Dylan started his musical odyssey in 1959 when he began playing in Dinkytown, Minneapolis while attending the University of Minnesota. Shortly after starting to play he changed his stage name to Bob Dylan, after being influenced by the poetry of Dylan Thomas before legally changing his name in 1962.
Much of his best known work is from the 1960s, when he became an informal documentarian and reluctant figurehead of American unrest, promoted by Joan Baez. Some of his songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'", became anthems of the anti-war and civil rights movements, with Joan Baez and Dylan singing together at the March on Washington in 1963. However he later became disenchanted with the civil liberty protest scene, feeling that he had been used by them.
His album Bringing It All Back Home marked a move away from the folk scene and a move towards rock and roll and Dylan began to consciously distance himself from his early association with civil rights. He also started to become irritated when being interviewed, often given facetious or irreverent answers to questions. Bringing It All Back Home was a controversial album as it the first on which he played electric guitar. This was seen by some of his fans as a betrayal of this folk roots, with some saying that it obscured his meaningful and poetic lyrics.
The second half of the 1960s was marked by a string of well received releases, with his song "Like a Rolling Stone", released in July of 1965, later being named "The Greatest Song of All Time" by Rolling Stone magazine in 2004, placing #1 in a list of 500 titles. It also marked the formation of Dylan's backing band The Hawks (who would later call themselves simply The Band). Dylan embarked on a world tour of Australia and Europe in 1966, during which he seemed to be under a lot of strain and pressure by both his fans, the music press and his own promoters. Dylan himself admitted that he began taking drugs seriously whilst on this tour, and found it immensely hard work. On returning to New York he crashed his motorbike, sustaining serious injuries in the process, and went into a period of withdrawal while he recuperated. During the late 1960s, Dylan again changed stylistic tradition, moving away from the psychedelic culture of the time. It was then that he recorded All Along the Watchtower, perhaps more famously recorded by Jimi Hendrix.
The 1970s were a period during which Dylan was more sporadic in his output, releasing some poorly received LPs. He rarely appeared in person until 1974, when he began touring again with his backing band The Band. He also wrote one of his most extensively covered songs, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, as well as what is now recognised as one of his best albums Blood On The Tracks. Towards the end of the 1970s, Dylan discovered Christ, and released some albums of gospel music. He started to talk to the crowd about his faith during his performances, and wouldn't play any of his early work, which alienated some of his previous fans.
Dylan today still remains an influential and popular artist; despite a period of little note between 1980-2000, his 2006 album Modern Times reached the US chart at #1, as did his 2009 album Together Through Life, in the US, Britain, France and several other countries. His 2012 album Tempest was also critically acclaimed. Since 1988, Dylan has been on the so-called Never Ending Tour, during which his performances have provoked controversy, with some critics claiming that his lyrics have become incomprehensible, an experience which is not helped by his tendency to change his set-list and vocals almost every performance.
Bob Dylan's strong influence over the past few years is becoming even more prominent amongst a growing group of younger emerging artists such as George Ellias and Devendra Banhart. Dylan's early lyrics incorporated politics, social commentary, philosophy and literary influences, defying existing pop music conventions and appealing widely to the counterculture of the time. While expanding and personalizing musical styles, Dylan has shown steadfast devotion to traditions of American song, from folk and country/blues to rock and roll and rockabilly, to Gaelic balladry, even jazz, swing and Broadway.
Dylan performs with the guitar, keyboard and harmonica. Backed by a changing lineup of musicians, he has toured steadily since the late 1980s. He has also recently performed alongside other iconic artists, such as Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Tom Petty and Eric Clapton. Although his contributions as a performer and recording artist have been central to his career, his songwriting is generally held as his highest accomplishment.
Nobel Prize for Literature (2016) - On October 13, 2016, Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. The prestigious award has been given annually since 1901 and previous Nobel Laureates for Literature include Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett. Here is the speech written by Dylan, although unable to attend:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/10/arts/bob-dylan-nobel-prize-acceptance-speech.html?_r=0
Talkin' Fish Blues
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't know what in the world I was gonna do
Them Communists they was comin' around
They was in the air
They was on the ground
They wouldn't gimme no peace
So I run down most hurriedly
I got me a secret membership card
And started off a-walkin' down the road
Yee-hoo, I'm a real John Bircher now
Look out you Commies
Now we all agree with Hitlers' views
Although he killed six million Jews
It don't matter too much that he was a Fascist
At least you can't say he was a Communist
That's to say like if you got a cold you take a shot of malaria
Well, I was lookin' everywhere for them gol-darned Reds
I got up in the mornin' 'n' looked under my bed
Looked in the sink, behind the door
Looked in the glove compartment of my car
Couldn't find 'em
I was lookin' high an' low for them Reds everywhere
I was lookin' in the sink an' underneath the chair
I looked way up my chimney hole
I even looked deep inside my toilet bowl
They got away
Well, I was sittin' home alone an' started to sweat
Figured they was in my T.V. set
Peeked behind the picture frame
Got a shock from my feet, hittin' right up in the brain
Them Reds caused it
I know they did, them hard-core ones
Well, I quit my job so I could work alone
Then I changed my name to Sherlock Holmes
Followed some clues from my detective bag
And discovered they was red stripes on the American flag
That ol' Betty Ross
Well, I investigated all the books in the library
Ninety percent of 'em gotta be burned away
I investigated all the people that I knowed
Ninety-eight percent of them gotta go
The other two percent are fellow Birchers, just like me
Now Eisenhower, he's a Russian spy
Lincoln, Jefferson and that Roosevelt guy
To my knowledge there's just one man
That's really a true American, George Lincoln Rockwell
I know for a fact he hates Commies 'cause he picketed the movie Exodus
Well, I fin'ly started thinkin' straight
When I run outta things to investigate
Couldn't imagine doin' anything else
So now I'm sittin' home investigatin' myself
Hope I don't find out anything, hm, great God
Bob Dylan's "Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues" is a satirical take on the fear-mongering tactics employed by the John Birch Society in the 1960s. The song portrays a narrator who is paranoid about the presence of Communists everywhere and decides to join the John Birch Society to combat the supposed Communist threat. However, his attempts to find Communists prove futile and absurd, leading him to investigate even himself in a comedic twist.
The song's lyrics highlight the absurdity of the John Birch Society's beliefs and their tendency to see Communist conspiracies even in mundane objects. The line "I investigated all the books in the library, ninety percent of 'em gotta be burned away" reflects their fervor to rid society of any perceived Communist influence. Furthermore, the line "Now Eisenhower, he's a Russian spy, Lincoln, Jefferson and that Roosevelt guy, to my knowledge there's just one man, that's really a true American" furthers the satire by highlighting how the John Birch Society idolizes the extremist George Lincoln Rockwell and sees even the most revered American historical figures as potential Communists.
The song was recorded in 1962 but was not released until 1991 on "The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991". It was originally planned to be released as a single after Dylan's success with "Blowin' in the Wind," but the John Birch Society threatened to sue if it was released. Despite this, Dylan would continue to poke fun at the society in his later works.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I was feelin' sad and feelin' blue
I was feeling depressed and uncertain
I didn't know what in the world I was gonna do
I didn't know how to deal with my anxiety
Them Communists they was comin' around
I was convinced that Communists were everywhere
They was in the air
I believed that Communists could be found even in the air
They was on the ground
I thought that Communists could be found everywhere on the ground
They wouldn't gimme no peace
I couldn't shake my paranoia about Communists
So I run down most hurriedly
I acted impulsively
And joined up with the John Birch Society
I became a member of the John Birch Society, which was an extreme right-wing group
I got me a secret membership card
I obtained a membership card in secret
And started off a-walkin' down the road
I became an active member of the group
Yee-hoo, I'm a real John Bircher now
I was excited to be a part of the John Birch Society
Look out you Commies
I was convinced that Communists were a threat and I was ready to defend myself
Now we all agree with Hitlers' views
I am willing to accept and condone the views of a mass murderer like Hitler
Although he killed six million Jews
I am willing to overlook Hitler's heinous crimes against humanity
It don't matter too much that he was a Fascist
I am willing to overlook the fact that Hitler was a fascist
At least you can't say he was a Communist
I rejected Communism so much that I was willing to defend someone like Hitler just because he wasn't a Communist
That's to say like if you got a cold you take a shot of malaria
This analogy compares accepting Hitler's views to treating a cold with malaria, which is absurd and dangerous
Well, I was lookin' everywhere for them gol-darned Reds
I was desperately searching for Communists
I got up in the mornin' 'n' looked under my bed
I was so paranoid that I even looked under my bed for Communists
Looked in the sink, behind the door
I searched every possible place for Communists
Looked in the glove compartment of my car
I even looked in my car for Communists
Couldn't find 'em
I was paranoid for no reason as I couldn't find any Communists
I was lookin' high an' low for them Reds everywhere
My extreme paranoia had me looking everywhere for Communists
I was lookin' in the sink an' underneath the chair
I was searching even the most unlikely spots
I looked way up my chimney hole
I searched even the highest places
I even looked deep inside my toilet bowl
I was so paranoid that I even checked my own toilet bowl
They got away
I was so paranoid for no reason as there weren't any Communists
Well, I was sittin' home alone an' started to sweat
I was anxious and paranoid even when alone
Figured they was in my T.V. set
I believed that Communists could be hiding in my TV set
Peeked behind the picture frame
I was suspicious that even seemingly mundane objects could hide Communists
Got a shock from my feet, hittin' right up in the brain
My paranoia and obsession were affecting me mentally and emotionally
Them Reds caused it
I blamed the non-existent Communists for my own mental health problems
I know they did, them hard-core ones
My paranoia had me convinced that there were especially dangerous types of Communists out to get me
Well, I quit my job so I could work alone
My paranoia and obsession with Communists caused me to give up my job
Then I changed my name to Sherlock Holmes
I took on the persona of the master detective to justify my obsessive behavior
Followed some clues from my detective bag
I followed even the slightest suspicion, thinking it was a clue
And discovered they was red stripes on the American flag
I imagined even the American flag was a sign of Communist influence
That ol' Betty Ross
I blamed Betty Ross, the seamstress who sewed the first American flag, for the supposed Communist influence
Well, I investigated all the books in the library
I went to extreme lengths to investigate anything related to Communism
Ninety percent of 'em gotta be burned away
I was willing to censor and destroy books just for mentioning Communism
I investigated all the people that I knowed
I was suspicious of everyone I knew and accused them of being Communists
Ninety-eight percent of them gotta go
I believed that almost everyone was a Communist and had to be eliminated
The other two percent are fellow Birchers, just like me
I only trusted other members of the John Birch Society, as we shared the same extreme views
Now Eisenhower, he's a Russian spy
My paranoia had me convinced that even past Presidents were Communists
Lincoln, Jefferson and that Roosevelt guy
I thought even the most iconic Presidents were secret Communists
To my knowledge there's just one man
I was so paranoid that I could trust only one person
That's really a true American, George Lincoln Rockwell
I believed that only George Lincoln Rockwell, the founder of the American Nazi Party, was truly American
I know for a fact he hates Commies 'cause he picketed the movie Exodus
I convinced myself that someone who picketed a movie was the only trustworthy patriot I knew, all because he was anti-Communist like me
Well, I fin'ly started thinkin' straight
I eventually realized how irrational and extreme my behavior was
When I run outta things to investigate
When I ran out of things to investigate related to Communism
Couldn't imagine doin' anything else
I had become so consumed with my paranoia that I didn't know how to do anything other than investigate Communists
So now I'm sittin' home investigatin' myself
I turned my paranoia inward and became obsessed with investigating myself
Hope I don't find out anything, hm, great God
I was afraid of what I might find out about myself and my own possible Communist tendencies
Lyrics © BOB DYLAN MUSIC CO
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bernie Bass
Muchas gracias Señor Wladimiro, pensé que tenía todo de Bob, pero no conocía esta canción antes. (¡Los subtítulos generados por YT son ridículos y a menudo incorrectos!)🤣
Christine Oldridge
Bob at his best, how old was he then?
dreamy mixtape
20 or so
♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸ Hip Cat Records¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪
very nice share
Andrea Armellin
Belle le fotografie. Peccato che siano state "rubate", senza chiedere il permesso, e senza citare la fonte.
Wladimiro Cavina
Sono foto del Cansiglio di AA.VV. e di pubblico dominio. Allopra ringrazio il Cansiglio per la bellezza messa a disposizione e Dio per averlo creato. :-)
Bonnie Bardowski
Big picture, thank you