The Best of Bob Dylan
Admittedly, I didn’t stumble upon the Great Bob Dylan until around 1990. For the traditionalist this may position me as an impostor (Judas), my younger readers may only know the man’s more recent work.
I was introduced to Bob Dylan through the Grateful Dead, they (like many) covered his songs with grace and near perfection. Songs like Queen Jane Approximately, Desolation Row and It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue were brought to my ears from the voices of Jerry and Bobby!
One of the most sacred moments of my life remains Jerry Garcia’s cover of Visions of Johanna at Oakland Coliseum on the 24th of February in 1995.
The song spanned 10 minutes of Jerry Garcia pouring his heart out not long before it stopped beating forever. The song seemed to take forever and in that moment on the floor of the arena I knew my life would be special. I stopped worrying about everything and accepted the chores that would reward my life’s legacy. At the time I didn’t even know what song he was singing. Ed Petite did…. years later he would recall with great certainty what has been articulated in the aforementioned verse. Proclaiming…
IT WAS THE GREATEST SONG I’VE HEARD IN MY LIFE!
I’ve heard Simon & Garfunkel play Peggy-O, My Morning Jacket perform Going to Acapulco, Built to Spill play Jokerman & Joe Henry revolutionize One Too Many Mornings…. Bob Dylan’s songs have been replicated by more artists than any other song writer.
WHY?
The thing that made Dylan different than his predecessors in Folk Movement was his intent! If you view the documentary Don’t Look Back you’ll see Bob as an uncompromising servant of truth. He was not a hippie and he certainly was not a peaceful observer… we has going to attack the system with educated confrontation. He wasn’t going away peacefully, he recognized hypocrisy and he had his fist clinched in confrontation of it.
“I don’t care what people think of me, doesn’t matter to me, I’m doing God’s work, that’s all I know” — Bob Dylan
Most people will introduce you to Rainy Day Woman # 13 and/or 35. You might hear Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door or Like a Rolling Stone. All interesting but an unfair, if not easily accessible, road to our greatest songwriter that will never reveal his true awesomeness.
Here are three songs that will change your life:
…. remember me to one who lives there, she once was a true love of mine….
My Dad never had the birds & bees discussion with me, he didn’t need to. This song introduced me to the longing of losing someone, the pain it feels to be away from them and the wonderful creative energy that is produced from longing.
I listen to this song today and I miss the heart break. It is in equal parts a sobering reflection of love lost and an encouragement of better things to come for the person you have held back for so long. Heart breaking and rewarding all at once… the essence of Bob Dylan.
This tune was refreshed for me when watching Ashton Kutcher’s portrayal of Steve Jobs. Excellent choice!
It may very well be that this song is part two of Girl from North County. The cord progressions are the same and the lyrical pentameter is identical.
Our story continues with our departed love writing letters from across the ocean. An innuendo mentioned of gifts from foreign lands that may be afforded our narrator. In the end, a letter of departure far from that of a promise to return. He wishes not for jewels or gifts but the simple opportunity to see her again… when denied, Dylan’s subtle humor emerges….
If you are leaving me and offering a consolation; I guess I’ll take some leather boots.
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
Like the aforementioned tunes, the finger picking sets an enamored page turning as the words flow with graceful venom.
Where “North Country” and “Boots” put our humble narrator on the defensive, this song is a rebuttal, intensified by the stanza:
“I ain’t sayin’ you treated me unkind, you coulda done better but I don’t mind, you just kinda wasted my precious time… but don’t think twice, it’s all right!”
If ever my children encounter heartbreak this is the song I would play for them. A recognition of the devotion love takes and the regret of its displacement. A precautionary tune…. don’t try to break what cannot be fixed.
We all have our favorite song writers.
No one ever played Bob Dylan’s songs for me. There has never been a doubt that I would have found him.
… such is our lot in life… our pursuit of Love and the realization that it happens when we least expect it… without force!
There will never be a time when you will be denied the ability to visit the songs of the time…. it will bring a tear to your eye, remind you of a time & renew your faith in humanity.
Cherish It… All of it!
Your Humble Narrator,
Dave
