I'm an old guy and when I try to introduce Dylan to younger people that have no idea about his 60 year long catalog, this is the song that I recommend. It is immediately absorbed, his voice is strong and clear and there is depth to the story. If this song doesn't work, then Dylan is not for you.
Dylan is a poet and not so his lyrics are meant literally or follow logically. Sometimes they convey a mood or they change perspective or are just ambiguous. The feelings are there. The passion. The sounds of the words, the internal rhymes...
He's at one place in time talking about events from the past. They split up because they were on the lamb, "Used a little too much force." He ran into her later at a bar, but she was hooked up, though it didn't last. Now he's on his way on the road to find her.
My favorite live version of this wonderful song is Dylan playing solo with his white face, flowers in his hat, during the Rolling Thunder Review Tour. Stunning performance.
Now do “Maggie’s Farm” and “My Back Pages” and the tribute concert with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Melissa Etheridge and Tracy Chapman doing this song.
This song kills me. I love it more than just about any Dylan song. First heard it on FM radio when I was a teen, ear to the radio late at night when everyone was else was asleep. Kitchen window open to the summer breeze...
Sometimes you can catch a movie, of a life in a song. That's writing, arrangement, and feeling. No wonder, Dylan won the Nobel Peace Price for Literature. ✌️
"Ain't Gonna Work on Maggie's Farm"!!....Biz, check out this Dylan tune soon. Loved this reaction my friend. P.S... ain't working for Maggie's Brother no more!
1975 was the year I turned 18, graduated High School, registered to vote, and became a Bob Dylan fan. I was totally aware of Dylan, and his music, but had not really got into him until this album dropped. Followed the next year by "Desire," "Blood on the Tracks" to me, was not only Dylan's greatest album to date, but possibly one of the greatest albums by an American artist of all time. I owned them both on 8-track, and still own them them both on CD. "Blood on the Tracks" is on rotation in my car right now, and the "Desire" CD is almost touching me while I'm typing this. Great, timeless music, by a true American original at the height of his powers.
That's beautiful...i pretty much love EVERYthing Dylan i have a dvd of his film Renaldo & Clara its wonderful & wild ha & well just a ton of stuff of ALL things him **Genius**
I’m about your age and so I clearly remember how impactful “Blood On The Tracks” was at the time. I first heard it on a long drive at night going skiing, just sitting in the back seat soaking it in and thinking “he’s still got it !”
One year younger than you but was already a Dylan fan. Saw him live in two great shows in back to back years. He played with The Band in 1974 at Maple Leaf Gardens and I was there. The following year, he played at the same venue with the Rolling Thunder Revue and had guests like Ronnie Hawkins, Warren Zevon, Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell join him on stage. I agree that Blood on the Tracks is his best LP, even better than Blonde on Blonde for me. Desire is also a great record
This is historically my favourite Dylan tune. Objectively it is definitely in my top 5. There are so many I absolutely love though. I think this is his greatest era!
I love how he brought it home with a harmonica solo. He’s quite adept - I remember reading how he blew people away with his harp skills at those Greenwich Village cafes where he got started.
Great choice Biz. Great reaction too. Bob never explains his lyrics and leaves us to work it out. I personally think that every verse is about a different woman and a different location. But it doesn't matter as we can relate to some part of the song. There's some albums of Dylan that changed the course of rock music, and I think you'd really get into them Biz. The Freewheeling Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home Highway 61 Revisited Blonde On Blonde John Wesley Harding Blood On The Tracks Time Out Of Mind Love And Theft
Always brings a tear to my eyes when I sing and strum this one along with Don't Think Twice Its Alright. We can all reference past relationships with these 2 songs.
Dylan won’t explain his songs. I’m not sure if it’s the same girl or not. I think it is, but it’s not chronological. It jumps to different time periods and different memories. This is an amazing album, written when he was going through divorce. It’s beautiful and painful. No weak songs.
Yeah, I’ve always looked at every section of lyrics as little vignettes, that may, or may not, have anything to do with the same girl (or even the same people for that matter).
This is the absolute masterpiece of Bob Dylan. I can play this song any time. No matter what mood I'm, it puts me bk to the center where I belong. The lyrics are so profoundly Dylan, not really much you could ask for if you're a fan of his music.
I think its metaphorical...the "women" are the stages in his manhood/life travelling across country and learning lessons; taking time to remember those "LESSONS" that impacted him most. The FIRST was his earliest heartbreak. ONE OF THEM (I'm betting) was drugs, another was understanding what's important in life.(maybe getting back to our roots?) Any way it goes I loved your reaction. Thank you.
im 60 years old.& can honestly say dylan is the best storywriter set to music i even known to exist.he's not just a good songwriter.his songs tell GREAT stories.
Bob's got zillions of songs, one of the best that I think you would really like is All along the watchtower. Initially Jimi Hendrix covered it and made everybody get crazy, but later this great song was found to have been written by Dylan, Also the girl from the north country. I like the version that he sings a duet with Johnny Cash, interesting pair, those two. Johnny, an old country Western icon and Bob, the songwriter that was setting the world on fire with his many songs and concerts worldwide. Positively 4th Street and LIke a Rolling Stone were also big hits in the 60's and 70's and he continues to write and perform now that he is 80. I think you would like a few of these songs.
Without making any claims, this song just flows and the repeating elements tie it all together, especially the song title/chorus. I'm sure many of us have sifted through it and tried to check the logical progression, thereby answering the question as to the identity of the woman. I conclude that it's just interesting. I mean exceptionally interesting. All Bob's experiences, real and imagined. All the places. with the people and their words and actions. Makes we want to pull out my copy of On The Road and have some hot tea and maybe a pipe of something to help set the mood. Maybe put the book down after a little while and put this album on, turned up a little loud.
He knew a woman once, and is haunted by her memory. The women he's met since, are they the same woman or different? It's not clear, and that adds to the song's beauty. The Italian poet was probably Dante. There are so many great Bob Dylan songs, and his lyrics are incredible... a couple of personal favourites are "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" and "Visions of Johanna", or for something more playful, "I Want You" or "Rita May" would be good.
I've been to 8 Dylan concerts and this is the song that he played every time. There is a great soft slower version of this song on Dylan's 1-3 Bootleg Album. I believe that was the original version. I love them both.
One of his best stories blended about different situations that Bob went through in one time or another!Biz you are good T analyzing lyrics at first glance. Back in the day growing up I would love the music first and maybe understand the lyrics sometime later!
Same girl, always the same girl. Her memory kept haunting him and he kept stumbling upon her throughout life. Was it meant to be? What else could it be? And, he was always tangled up in blue. Listen to his song about the Kennedy assasination, A Murder Most Foul, long and finger pointing about who killed Kennedy. Bob don't give a damn who hears his conclusions. Bob was always the greatest song writer, but so many others loved singing his songs. Bob, goes on and on and on......................
I enjoy watching people discover the music of my youth, it blows my mind it's 50+years ago, I stopped listening to the radio when disco hit 😛 I had plenty of material, then I jumped on to alternative and grunge, Mr Dylan is one of those building blocks that everything after was built on, if you like "bars" You'll love these, Shot of Love 👍, and Maggie's Farm, It's Alright Ma' I'm Only Bleeding 😁👍✌️🖖
I’d say listen to Buckets Of Rain. I love this record, I also appreciate his live arrangement when I saw him in 2016. Mavis Staples was his opener, she was awesome! ❤
Ahhh yeah! A giant of a song 🎵 I used a lil to much force 😂🎵🎶Jerry does amazing bob work,especially this one ,it’s worth checking,but bob is the man Al.all hail 🫡
Don't try to figure out what he's saying. He's not speaking about one situation or one girl in particular. His words are just glimpses of his mind. I guess this is how he writes his songs. This is how poets write their poems. He's a poet before being a songwriter and a singer and a musician. He's a poet. The fact he sings his poems is incidental.
Since you like a good story, let me recommend a couple goodies that always get overlooked, Lily, Rosemary & the Jack of Hearts, and Boots of Spanish Leather. I'd also highly recommend getting to Desolation Row at some point.
I don't think it was Sarah, his former wife. He tried to move away from the iconic performer and song writer image thinking he could take a more sober look at the world around him. He greatly admired the country western singer Johnny Cash so he made the connection and traveled to Nashville and befriended Cash and wrote and sang some music with him perhaps showing his wife that he could take a more serious look at life. It changed nothing, though he and the elder Cash became lifelong friends having songwriting and performing in common and they recorded a nice duet for his forthcoming album, Nashville Skyline. That is a great performance for them both. Johnny and Bob sang one of Bob's earliest songs, the Girl from the North country. You might like to listen to that and see what you think. Another of Bob's songs that became one of his biggest hit's, especially as it was famously covered by Jimi Hendrix, was All along the Watchtower. This was one of the highpoints of his creativity. I actually am enamored these days by Bob's 17 minute song, A Murder Most Foul. Now, nobody has ever created anything like this performance. It is fairly contemporary and while most people don't want to express conjecture about John Kennedy's assassination, Dylan didn't give a shit. He plops it out there in front of the listeners' ears and dares them to understand what he was getting at.
It’s has always been to me a coming of age and living out a dream no matter how hard life got I just keep on keeping on My adventure is not without cost or pain but I just keep on keeping on. In and out of lives along the way. Just working to figure it all out
HEY BIZ, WHAT'S UP!!! 😊 SO TO LET YOU KNOW HE WAS ALSO INTO THE 71 ALBUM ( BLUE ) AND MAYBE THE TITLE TRACK ITSELF THAT ( JONI MITCHELL ) HAD PUT OUT 👍OFF OF BLUE YOU COULD DO : A CASE OF YOU, RIVER, CALIFORNIA, AND OF COURSE THE TITLE TRACK!💯 KEEP ON KEEPIN ON BIZ! 😊
My fave Dylan. Speaking of rambling man, there are two good ones to suggest. Rambling Man by The Allman Bros. and Ramblin' Man/Beautiful Loser by Bob Seger
Oh My Gosh!!! YAY Hi Bizmatik! Hope you are well & HAPPY Holidays To YOU!!! & ya just gave me a Happy Holiday by reacting to Bob Dylan he is my Hero Genius & Nemesis heh but oh man hope ya are going to keep going down the Dylan Journey...have you listened to "It's Alright Ma I'm Only Bleeding"?
FYI - the song is notoriously not necessarily narrated in order. Top tier Dylan here I suggest these Dylan songs: Visions of Johanna, Shelter From the Storm, Things Have Changed & Its All Over Now Baby Blue
When I heard you sing along near the end with 'tangled up in blue' I knew it had you! Blood on the Tracks is a top 5 album of all time no question, but then you think about those other albums? No single individual can take up so much space, so which Dylan album do you choose?
With a lot of Dylan’s lyrics, you can imagine whatever you want, I don’t know if he wrote them this way on purpose or not, but like others have said Dylan does not tell us the meaning.
If you enjoyed this song, check out "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" from the same album (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-agdoeRpTfHg.html). It's another ballad, but clearly fictional. It's pretty fun to follow the song's story.
This was one of Dylan's folksy songs. Agree the story is a little confusing, but that's OK. But later, his style changed. A lot. Check out "Slow Train Comin'" and then "Serve Somebody." These are a couple of my favorites. They will make you laugh and think.
Great album, the last great album until Time Out Of Mind in 1997. The albums inbetween are good with some great tracks but as a whole album this was the last one until 1997. The hook here, tangled up in blue, "blue" is an abbreviation for "the blues" .. he's tangled up in the blues in this story.
To increase confusion in some live versions he changes the lyrics and says "...HE was laying in bed" instead of "I",but later on he goes back to the "I" point of view ,so there´s a HE,an I and you can´t tell how many SHE there are.Anyway the story grabs you although you don´t see it perfectly clear.You must be a genius to achieve that effect!
I think it's about a first real love...lost....and then trying to find it again. (the first love was lost for weird "papa's bank book wasn't big enough" etc.) His first innocent love, in his home town, was rejected. So he went on the road and kept finding these other relationships. (divorcee, stripper, etc.) Except that the stripper gave him some poetry from the 15h century, which gave him some philosophy. Anyway, that's what I hear.
Sorry Biz but one more thought here on "Mr Tambourine Man". I and many others feel that this song is about an acid trip. Dylan denied this but that's Dylan, he's very elusive like that. He claimed it was about just be weary from touring and was worn out which I don't buy. Trust me, I took my share of LSD between 1978 and 1980 and I mean really good acid, not BS acid. We had a great line with a chemist who's dad was a chemist in the late fifties and early sixties. This stuff was the real deal. The verse in this song " I know the evenings empire has returned into sand. Vanished from my hands. Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping'. That's coming down from a trip. During your trip you feel like you have your own personal empire. Your five senses are so expanded but after about 8 to 12 hours of that and you start the long process of coming down it's a drag. Don't plan on sleeping for 24 hours. Every fiber of your body and brain are totally drained, it's horrible. Just 15% or so that your senses have been expanded is incredible and just drains you coming down. What he describes in that verse is coming down from a trip. That's acid and after two years that's why I quite taking it. Just so taxing on your brain and body coming down. Really hope to see this one, it's a beautiful tapestry of the English language. Peace ❤
it was the same woman he's remembering her it was always the same woman he helped her out of a bad marriage It IS the same girl yes! he's going back and forth in time it's a sytle of writing
There is a lot of debate if he is singing about the same girl or not. Personally, I think if they are not the same girl, the song loses all it’s magic. They have to be the same.