I remember growing up and hearing his name. I remember the words visionary, icon, and genius always being associated with it. Then I heard him sing. Same guy? His music personified irony, scorned conformity, and evolved from precocious to cynical as he ascended to his spot, regretfully, as music royalty. Watch DA Pennebaker's documentary "Don't Look Back" to see an amphetamine-fueled Dylan, touring Europe for the first time in '65, constantly denying his success and claiming he's just a songwriter. It's a dichotomy that's displayed in almost every stanza of Dylan verse. Neil McCormick sums up Dylan beautifully:
"This is music to grow up with and grow old to, songs and performances of such depth they reveal ever more with repeated listening. On the best of Dylan, melody and lyric effortlessly mesh together, all those cascading cadences and tripping internal rhymes swept along by tunes of surprising dimensions and perfectly served by Dylan’s dramatic vocal delivery, resounding with heartfelt if often poignantly understated emotion."For me, nothing exemplifies this point better than 4th Time Around. Specifically the Royal Albert Hall Concert 1966 Version. Unbelievably poetic (check out breaks/spacing), an odd time signature, and the characteristic warbling lyrical delivery describing a tragic event with emphatic beauty. Typical Dylan.
Wow, my favorite Dylan song as well. I think it's about a guy who has given everything he's got, down to his last stick of gum. Then he realizes the other woman in his life doesn't ask for anything, and shouldn't expect anything either/especially.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I see it as two people in a fight that keeps repeating. The more they try to fix it, the worse it gets.
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