"You don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows" referring to the radical militant Weatherman/Weather Underground groups that were active in the late 60's.
Possibly one of the greatest short-sharp lines ever written. Between the bit before and the bit just after that. But then superceded by the one about parkin' meters a few moments later. And then the one about the pump and handles and the vandals. I can't decide which of these are the greatest lines ever written!!
If he reads these comments, then YES... one more vote for this song. I've watched so many rap fans reacting to it just becoming shocked at the flow and pattern.
A lot of people do credit this as the first rap song because it not only is a rap it contains all the elements of a good rap song, some anti government activity, some over bearing governmental elements, some what could be considered criminal activity as well as social justice protests. But Chuck Berry's "too much monkey business" could fall in that category as well
Not only is it a cool video, it was one of the first artist-made videos in the early 1960's. Waaay before the MTV era. In college, late '70's, I had an English Literature professor who spent a full hour and a half period, you know Tuesdays and Thursdays, dissecting "Subterranean Homesick Blues" as a poem. Thank You Dr. Garlitz. The man with the beard crossing the screen at the end of the video was Allen Ginsberg, the Beat Poet who wrote the Epic poem "Howl".
I think you nailed it on the fire hose. Dylan was part of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, sang at civil rights events, including MLK’s March on Washington, etc. He would not lightly throw around a reference about staying away from those that carry round a fire hose. The more you listen to Dylan, the more you appreciate his voice as another instrument he employs.
"You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows" -- The militant 1960's anti-war group known as The Weather Underground took their name from that line. They bombed military recruitment centers to protest the Vietnam War. They killed several people too, including members of their group, when a bomb they were making blew up on them. The survivors went underground to evade authorities and a few did so for more than a decade, iirc. The bald bearded man wearing glasses off to the left behind Dylan is the poet Allen Ginsberg. When you're ready for more Dylan, check out Marianne Faithfull's cover of "It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue".
Good of you to mention that. I see comments by YT idiots who say that Dylan was referring a group to the group The Weatherman when they didn't even exist then.
You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows That’s a reference to a radical group in the sixties that was called The Weatherman. They were against the Vietnam war.
The more I listen to Bob Dylan, and it's been 40 years, the more I like his voice. No, he doesn't have a great technical voice, but he has great delivery, he has great phrasing, and he has the greatest lyrics ever written. Plus he has a very, very distinctive voice. #1 artist of them all, IMHO. Dive in to the great man's catalogue Biz, just for yourself. It's well worth it. Next? "It’s All Over Baby Blue" or maybe "Visions Of Johanna" or "Ballad Of A Thin Man" or even "Not Dark Yet" or "Mississippi". I could name 100 songs and still leave out too many.
You're bang on with saying 'His voice matches what he is trying to do'. Over the years there's been a lot of crap said about his voice, these people complete miss the point.
Bob Dylan mentioned in an interview he would sit and listen to young black girls chant in rhyme while they skipped rope. It’s not surprising it showed up in his music.
Dylan was the POET of our generation. His twangy voice is part of the unique attraction. He isn't supposed to be a crooner. He had a message - lots of them.
Dylan has one of the most imitated vocals in Rock. Dylan is a stylist who sings with emotion. Dylan changes his vocals across his catalog many times, and on each album. Each Dylan album sounds different as he changes musicians on each album up until about 20 years ago, Dylan is also a genius composer and conductor. You're going to find Dylan is many things. His album's Bring It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde in the mid 60s changed Rock N Roll from that point forward. I've heard every album countless times, even his albums of cover songs.
@@CosmicVagabondPixie Time Out Of Mind (1997) is one of Dylan's best albums, his best album since Blood On the Tracks (1975). These are 2 albums that particularly show Dylan's range of reimagining his music. I love his croakier voice starting on the Oh Mercy album (1989). There are many good albums between 1974 and 1989 that show Dylan's ability to reimagine himself such as Slow Train Coming and Infidels. His latest studio album Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020) still maintains Dylan is a top talent, "My Own Version Of You" is a particular standout.
Dad was always having country on the radio or watching it all weekend but any time he was in a really good mood he would be singing parts of this song. It gave me an instant kick and happiness )
One singer that many would say does not have a good voice but he's a genius is America's first rock star, Louis Armstrong. And when you put his gravelly growl in a duet with the soft flowing feminine voice of Ella Fitzgerald, there is magic that can't be put into words.
Bob's an absolute genius. Some of his material does actually show off his vocals. He changed his style so much. It's not smooth as such, but it's the voice of the streets and of the people. As Don McLean puts it in American Pie ''with a voice that came from you and me'' (which was about Dylan).
You would like Don't Think Twice It's Alright. It's a breakup song in Dylan speak, also early folk with guitar and harmonica. It's been covered/sampled by many people from Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, Allman Bros to Indigo Girls. The song ends with these lines: Goodbye's too good a word, babe So I'll just say, "Fare thee well" I ain't a-saying you treated me unkind You could've done better but I don't mind You just kinda wasted my precious time But don't think twice, it's all right
Sorry Biz I hit send by mistake. The bussing line was about the desegregation of I believe school busses. "Better jump down a manhole light yourself a candle" was nuclear war. Jump in a hole and light a candle because electricity is gone. I love Dylan's voice, if he sang like a McCartney it wouldn't work now would it. I know I've requested this one so thank you but two more from this incredible album. "It's Alright Ma(I'm Only Bleeding" about the hypocrisy in America in 1965 and nothing has changed. That song could have been written yesterday. Also "Mr Tambourine Man" a beautiful song and the lyical wordplay is wonderful. Like painting with words. Hope too see these one day and please not live videos but the studio versions please. "Bringing It All Back Home" is a great album. Peace ❤
You are exactly right Dylan's voice perfectly matches what he's doing. Who else is going to sing this stuff? This would be a workout for any conventional vocalist. As you move through his catalog you are going to find that he translates very well with other decades. Serve Somebody, Sweetheart Like You are excellent examples of this.
A pioneering video, and regarded by many as a prototype for rap, but not rap itself - though Dylan himself said the style came from a Chuck Berry song (Too Much Monkey Business). NoDoz is an over-the-counter drug that will keep you awake, often used by students swotting for exams, but which leads to a person eventually crashing and sleeping very heavily.
Whether or not you think of this song as precursor to rap, it's a groundbreaking song (and video) and a brilliant marriage of lyrics and rhythm. And it does bring home a related point. Rap music is a kind of folk music --- it's the voice of the people, it's what's going on in the street. It challenges the establishment and the status quo. And there are some brilliant lyrics -- most famously: "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows" and "20 years of schoolin' and they put you on the day shift."
I love how you break that down from a rap perspective yeah and No-Doze was a thing in the 60s and 70s and it was actually a diet drug of some sort involving caffeine as an appetite suppressor, but it was also marketed as an anti-drowsy pick me up, like a really cheap over the counter version of speed or something.
A lot of college students used no doze to pull late night study sessions especially before tests. Coffee wasnt popular then, before energy drinks, so this was the pick me up
Okay I'm gonna sub you. Notice that the queue cards misspel words intentionally, kind of like platforms do now for branding. Bob's always ahead of the game
My theory, is that rap came from the beat poets in the 60s... people would read poetry to cool jazz lines... reading in a kind of cadence with the music... this started getting faster... an example is this song.. and faster... and at some point it broke off into the raw rap we saw in the 70s... that's my theory anyway... Great reaction. Thank you. 😊
Love to hear you check out Luke Kelly and The Dubliners doing The Rocky Road to Dublin. There's a fantastic live version here on UA-cam. Dylan was heavily influenced by Irish folk music at that time, a lot of it flows like rap.
Good analysis of what Bob Dylan brings to the table. A true beat poet. Some would even say the greatest. But if you want a great singer with lyrical genius, Dylan may not be your guy. That's where I think Van Morrison came in.
I've always thought that it was like early rap. No-Doze was a supplement that was sold over the counter to help folks stay awake. I believe that it was mostly caffeine
I agree it’s the best of 70s Dylan but there are at least as many Bob Dylan’s as there are the 60 years he’s been doing this. He is the greatest chameleon in pop music. As soon as you name what he’s doing he changes what he does into something else. It might be the most extraordinary thing about him.
My whole life I thought the line was “don’t try no-doz” as it is in the official lyrics. If you consider the rhyme that follows and listen closely though he’s actually singing “don’t tie no bows.” This song might sound nonsensical on first, second, tenth listen but it [almost] all makes sense if you consider the political climate at the time… bussing, firehouses, so much more. I add my voice to the group that would really love to hear your reaction to “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding.” Among hundreds of such great songs it’s impossible to choose a favorite, it’s still my favorite. And if you think what he’s doing here is like rapping just check that one out
One of my favorites of his! He has an awesome catalog. I have so many to request but here are some ...'She Belongs To Me', 'It's All Over Now Baby Blue', 'Just Like a Woman, the whole Nashville Skyline album which includes 'Lay Lady Lay" and the awesome classic "Girl From the North Country' sung with Johnny Cash, and 100's more 😀 I love his voice. His delivery with his voice is where it's at with his songs. He was out first when I was around 7 years old. I always connected with his music even though I didn't really understand a lot of the lyrics. then.
In his earlier LPs, Dylan did several 'Talkin' Blues' songs (ie: Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues, Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues, Talkin' New York, Talkin' World War III Blues.' Most of these songs feature more of his comedic side). Perhaps these tunes may have been a precursor to rap. A few other Dylan songs that showcase his barz are, Bob Dylan's 115th Dream, It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), and of course, Like a Rolling Stone.
The reason that a lot of the material Bob is performing sounds dated today is because he is the one (along with other free thinkers) that originally expressed and inserted so many of those ideas and concepts that we live by today into our society. Before Bob Dylan and others like him, America was a mentally stagnant place, emmeshed in the Cold War and politically much more hung up on iron clad racial, gender and religious stereotypes meant to preserve the privileges of the shrinking majority at the expense of all "others". Bob was a jackhammer hard at work attacking those privileges. It is no accident that in the background of the video is none other than the poet Allen Ginsburg, one of the founders of the Beat Generation, who i believe is passing the jackhammer forward to Bob Dylan and his generation. Today, the work continues with the current generation hard at work sculpting and blasting their way forward to a better society.
I interpret the firehose line the same as you: it's a reference to the spraying during the Alabama civil rights protests. No dose is something college students used to take (maybe they still do) to keep them awake so they could study all night or much of the night. I don't know if I'd recommend listening to his whole catalog, because in the '70s and '80s he was pretty inconsistent, though he had his moments. Every album from 1963-1968 (albums 2-8), would be a much smaller undertaking and more consistently rewarding. Next from Dylan: either "That's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", "Visions of Johanna", or "Just Like a Woman".
Well first rap song or not, this is from 1965, and probably draws from a tradition of "talking blues" that predates Dylan... a style sometimes employed by Woody Guthrie, one of Dylan's primary influences.
yes, the "better stay away from those that carry round a firehose" was referencing the civil rights movement when they used firehoses on protestors. He also tells them to avoid the plainclothes policeman that were infiltrating civil rights and other counter-culture groups. The whole song if full of early 60s social commentary. As for the video, its been copied sooooo many times (Love Actually probably the most famous example) but this was the first to do the whole words on poster paper thing.
Now you have to do Weird Al's 'Bob'. It is a parody of this song and video. I won't spoil the incredible brainiac feat he pulled off with his version. You gotta see it yourself. Big brain stuff.
"You don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows" referring to the radical militant Weatherman/Weather Underground groups that were active in the late 60's.
Possibly one of the greatest short-sharp lines ever written. Between the bit before and the bit just after that. But then superceded by the one about parkin' meters a few moments later. And then the one about the pump and handles and the vandals. I can't decide which of these are the greatest lines ever written!!
They named themselves from the lyric
'It's alright ma, (I'm only bleeding)' has got to be your next Dylan reaction!
YES! i suggested that on the one before this one heh
If he reads these comments, then YES... one more vote for this song. I've watched so many rap fans reacting to it just becoming shocked at the flow and pattern.
Ballad of a thin man is also killer
tony bennet the great jazz singer was asked if bob dylan can sing he said 'i dont know but his phrasing is perfect'
One thing Bob don’t need is DEFENDED!
A lot of people do credit this as the first rap song because it not only is a rap it contains all the elements of a good rap song, some anti government activity, some over bearing governmental elements, some what could be considered criminal activity as well as social justice protests. But Chuck Berry's "too much monkey business" could fall in that category as well
Well done on Too Much Monkey Business. I always thought that myself even before Dylan confirmed this was a riff on that old Chuck Berry song.
Talkin' Blues went back much further than those examples.
Long history of patter songs on Broadway
And the Beat generation, Greenwich village.
Not only is it a cool video, it was one of the first artist-made videos in the early 1960's. Waaay before the MTV era. In college, late '70's, I had an English Literature professor who spent a full hour and a half period, you know Tuesdays and Thursdays, dissecting "Subterranean Homesick Blues" as a poem. Thank You Dr. Garlitz. The man with the beard crossing the screen at the end of the video was Allen Ginsberg, the Beat Poet who wrote the Epic poem "Howl".
The man he's talking/arguing with in the video is Bob Neuwith, an influential folk singer and record producer who was also Dylan's manager.
Good info, I did not know that.@@jamesdignanmusic2765
Yes that was Ginsberg.
I think you nailed it on the fire hose. Dylan was part of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, sang at civil rights events, including MLK’s March on Washington, etc. He would not lightly throw around a reference about staying away from those that carry round a fire hose. The more you listen to Dylan, the more you appreciate his voice as another instrument he employs.
Fire house was about junkies shooting heroin, keep clean nose was coke. Don't wear sandals ( don't be a hippie)
He was recently awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature for his lyrics
Yep, it's rap. You're doin' it up great.
And it's not about his voice (which I love); it's about the poetry and the music.
TANGLED UP IN BLUE!
Fun fact:
The guys in the background are
Alan Ginsberg and Donovan, who spent the previous night
making the posters Bob was holding.
It was Bob Neuwirth with Ginsberg, not Donovan.
I love how Allen Ginsberg was in the background
Another fun fact: Joan Baez and Donovan drew up some of the cue cards that Dylan is flipping.
@@johno1765 Wow, I didn't know that, thanks!
Yes, I see it now. Thanks. I hadn't realised. I just thought it really funny that, as Bob walked off, the street cleaners moved in!
Yeah, that talentless hack had to find some other talented people to leach off of after his first group all flamed out
I have thought that but was not sure, thanks!
"You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows" -- The militant 1960's anti-war group known as The Weather Underground took their name from that line. They bombed military recruitment centers to protest the Vietnam War. They killed several people too, including members of their group, when a bomb they were making blew up on them. The survivors went underground to evade authorities and a few did so for more than a decade, iirc. The bald bearded man wearing glasses off to the left behind Dylan is the poet Allen Ginsberg. When you're ready for more Dylan, check out Marianne Faithfull's cover of "It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue".
Good of you to mention that. I see comments by YT idiots who say that Dylan was referring a group to the group The Weatherman when they didn't even exist then.
Bob is the man!
Bro, you gotta do " sorry ma, I'm only bleeding" by Dylan. 🔥🔥🔥🔥
He is the original rapper !
You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows
That’s a reference to a radical group in the sixties that was called The Weatherman. They were against the Vietnam war.
That's Allan Ginsburg walking across the screen at the end.
The more I listen to Bob Dylan, and it's been 40 years, the more I like his voice. No, he doesn't have a great technical voice, but he has great delivery, he has great phrasing, and he has the greatest lyrics ever written. Plus he has a very, very distinctive voice.
#1 artist of them all, IMHO.
Dive in to the great man's catalogue Biz, just for yourself. It's well worth it.
Next? "It’s All Over Baby Blue" or maybe "Visions Of Johanna" or "Ballad Of A Thin Man" or even "Not Dark Yet" or "Mississippi".
I could name 100 songs and still leave out too many.
You're bang on with saying 'His voice matches what he is trying to do'. Over the years there's been a lot of crap said about his voice, these people complete miss the point.
I think you nailed it about the fire hose. Tangled up in Blue is one of my favorites
Yes, Dylan is a genius.
“You don’t need a weather man to know which way the wind blows”……..truth.
Exactly. His voice was perfect for his music. No one can really imitate it.
Yup. It is an adquired taste. Once you get him its magic
Bob Dylan mentioned in an interview he would sit and listen to young black girls chant in rhyme while they skipped rope. It’s not surprising it showed up in his music.
He's got a really organic, authentic voice.
I love "Positively 4th Street" - a great song about disliking fake people.
Dylan was the POET of our generation. His twangy voice is part of the unique attraction. He isn't supposed to be a crooner. He had a message - lots of them.
Oh! NO DOZ used to be an over the counter product to stay awake, lol!!!
Dylan has one of the most imitated vocals in Rock. Dylan is a stylist who sings with emotion. Dylan changes his vocals across his catalog many times, and on each album. Each Dylan album sounds different as he changes musicians on each album up until about 20 years ago, Dylan is also a genius composer and conductor. You're going to find Dylan is many things. His album's Bring It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde in the mid 60s changed Rock N Roll from that point forward. I've heard every album countless times, even his albums of cover songs.
YES! **Beautiful** **Luvit** Thank **You**
@@CosmicVagabondPixie Time Out Of Mind (1997) is one of Dylan's best albums, his best album since Blood On the Tracks (1975). These are 2 albums that particularly show Dylan's range of reimagining his music. I love his croakier voice starting on the Oh Mercy album (1989). There are many good albums between 1974 and 1989 that show Dylan's ability to reimagine himself such as Slow Train Coming and Infidels. His latest studio album Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020) still maintains Dylan is a top talent, "My Own Version Of You" is a particular standout.
The voice must serve the song.
20 years of schooling and they but you on the day shift. Look out kid, they keep it all hid. Is a dope line.
I've always thought that songs sung by the writer have that extra authentic sound, whether or not they can 'sing'.
Dad was always having country on the radio or watching it all weekend but any time he was in a really good mood he would be singing parts of this song. It gave me an instant kick and happiness )
I'm tad bit late. Weird Al did a parody. Bob, every line was a palindrome.
The Einstein of songwriting.
I've always assumed he was talking about the fire hoses at demonstrations and marches.
One singer that many would say does not have a good voice but he's a genius is America's first rock star, Louis Armstrong. And when you put his gravelly growl in a duet with the soft flowing feminine voice of Ella Fitzgerald, there is magic that can't be put into words.
Bob's an absolute genius. Some of his material does actually show off his vocals. He changed his style so much. It's not smooth as such, but it's the voice of the streets and of the people. As Don McLean puts it in American Pie ''with a voice that came from you and me'' (which was about Dylan).
You would like Don't Think Twice It's Alright. It's a breakup song in Dylan speak, also early folk with guitar and harmonica. It's been covered/sampled by many people from Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, Allman Bros to Indigo Girls.
The song ends with these lines:
Goodbye's too good a word, babe
So I'll just say, "Fare thee well"
I ain't a-saying you treated me unkind
You could've done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right
That’s funny, I’ve listened to it for 40 years and never thought rapping it, but Biz made it work. 🥃
Sorry Biz I hit send by mistake. The bussing line was about the desegregation of I believe school busses. "Better jump down a manhole light yourself a candle" was nuclear war. Jump in a hole and light a candle because electricity is gone. I love Dylan's voice, if he sang like a McCartney it wouldn't work now would it. I know I've requested this one so thank you but two more from this incredible album.
"It's Alright Ma(I'm Only Bleeding" about the hypocrisy in America in 1965 and nothing has changed. That song could have been written yesterday.
Also "Mr Tambourine Man" a beautiful song and the lyical wordplay is wonderful. Like painting with words.
Hope too see these one day and please not live videos but the studio versions please. "Bringing It All Back Home" is a great album.
Peace ❤
Reading "The Collected Poems of Allen Ginsberg" just now.
"Not Dark Yet" is one of my favorites from Bob Dylan.
You are exactly right Dylan's voice perfectly matches what he's doing. Who else is going to sing this stuff? This would be a workout for any conventional vocalist. As you move through his catalog you are going to find that he translates very well with other decades. Serve Somebody, Sweetheart Like You are excellent examples of this.
Once again Biz... you nailed it 👍👍Bob is a writing Genius! Spread the love 🐶😎🇺🇸Rap or Rock? It grooves that's all that matters 🤙
A pioneering video, and regarded by many as a prototype for rap, but not rap itself - though Dylan himself said the style came from a Chuck Berry song (Too Much Monkey Business). NoDoz is an over-the-counter drug that will keep you awake, often used by students swotting for exams, but which leads to a person eventually crashing and sleeping very heavily.
Whether or not you think of this song as precursor to rap, it's a groundbreaking song (and video) and a brilliant marriage of lyrics and rhythm. And it does bring home a related point. Rap music is a kind of folk music --- it's the voice of the people, it's what's going on in the street. It challenges the establishment and the status quo. And there are some brilliant lyrics -- most famously: "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows" and "20 years of schoolin' and they put you on the day shift."
No Doze was an over the counter drug which had caffeine (main ingredient) in it. Students would pop them before studying for tests, etc.
Major historical song 🎵
Still killer to this day.
Love Bob. I love singers with unique voices as well as great singers. Bob isn't for everyone.
Love Bob Dylan. Some serious smart lyrics. He has so many great songs. HIS VOICE IS PERFECT.
I love how you break that down from a rap perspective yeah and No-Doze was a thing in the 60s and 70s and it was actually a diet drug of some sort involving caffeine as an appetite suppressor, but it was also marketed as an anti-drowsy pick me up, like a really cheap over the counter version of speed or something.
A lot of college students used no doze to pull late night study sessions especially before tests. Coffee wasnt popular then, before energy drinks, so this was the pick me up
That’s the “official” lyric but if you listen closely it’s actually “don’t tie no bows.”
It's Alright Ma, is one of his best from the same album as this song. Bringing it All Back Home, might just be a good album review.
It’s his lyrics (poems) and his delivery that make Bob Dylan the man!!!
Okay I'm gonna sub you. Notice that the queue cards misspel words intentionally, kind of like platforms do now for branding. Bob's always ahead of the game
Bob is a great singer, just check out anything he did from the Rolling Thunder Review from 1976.
No Doz is a OTC medication that keeps you awake.
Caffeine
Have you reacted to his Hurricane about falsely imprisoned boxer Ruben Hurricane Carter? Biz, it’s an absolute must!!!❤
Great reaction, another great song of his to react to would be “It’s Alright Ma (I’m only bleeding)”
Hurricane is my favorite Dylan song, and it’s a true story. Ruben Hurricane Carter.
Absolutely.
My theory, is that rap came from the beat poets in the 60s... people would read poetry to cool jazz lines... reading in a kind of cadence with the music... this started getting faster... an example is this song.. and faster... and at some point it broke off into the raw rap we saw in the 70s... that's my theory anyway... Great reaction. Thank you. 😊
Love to hear you check out Luke Kelly and The Dubliners doing The Rocky Road to Dublin. There's a fantastic live version here on UA-cam. Dylan was heavily influenced by Irish folk music at that time, a lot of it flows like rap.
If you want to see a Dylan song where we can sing, check out "One More Cup of Coffee"
"it sounds like he was wapping almost." After sixty years, you figured it out.
Good analysis of what Bob Dylan brings to the table. A true beat poet. Some would even say the greatest. But if you want a great singer with lyrical genius, Dylan may not be your guy. That's where I think Van Morrison came in.
I've always thought that it was like early rap. No-Doze was a supplement that was sold over the counter to help folks stay awake. I believe that it was mostly caffeine
Go ahead young fellas, break down these bars, do the history ! He would have rappers today going crazy
Always loved this song and video!
Poet Joyce Carol Oates said his voice was "as if sandpaper could sing" and I can't think of a better description
The best Bob Dylan album is “Blood on the Tracks.” Incredible.
I agree it’s the best of 70s Dylan but there are at least as many Bob Dylan’s as there are the 60 years he’s been doing this. He is the greatest chameleon in pop music. As soon as you name what he’s doing he changes what he does into something else. It might be the most extraordinary thing about him.
@@batman_jones Yep!
Start with his early stuff and see how he progresses. Don’t worry, his early acoustic stuff is great too.
🎶Hurricane, or “It’s Alright Ma I’m Only Bleeding”
Bob grew up a fan of old style Talking Blues. Yes, the cadence can be sped up a little, and you got rap.
If you don't count Gilbert & Sullivan or Cole Porter, yeah, this may be the first rap song. Of course, they were called patter songs.
Bob going electric. Groundbreaking song. Two of the greatest records ever recorded were right around the corner and it all started here.
“It’s alright, Ma (I’m only bleeding)”
My whole life I thought the line was “don’t try no-doz” as it is in the official lyrics. If you consider the rhyme that follows and listen closely though he’s actually singing “don’t tie no bows.” This song might sound nonsensical on first, second, tenth listen but it [almost] all makes sense if you consider the political climate at the time… bussing, firehouses, so much more.
I add my voice to the group that would really love to hear your reaction to “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding.”
Among hundreds of such great songs it’s impossible to choose a favorite, it’s still my favorite. And if you think what he’s doing here is like rapping just check that one out
Always thought Dylan was the first rapper.❤❤❤
Thank you for this reaction.
Now you NEED to see the Weird Al parody of this video, Bob.
It is hysterical.
Love you, man, you're right on. I was only 11 when this one came out, and i really really dug it. changed my brain.
Definately check out Its Allright Ma (I’m only Bleeding)
Chek out It's Allright Ma Im Only Bleeding
I feel as though when you go back to listen on your own you are gonna wanna start with the bootleg series great collection of work by him
I always thought this was the first Rap hit song. Love Dylan & enjoy your reactions.✌️❤️🎶
Bizmatic defends Bob Dylan! Increible!
One of my favorites of his! He has an awesome catalog. I have so many to request but here are some ...'She Belongs To Me', 'It's All Over Now Baby Blue', 'Just Like a Woman, the whole Nashville Skyline album which includes 'Lay Lady Lay" and the awesome classic "Girl From the North Country' sung with Johnny Cash, and 100's more 😀 I love his voice. His delivery with his voice is where it's at with his songs. He was out first when I was around 7 years old. I always connected with his music even though I didn't really understand a lot of the lyrics. then.
In his earlier LPs, Dylan did several 'Talkin' Blues' songs (ie: Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues, Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues, Talkin' New York, Talkin' World War III Blues.' Most of these songs feature more of his comedic side). Perhaps these tunes may have been a precursor to rap. A few other Dylan songs that showcase his barz are, Bob Dylan's 115th Dream, It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), and of course, Like a Rolling Stone.
The reason that a lot of the material Bob is performing sounds dated today is because he is the one (along with other free thinkers) that originally expressed and inserted so many of those ideas and concepts that we live by today into our society. Before Bob Dylan and others like him, America was a mentally stagnant place, emmeshed in the Cold War and politically much more hung up on iron clad racial, gender and religious stereotypes meant to preserve the privileges of the shrinking majority at the expense of all "others". Bob was a jackhammer hard at work attacking those privileges. It is no accident that in the background of the video is none other than the poet Allen Ginsburg, one of the founders of the Beat Generation, who i believe is passing the jackhammer forward to Bob Dylan and his generation. Today, the work continues with the current generation hard at work sculpting and blasting their way forward to a better society.
Bobs voice was often mimicked for comedic purpose’s because he really had a distinct sound.
There is a video of Joan Baez imitating him it's funny has hell.
You should check out Weird Al Yankovic's Bob. His parody of this video is genius.
I interpret the firehose line the same as you: it's a reference to the spraying during the Alabama civil rights protests. No dose is something college students used to take (maybe they still do) to keep them awake so they could study all night or much of the night. I don't know if I'd recommend listening to his whole catalog, because in the '70s and '80s he was pretty inconsistent, though he had his moments. Every album from 1963-1968 (albums 2-8), would be a much smaller undertaking and more consistently rewarding. Next from Dylan: either "That's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", "Visions of Johanna", or "Just Like a Woman".
Well first rap song or not, this is from 1965, and probably draws from a tradition of "talking blues" that predates Dylan... a style sometimes employed by Woody Guthrie, one of Dylan's primary influences.
If you want Bob with a good voice, listen to Lay Lady Lay.
Now that you've seen this one, you MUST watch Weird Al Yankovic's parody of this called "Bob". It is amazing!!♥
yes, the "better stay away from those that carry round a firehose" was referencing the civil rights movement when they used firehoses on protestors. He also tells them to avoid the plainclothes policeman that were infiltrating civil rights and other counter-culture groups. The whole song if full of early 60s social commentary. As for the video, its been copied sooooo many times (Love Actually probably the most famous example) but this was the first to do the whole words on poster paper thing.
Now you have to do Weird Al's 'Bob'. It is a parody of this song and video. I won't spoil the incredible brainiac feat he pulled off with his version. You gotta see it yourself. Big brain stuff.
Bob Dylan doesn't need to sound like Pavarotti to get his message across!
Yesss….yes that’s exactly what he's talking ‘bout
You check out Dylan in later years. I recommend Thunder on the Mountain (2006.) Great job.
You get Dylan, you're going deep believe me
Yep. That's exactly what the fire hose reference was.