1965，Bob Dylan赴英國巡演，美國導演D.A. Pennebaker將過程內容拍攝成記錄片《Dont Look Back》。影片中，參與巡演的Dylan的女友Joan Baez，某晚在旅館的房間曾演唱此首《Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word》的片斷，並對Dylan說：『若是你將此曲完成，我會將它錄在唱片中。』顯然此曲為Bob Dylan於1965某時所作。而難堪的是，Dylan和Baez的戀情也在這次的英國之行正式告吹。但Joan Baez並未食言，曾前後三次錄唱了此曲，首次是收錄在她1968的專輯《Any Day Now》中，該版本也另發行了單曲。
Joan Baez在1962即已登上了「時代雜誌」的封面，可見當時的她已是聲名大噪的民謠歌手。1963，Baez邀當時尚無啥名氣的Dylan在「新港民謠音樂節」同台表演。之後，在各個演唱場合，也極力的相挺 ( 除了倆人合唱，也給Dylan單獨演唱的機會。 )，此對Bob Dylan後來在流行歌壇大放異彩，Baez應該功不可沒。而風水輪流轉，兩年後，Bob Dylan的聲勢超越了 Baez。在英國巡演時，Dylan除了對Baez態度冷淡及不耐，在演出時，也未依之前Baez相挺的方式回報---邀Baez一起合唱，此讓Baez感到心碎。
其實倆人分手的背後原因，是Baez要求Dylan在人權、反戰及相關政治議題的領域，以歌曲代言的方式繼續奮戰。而Dylan一方面不想和「民謠皇后」的女友競爭，另也想走自己的音樂路。故在1965的「新港民謠音樂節」中唱了那首《It's All Over Now, Baby Blue》( 有人認為，Baby Blue指的就是Joan Baez。) 後，就真的和民謠說Bye Bye了。
倆人分手之後，Baez內心對Dylan應還是懷有情愫，否則不會經常公開演唱此首《Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word》。歌雖然是Dylan寫的，而他自己卻從未錄唱過此曲。
Seems like only yesterday
I left my mind behind
Down in the Gypsy Cafe
With a friend of a friend of mine
She sat with a baby heavy on her knee
Yet spoke of life most free from slavery
With eyes that showed no trace of misery
A phrase in connection first with she occurred
That love is just a four-letter word
Outside a rattling store-front window
Cats meowed to the break of day
Me, I kept my mouth shut
To you I had no words to say
My experience was limited and underfed
You were talking while I hid
To the one who was the father of your kid
You probably didn't think I did, but I heard
You say that love is just a four-letter word
I said goodbye unnoticed
Pushed towards things in my own games
Drifting in and out of lifetimes
Unmentionable by name
Searching for my double, looking for
Complete evaporation to the core
Though I tried and failed at finding any door
I must have thought that there was nothing more
Absurd than that love is just a four-letter word
Though I never knew just what you meant
When you were speaking to your man
I can only think in terms of me
And now I understand
After waking enough times to think I see
The Holy Kiss that's supposed to last eternity
Blow up in smoke, its destiny
Falls on strangers, travels free
Yes, I know now, traps are only set by me
And I do not really need to be
Assured that love is just a four-letter word
Strange it is to be beside you
Many years and tables turned
You'd probably not believe me
If I told you all I've learned
And it is very, very weird indeed
To hear words like forever plead
Those ships run through my mind, I cannot cheat
It's like looking in the teacher's face complete
I can say nothing to you but repeat what I heard
That love is just a four-letter word
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