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
Tight Connection to My Heart
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I couldn't with you around my neck.
I said I'd send for you and I did
What did you expect?
My hands are sweating
And we haven't even started yet.
I'll go along with the charade
Until I can think my way out.
Whatever it was about.
Someday maybe
I'll remember to forget.
I'm gonna get my coat,
I feel the breath of a storm.
There's something I've got to do tonight,
You go inside and stay warm.
Has anybody seen my love,
Has anybody seen my love,
Has anybody seen my love.
I don't know,
Has anybody seen my love?
You want to talk to me,
Go ahead and talk.
Whatever you got to say to me
Won't come as any shock.
I must be guilty of something,
You just whisper it into my ear.
Madame Butterfly
She lulled me to sleep,
In a town without pity
Where the water runs deep.
She said, "Be easy, baby,
There ain't nothin' worth stealin' in here."
You're the one I've been looking for,
You're the one that's got the key.
But I can't figure out whether I'm too good for you
Or you're too good for me.
Has anybody seen my love,
Has anybody seen my love,
Has anybody seen my love.
I don't know,
Has anybody seen my love?
Well, they're not showing any lights tonight
And there's no moon.
There's just a hot-blooded singer
Singing "Memphis in June,"
While they're beatin' the devil out of a guy
Who's wearing a powder-blue wig.
Later he'll be shot
For resisting arrest,
I can still hear his voice crying
In the wilderness.
What looks large from a distance,
Close up ain't never that big.
Never could learn to drink that blood
And call it wine,
Never could learn to hold you, love,
And call you mine.
The lyrics of "Tight Connection to My Heart" by Bob Dylan seems to explore themes such as detachment, romantic confusion, and a struggle to find one’s own sense of identity. One can infer that the first stanza of the song utilizes imagery of physical confinement in order to further accentuate the singer’s sense of emotional suffocation caused by a relationship. The singer admits that he “had to move fast” because he felt hampered by his partner, and though he promised to “send for” her, he never intended on doing so. He expresses his guilt about the situation, but also his desire to escape it by “go[ing] along with the charade” and avoiding his partner until he can “think [his] way out."
The second stanza seems to revisit the idea of detachment and distance as well as the theme of identity confusion. As the singer asks if anyone has seen his love, he is unable to determine if he is "too good" for his partner or if his partner is "too good" for him. This confusion over who is “right” for whom is further emphasized when the singer admits that he may be “guilty of something.” The final stanza reveals further emotional turmoil as the singer observes a man being arrested and beaten while a “hot-blooded singer” sings a passionate song about Memphis in June. The singer realizes that what once seemed big and important is now small and insignificant, and this thought may cause him to question what he has been pursuing the whole time.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I had to move fast
I had to hurry and leave quickly
And I couldn't with you around my neck.
I couldn't leave with you holding me back
I said I'd send for you and I did
I promised to get you and followed through
What did you expect?
What did you anticipate or presume?
My hands are sweating
My palms are wet with perspiration
And we haven't even started yet.
And our plans have yet to commence.
I'll go along with the charade
I'll pretend until I can change circumstances to match my intentions.
Until I can think my way out.
Until I can devise a plan for a different outcome
I know it was all a big joke
I acknowledge it was just a prank
Whatever it was about.
Whatever was happening
Someday maybe I'll remember to forget.
One day I may remember to forget the pain
I'm gonna get my coat,
I'm going to get my coat
I feel the breath of a storm.
I sense that a storm is coming
There's something I've got to do tonight,
I must do something tonight
You go inside and stay warm.
You should go in and keep warm
Has anybody seen my love,
Has anyone seen the love of my life
Has anybody seen my love,
Has anyone seen the love of my life
Has anybody seen my love.
Has anyone seen the love of my life
I don't know,
I don't have the answer
Has anybody seen my love?
Has anyone seen the love of my life?
You want to talk to me,
You want to discuss things with me
Go ahead and talk.
Go right ahead and talk.
Whatever you got to say to me
Whatever you need to tell me
Won't come as any shock.
Won't be at all surprising.
I must be guilty of something,
I must be responsible for something
You just whisper it into my ear.
Just tell me quietly
Madame Butterfly
A character similar to the one in the opera of the same name.
She lulled me to sleep,
She put me to sleep soothingly.
In a town without pity
In a location where there's no sense of justice
Where the water runs deep.
Where there are deep, hidden layers of understanding.
She said, "Be easy, baby,
She said, "Relax, baby,
There ain't nothin' worth stealin' in here."
There's nothing worth taking here.
You're the one I've been looking for,
You're the one I've been seeking
You're the one that's got the key.
You're the one with the solution.
But I can't figure out whether I'm too good for you
I can't decide if I'm more important than you
Or you're too good for me.
Or if you're more essential than me.
Well, they're not showing any lights tonight
There are no lights on display tonight
And there's no moon.
The moon is not visible
There's just a hot-blooded singer
There's just a passionate vocalist
Singing "Memphis in June,"
Performing the song Memphis in June
While they're beatin' the devil out of a guy
While someone is being severely beaten as punishment
Who's wearing a powder-blue wig.
Someone wearing a blue wig is being attacked
Later he'll be shot
Later, the victim will be killed with a firearm
For resisting arrest,
For showing resistance to apprehension
I can still hear his voice crying
I can still hear his voice in distress
In the wilderness.
In a desolate and uncivilized region
What looks large from a distance,
What appears to be significant from a distance
Close up ain't never that big.
Isn't always as big or important when closer.
Never could learn to drink that blood
I never learned to enjoy drinking wine
And call it wine,
And refer to it as wine
Never could learn to hold you, love,
I never learned to hold you in my love
And call you mine.
And call you my own.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juan Camacho
Well, I had to move fast
And I couldn't with you around my neck.
I said I'd send for you and I did
What did you expect?
My hands are sweating
And we haven't even started yet.
I'll go along with the charade
Until I can think my way out.
I know it was all a big joke
Whatever it was about.
Someday maybe
I'll remember to forget.
I'm gonna get my coat,
I feel the breath of a storm.
There's something I've got to do tonight,
You go inside and stay warm.
Has anybody seen my love,
Has anybody seen my love,
Has anybody seen my love.
I don't know,
Has anybody seen my love?
You want to talk to me,
Go ahead and talk.
Whatever you got to say to me
Won't come as any shock.
I must be guilty of something,
You just whisper it into my ear.
Madame Butterfly
She lulled me to sleep,
In a town without pity
Where the water runs deep.
She said, "Be easy, baby,
There ain't nothin' worth stealin' in here."
You're the one I've been looking for,
You're the one that's got the key.
But I can't figure out whether I'm too good for you
Or you're too good for me.
Has anybody seen my love,
Has anybody seen my love,
Has anybody seen my love.
I don't know,
Has anybody seen my love?
Well, they're not showing any lights tonight
And there's no moon.
There's just a hot-blooded singer
Singing "Memphis in June, "
While they're beatin' the devil out of a guy
Who's wearing a powder-blue wig.
Later he'll be shot
For resisting arrest,
I can still hear his voice crying
In the wilderness.
What looks large from a distance,
Close up ain't never that big.
Never could learn to drink that blood
And call it wine,
Never could learn to hold you, love,
And call you mine.
Simpsons A Day Channel
One of the best songs of the 80s. A classic. Probably one Dylan’s most overlooked lyrical masterpieces.
Tom Noodles
The problem with Bob Dylan is that he's a devil worshipper. He admitted it in an interview.
Paul Sinwill
It is definitely overlooked! I have the album on CD, there are some low cuts on "Empire Burlesque" but this is definitely not one of them.
emildan
I love the official video, but I feel we appreciate better the voice, the music, the sounds and the rythm without the pictures because we can concentrate better on them. This song is a real masterpiece ! Thank you for sharing !
JorgeLMarquez
Magia, los coros, la letra, y el señor Dylan!
Larry Rubin
4:20 The guitar and of course the singing. The chilling downward quitar/organ to start off the amazingness
IMMATERIAL IMMATERIAL
Love it!
Roberto Riva
Granderrimo Bob! ❤
Mrinal Kanti Nath
Bob dylan giving 80s pop hit is the last thing i had to hear
Jason Lee
Shud have been a hit single.....