Joan was more in love with Bob than he was in her. When Bob 'burst on the scene', Joan was more famous. She took him as a lover and introduced him into the folk scene. Bob Dylan quickly became huge, an icon of folk music (later rock). Dylan moved on but Joan obviously held the relationship in her heart. Bob Dylan phoned Joan and this song is an attempt by Joan Baez to understand why he called.
Last thing we need, in the Year Of Our Lord 2023, is a song that feeds the Lost Cause narrative about a noble and proud South. I realize that wasn't the focus of the song, but it's sitting right there, and we ought to pay attention to it. You could just as easily sing a song about Helmut Schmidt, a German citizen who feels WWII treated him poorly. Would there be anything tone-deaf about that? Especially the part about how he's resentful that the Allies put his brother (a loyal Wehrmacht soldier) in his grave? Same arguments would apply that he resents what the war did to him, but it'd feel like we at least need a passing comment about how the Nazi cause was wrong, right? That applies to Helmut Schmidt, and it also applies to Virgil Caine. I realize some people don't consider the Nazis and the Confederacy approximately equal. To which I say, if you're holding men as property, and you have the right to kill them at will or break up their families or sell them, "at least I'm not a Nazi" is a pretty weak defense.
i love that, especially the live version on " Midnight Special"?, where she talked to the audience about their non _ vocal participation, she never missed a beat, and it just flows. It swings like jazz, and I am not bullshiting. I hope hummanity does not delete. An exceptionally talented individual with great rythym. I knew nothing of this woman at a young age. Joan Baez was probably about 45 before I started digging her music, how stupid is that? It's never too late to boogie. Brava!
Anyone who has ever experienced a narcissistic relationship will recognize the indicators in her story. Heck, the song even opens with a narcissistic “Hoover.” Contrary to what Dylan believes, her poetry isn’t “lousy.” (What a jerk) This song is sublime.
Definitely a diss song. And not just dissin' some neighborhood chump... Dylan was a folk/rock god at the time this was released. So much so that Joan denied it was about him for many many years...
Bob met Joan in 1961 She was already well known. She had started at the Newport Folk Festival in 1959, her concerts were selling out and her first album went gold. They became lovers and in the 1962 Newport Folk Festival she brought him onstage with her as a surprise guest and she also brought him on tour with her, always inviting him onstage where they would do duets and she would have 7:11 him do some of his songs. She got him tons of publicity and recorded many of his songs to make people more aware of him. In 1963 Bob was invited to play at Newport himself for the first time. He and Joan continued to play together at many events and tours, including civil rights events in the south at racial hot spots where some people from those events were being murdered. Joan was still with him when he did his infamous electric set at Newport in 1965. He then invited her to tour England with him. But after they arrived, he told her he didn't want her appearing on stage with him. She was taken aback and hurt by that. By the end of the trip the romance was pretty much over. Joan said later that it wasn't that she wanted so much to be on stage with him, just that he would invite her there and then dump her. Probably true, because she was still popular enough to play there herself if she wanted to. In fact she did do a concert while they were there after being asked by the BBC to do a televised concert for them. Bob publicly apologized many years later, saying he loved her very much and was wrong, but that things were getting wild and crazy and he didn't want to drag her into that. That may also be true, because crowds were getting so unruly there over his going electric that Levon Helm, the drummer for The Band, who were backing Dylan on the tour, actually ended up walking out and returning home early.
Yes, great dis track. Listen again knowing that from the start-it’s amazing. Joan put out many great albums, her first is an absolute folk masterpiece, but her album “Play Me Backwards” released in the 90s is also really really good. But my very favorite track is her live at Woodstock “Sweet Sir Galahad” which Joan write to her sister, another folk singer Mimi Farina. Achingly beautiful. Thanks Steve for tis request, and Angela, great reaction!
"Is this a diss song?" Yes and no. The Rust part is, but the Diamonds part isn't. "Speaking strictly for me, we both could have died then and there," is her remembering the diamonds from their time together. "Yes, I loved you dearly." But the breakup pain and his "ghost" coming back to haunt her now and then is just too much. She disses him with "I've already paid." I love this song. Back in the '70s, whenever it came on the radio, even if I just parked the car, I had to listen to it all the way through, because it tugs at the diamonds and the rust in my heart every time. Even now.
I love the song-- bought the vinyl album, which I played on repeat many times. Not one bad track on it.! And this one was reference to her ill-fated love affair with Bob Dylan. Baez was nicknamed "the Madonna" by her fans. Yes, it is a diss song!
It's a very haunting song with a lot of depth that's filled with memories and profound sentiments! Love is such a powerful experience that can drive you to do so many crazy things! I'll leave that to your imagination, and good luck with all those crazy broads and dudes out there! No one warned us in pre school that people and life would be so challenging! What a strange trip life is!
You should do some Bob Dylan and you'll understand why he is considered the Greatest Songwriter of All Time. He was a bit of a Player but women were always throwing themselves at him, what could he do? Lol. He got karma though when his wife Sara divorced him after giving him 4 children. That would be a great place to start, his song he wrote for her "Sara". He also wrote "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" for Sara too another Great song. 🥴🤔👍✌️💯🥳
*He was a bit of a Player but women were always throwing themselves at him* I don't that was the case here. I think she helped him immeasurably when he was starting out, and got played?
You ought to review some of Joan Baez' early folk music - just a guitar (played by her) and the clearest soprano voice ever. I recommend songs like Geordie, Barbara Allen, Silver Dagger and Fare Thee Well. By 1975, when this song was released, Joan's voice and/or style had changed quite a bit. Listen to some of those folk songs she did in 1960-1963 and you will hear one of the greatest voices ever with some outstanding guitar work by her as well.
Beautiful song she wrote and her guitar playing so good. Joan's voice was the best voice in her genre and even further. Always loved her. Exceptional activist as well.
Visions of Johanna is one of the songs Bob Dylan wrote about Joan Baez. If you're interested in their very complex relationship, you should give that song a listen. It was written after he and Joan broke up, when he just got together with his first wife Sarah. Diamonds and Rust was written shortly after Dylan and Sarah divorced (about 8 years later), and out of the blue Dylan made a phone call to Joan Baez.
Re: her being “snappy,” I likewise had a similar experience when I saw her in the original Woodstock documentary and subsequent interviews: she has a strong personality and biting sense of humor. I love it!
There's a short video (1:25) of Joan and Bob talking in 1975 on RU-vid, "Joan Baez and Bob Dylan talking 1975". You could see the sparks were still flying even after their romance.
Besides this one, Joan Baez wrote several other songs about Dylan - To Bobby (a plea for him to return to writing protest songs after he had moved on), Winds of the Old Days (her thoughts and reminiscences on hearing he returned to live performing after an extended absence), O Brother ( a definite diss song and response to his song Oh Sister which may have been about her), Time Is Passing Us By (a fear that the best days of their careers are behind them).
Poor Joan. 😢 I think Dylan disputes her version of events. Well, they dispute each other's version of events, lol. I dig that cool 1975 space-age keyboard sound.
I never thought of this as a diss song, but yeah, kinda is It's a song of memory, beauty, regrets, and moving on... It's a love song, as well, really. Really, it is. I bought this album when it came out. (Tender lad that I was.) Loved Joan's songs. Yeah modern terms, it is a diss song. But I hope you can hear the love underneath the diss, because that's what gives it is real depth and meaning.
What an utterly great song and so nice to hear the original, she is Ikonic in 20th century music. My favorite cover of it is by Judas Priest, their studio cover is great but they really outdo it live, try the official live video from them, they do Joan proud, believe me, killer cover, anyone who hears it, loves it. Enjoy! 🎵🎸🎤🎸🎶
Angela great reaction to a classic song. You should react to Judas Priest version of her son. Rob said he adored Joan as a singer songwriter and musician. Thank you for what you are doing love it❤
Joan says Bob Dylan broke her heart, and she was angry about it for years. Then she has recently said that she waited her portrait, the way he was when he was young, and the anger just left her.
This is a dis song! They had a deep affair...and he just walked away. The worst breakup of her life. And here he is calling her out of the blue...Ouch!!! Love love LOVE the lyrics. BTW He publicly apologized 42 years later...
The absolute irony was that she toured with Bob the following year, 1976, and "played" his wife Sara in an abstract film about the tour called "Renaldo & Clara", as his marriage to Sara was totally collapsing after over a year of problems between them.
Difficult to remember why I liked this particular song...I never really enjoyed Joan Baez' material but I gave a thumbs-up to you for the effort...enjoy music...it is, after all is said and done, our saving grace.
The context is when Dylan broke up with his wife in a state of anxiety phoned his "old" girlfriend Joan Baez when she hadn't heard from him in years.......she wasn't tempted to go back to him
Another outstanding romantic dis track I strongly recommend is Judee Sill's "Jesus Was a Cross Maker", which was written in the wake of her breakup with singer-songwriter J.D. Souther, who had left her to pursue a relationship with Linda Ronstadt. As Sill once described it to an audience (without mentioning his name), she was trying to work out her anger with some sense of forgiveness, and came up with the song where the message was even the ostensible Son of God, in human form, surely left some people he loved feeling hurt. Ironically, years later, just before her untimely death, Sill coached Ronstadt when the more popular chanteuse was going to cover the song, albeit removing the religious references.
Your distractedness was very taking me out of the song. The futzing with the headphones and hair and whatnot. It was very distracting Especially since it was in the most important part of the story. Sorry, but I'm out. Stop futzing with your hair.
