the Stones reshape the material through their own rougher, more instinctive style.
When The Stones Stop Following the Plan
Studio jams are often treated as disposable moments, but they can reveal something important about how a band actually works. For the Rolling Stones, improvisation has always been part of the creative process. A riff, rhythm or passing idea can suddenly become more interesting than whatever was supposed to happen next. This particular performance captures that attitude beautifully. Nobody seems concerned with turning the jam into a polished single. There is no obvious pressure to produce something commercially useful. They simply play.
And, naturally, that is probably when things become interesting. The recording eventually circulates through the Voodoo Stewbootleg rather than receiving an official release, preserving it as one of those fascinating Stones studio discoveries that exists somewhere between finished song and spontaneous experiment.
Another Link Between the Stones and Dylan
The jam also highlights the longstanding musical connection between the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. Both artists helped shape the language of modern rock, blues and songwriting, while maintaining distinctive identities that rarely blurred completely. The Stones’ version of Dylan’s song does not need to become a definitive interpretation to be worthwhile. Its appeal comes from its informality—the sense that the band is simply enjoying the opportunity to play.
That makes the recording more than an obscure studio curiosity. It offers a glimpse of the Rolling Stones doing what they have always done best: taking a familiar piece of music, loosening the rules, and discovering what happens next.
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