Just Like a Woman

The harmony of 'Just Like a Woman' is deceptively simple — built almost entirely on three chords (F, Bb, C) in the verses with the relative minor (Dm) providing contrast in the bridge. What makes it distinctive is how the AABA structure, noted by musicologist Larry Starr, uses the bridge to literally bridge into the next section, with the harmonic shift to the minor creating an emotional undertow beneath the lilting, swaying melody. The blues influence comes through in Dylan's vocal phrasing rather than the chord changes themselves.

Bob Dylan allegedly wrote 'Just Like a Woman' on Thanksgiving Day in November 1965, though some biographers doubt this account, concluding he more likely improvised the lyrics during the recording sessions. The song emerged during the prolific period between Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde, when Dylan was at the height of his creative powers and transitioning from acoustic folk to electric rock.

Released as part of Dylan's landmark 1966 double album Blonde on Blonde, 'Just Like a Woman' is one of his most emotionally complex compositions. Built on a gentle, swaying melody with nylon-string guitar and organ, the song's poetic lyrics about a woman who 'breaks just like a little girl' have sparked decades of debate about its meaning, its subject, and its treatment of gender — making it one of the most discussed songs in the rock canon.