\"Lay Lady Lay\" is a song written by Bob Dylan and originally released in 1969 on his Nashville Skyline album. Like many of the tracks on the album, Dylan sings the song in a low croon, rather than in the high nasal singing style associated with his earlier (and eventually later) recordings. The song has become a standard and has been covered by numerous bands and artists over the years, including The Byrds, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, The Everly Brothers, Melanie, The Isley Brothers, Duran Duran, Magnet, Hoyt Axton, Angélique Kidjo, Ministry, Malaria! and Lorrie Morgan.
The song was released as a single in July 1969 and quickly became one of his top U.S. hits, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single did even better in the United Kingdom where it reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart.
Dylan played the song live for the first time at the Isle of Wight on August 31, 1969
