 With a collection of songs reportedly written while <unk> @-@ in on his Minnesota <unk> , Dylan booked recording time with Daniel Lanois at Miami 's <unk> Studios in January 1997 . The subsequent recording sessions were , by some accounts , fraught with musical tension . Before the album 's release Dylan was hospitalized with a life @-@ threatening heart infection , <unk> , brought on by <unk> . His scheduled European tour was cancelled , but Dylan made a <unk> recovery and left the hospital saying , " I really thought I 'd be seeing Elvis soon . " He was back on the road by mid @-@ year , and performed before Pope John Paul II at the World <unk> Conference in Bologna , Italy . The Pope treated the audience of 200 @,@ 000 people to a <unk> based on Dylan 's lyric " Blowin ' in the Wind " . 
