Dressed in a black suit with red trim, a white shirt and a black string tie, Dylan sang "The Night We Called It a Day," a jazz standard from the 1940s that appeared on Dylan's recent album, the Frank Sinatra tribute Shadows in the Night. Dylan's voice took the lead against a smoky, late-night arrangement that stayed true to the studio version.

"Beautiful," Letterman said, stepping up to greet Dylan once the song finished. "Thank you, Bob." He turned then to the band, noting, "all brushes."