Bob Dylan — Idiot Wind
Album: Blood on the Tracks
Avg rating:
Your rating:
Total ratings: 803
Released: 1975
Length: 7:42
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Avg rating:
Your rating:
Total ratings: 803
Length: 7:42
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Someone's got it in for me, they're planting stories in the press
Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out quick but when they will I can only guess.
They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy,
She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me.
I can't help it if I'm lucky.
People see me all the time and they just can't remember how to act
Their minds are filled with big ideas, images and distorted facts.
Even you, yesterday you had to ask me where it was at,
I couldn't believe after all these years, you didn't know me better than that
Sweet lady.
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your mouth,
Blowing down the backroads headin' south.
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth,
You're an idiot, babe.
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
I ran into the fortune-teller, who said beware of lightning that might strike
I haven't known peace and quiet for so long I can't remember what it's like.
There's a lone soldier on the cross, smoke pourin' out of my boxcar door,
You didn't know it, you didn't think it could be done, in the final end he won the war
After losin' every battle.
I woke up on the roadside, daydreamin' 'bout the way things sometimes are
Visions of your chestnut mare shoot through my head and are makin' me see stars.
You hurt the ones that I love best and cover up the truth with lies.
One day you'll be in the ditch, flies buzzin' around your eyes,
Blood on your saddle.
Idiot wind, blowing through the flowers on your tomb,
Blowing through the curtains in your room.
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth,
You're an idiot, babe.
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
It was gravity which pulled us down and destiny which broke us apart
You tamed the lion in my cage but it just wasn't enough to change my heart.
Now everything's a little upside down, as a matter of fact the wheels have stopped,
What's good is bad, what's bad is good, you'll find out when you reach the top
You're on the bottom.
I noticed at the ceremony, your corrupt ways had finally made you blind
I can't remember your face anymore, your mouth has changed, your eyes don't look into mine.
The priest wore black on the seventh day and sat stone-faced while the building burned.
I waited for you on the running boards, near the cypress trees, while the springtime turned
Slowly into autumn.
Idiot wind, blowing like a circle around my skull,
From the Grand Coulee Dam to the Capitol.
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth,
You're an idiot, babe.
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
I can't feel you anymore, I can't even touch the books you've read
Every time I crawl past your door, I been wishin' I been somebody else instead.
Down the highway, down the tracks, down the road to ecstasy,
I followed you beneath the stars, hounded by your memory
And all your ragin' glory.
I been double-crossed now for the very last time and now I'm finally free,
I kissed goodbye the howling beast on the borderline which separated you from me.
You'll never know the hurt I suffered nor the pain I rise above,
And I'll never know the same about you, your holiness or your kind of love,
And it makes me feel so sorry.
Idiot wind, blowing through the buttons of our coats,
Blowing through the letters that we wrote.
Idiot wind, blowing through the dust upon our shelves,
We're idiots, babe.
It's a wonder we can even feed ourselves.
Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out quick but when they will I can only guess.
They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy,
She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me.
I can't help it if I'm lucky.
People see me all the time and they just can't remember how to act
Their minds are filled with big ideas, images and distorted facts.
Even you, yesterday you had to ask me where it was at,
I couldn't believe after all these years, you didn't know me better than that
Sweet lady.
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your mouth,
Blowing down the backroads headin' south.
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth,
You're an idiot, babe.
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
I ran into the fortune-teller, who said beware of lightning that might strike
I haven't known peace and quiet for so long I can't remember what it's like.
There's a lone soldier on the cross, smoke pourin' out of my boxcar door,
You didn't know it, you didn't think it could be done, in the final end he won the war
After losin' every battle.
I woke up on the roadside, daydreamin' 'bout the way things sometimes are
Visions of your chestnut mare shoot through my head and are makin' me see stars.
You hurt the ones that I love best and cover up the truth with lies.
One day you'll be in the ditch, flies buzzin' around your eyes,
Blood on your saddle.
Idiot wind, blowing through the flowers on your tomb,
Blowing through the curtains in your room.
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth,
You're an idiot, babe.
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
It was gravity which pulled us down and destiny which broke us apart
You tamed the lion in my cage but it just wasn't enough to change my heart.
Now everything's a little upside down, as a matter of fact the wheels have stopped,
What's good is bad, what's bad is good, you'll find out when you reach the top
You're on the bottom.
I noticed at the ceremony, your corrupt ways had finally made you blind
I can't remember your face anymore, your mouth has changed, your eyes don't look into mine.
The priest wore black on the seventh day and sat stone-faced while the building burned.
I waited for you on the running boards, near the cypress trees, while the springtime turned
Slowly into autumn.
Idiot wind, blowing like a circle around my skull,
From the Grand Coulee Dam to the Capitol.
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth,
You're an idiot, babe.
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
I can't feel you anymore, I can't even touch the books you've read
Every time I crawl past your door, I been wishin' I been somebody else instead.
Down the highway, down the tracks, down the road to ecstasy,
I followed you beneath the stars, hounded by your memory
And all your ragin' glory.
I been double-crossed now for the very last time and now I'm finally free,
I kissed goodbye the howling beast on the borderline which separated you from me.
You'll never know the hurt I suffered nor the pain I rise above,
And I'll never know the same about you, your holiness or your kind of love,
And it makes me feel so sorry.
Idiot wind, blowing through the buttons of our coats,
Blowing through the letters that we wrote.
Idiot wind, blowing through the dust upon our shelves,
We're idiots, babe.
It's a wonder we can even feed ourselves.
Comments (136)add comment
Was he goofing on everyone and sang absolutely horribly on purpose?
I know this is considered a great Dylan album. The songwriting is superb. It was however on this album when Bob's voice changed drastically for the worse.
Dylan is a great lyricist.
Unfortunately, I think he got that way by making a pact with the Devil, trading away musical ability for lyrical ability.
The caterwauling destroys any possibility of my enjoying this (and many of his other) songs. And then he goes and throws in the stereotypical random blowing on a harmonica at the end.
oof.
Unfortunately, I think he got that way by making a pact with the Devil, trading away musical ability for lyrical ability.
The caterwauling destroys any possibility of my enjoying this (and many of his other) songs. And then he goes and throws in the stereotypical random blowing on a harmonica at the end.
oof.
Kind of judgmental don't ya think?
I'm surprised that I haven't commented on this old school dis-track yet...what sets BD apart from the pack is how he makes subtle changes in his lyrical story telling. In this one, he blasts her for verse after verse...until the final set of lyrics when he uses 'we' - I'm sure tomes have been written about this...still to me it's an amazing skill and worth a bump from 9 to 10. Long Live RP!!
Idiot wind, blowing through the buttons of our coats,
Blowing through the letters that we wrote.
Idiot wind, blowing through the dust upon our shelves,
We're idiots, babe.
It's a wonder we can even feed ourselves.
Idiot wind, blowing through the buttons of our coats,
Blowing through the letters that we wrote.
Idiot wind, blowing through the dust upon our shelves,
We're idiots, babe.
It's a wonder we can even feed ourselves.
Zimmerman crybaby but this song rocks my trousers
if only there were negative numbers on the rating system...
just cant deal with this... this is awful...
I don't complain much, and I don't even vote often.... forgot I had already voted this a 3...... LOWERED it to a 2.... off tune, pretentious, painful.... Aptly named too... GREAT occasion for the PSD button, which I seldom, if ever use!
idiot_wind wrote:
Over the weekend, I watched the live 1966 Dylan show in England where someone yells " Judas". And Bob does what only Bob can: he plays the meanest, nastiest version of "Rolling Stone" he can to the crowd..
Classic Dylan.
Not a huge Dylan fan, although I do enjoy several selected songs of his. Anyway, I just love his response to the fans at the Folk festival back in 1966. A huge middle finger. Classic.
Over the weekend, I watched the live 1966 Dylan show in England where someone yells " Judas". And Bob does what only Bob can: he plays the meanest, nastiest version of "Rolling Stone" he can to the crowd..
Classic Dylan.
Not a huge Dylan fan, although I do enjoy several selected songs of his. Anyway, I just love his response to the fans at the Folk festival back in 1966. A huge middle finger. Classic.
idiot_wind wrote:
Over the weekend, I watched the live 1966 Dylan show in England where someone yells " Judas". And Bob does what only Bob can: he plays the meanest, nastiest version of "Rolling Stone" he can to the crowd..
Classic Dylan.
I don't believe you.
You're a liar.
(Play it fuckin loud)
Over the weekend, I watched the live 1966 Dylan show in England where someone yells " Judas". And Bob does what only Bob can: he plays the meanest, nastiest version of "Rolling Stone" he can to the crowd..
Classic Dylan.
I don't believe you.
You're a liar.
(Play it fuckin loud)
Alastair wrote:
Jeez, you children of the 60's must have taken an awful lot of drugs to hear a tune in any of Dylan's stuff. Just effing awful.
Hated it sumpin awful in the 60's. Hate it more now. Never did drugs. Maybe woulda helped....... solid 1 for me. Steely_D wrote:
Blowing every time you move your teeeeeeeth.
(Man I love this. It's about as angry as Don't Think Twice)
Over the weekend, I watched the live 1966 Dylan show in England where someone yells " Judas". And Bob does what only Bob can: he plays the meanest, nastiest version of "Rolling Stone" he can to the crowd..
Classic Dylan.
Blowing every time you move your teeeeeeeth.
(Man I love this. It's about as angry as Don't Think Twice)
Over the weekend, I watched the live 1966 Dylan show in England where someone yells " Judas". And Bob does what only Bob can: he plays the meanest, nastiest version of "Rolling Stone" he can to the crowd..
Classic Dylan.
This album is a masterpiece.
It just is.
Still played and bought decades after its release.
As if Beyonce, Kanye and Taylor Swift will enjoy the same longevity.
idiot_wind wrote:
Blowing every time you move your teeeeeeeth.
(Man I love this. It's about as angry as Don't Think Twice)
Oh my gosh....I hate this song.
Anybody who wrote this drivel must be a freaking id...!
Ha!
Anybody who wrote this drivel must be a freaking id...!
Ha!
Blowing every time you move your teeeeeeeth.
(Man I love this. It's about as angry as Don't Think Twice)
WIth all of the great Dylan albums, especailly the earlier ones from the 60s, this one, "Blood on the Tracks",
from 1974 is my favorite album and to me his masterpiece. The 6.1 rating on this, and the comments from the "younger generation", are the perfect example of how music can be of its time, and can be heard so differently by different age groups. I am 66 and when I heard Dylen do this in concert in the 70s this song was so viscerally powerful and exciting. It still puts chills in my body every time I hear it.
from 1974 is my favorite album and to me his masterpiece. The 6.1 rating on this, and the comments from the "younger generation", are the perfect example of how music can be of its time, and can be heard so differently by different age groups. I am 66 and when I heard Dylen do this in concert in the 70s this song was so viscerally powerful and exciting. It still puts chills in my body every time I hear it.
Oh my gosh....I hate this song.
Anybody who wrote this drivel must be a freaking id...!
Ha!
Anybody who wrote this drivel must be a freaking id...!
Ha!
Thanks for the goofy video, hayduke2. : )
Jeez, you children of the 60's must have taken an awful lot of drugs to hear a tune in any of Dylan's stuff. Just effing awful.
AWESOME SONG
this is a riot:
Donald Trump Is Literally A Talking Head In This ‘Once In A Lifetime’ Mashup
this is a riot:
Donald Trump Is Literally A Talking Head In This ‘Once In A Lifetime’ Mashup
The writing on this album alone merits Dylan's Nobel Prize for literature - the lyrics, imagery, symbolism, and raw passion in every song is unmatched by any other songwriter. Idiot Wind is a masterpiece. Whether you like his voice or not, only he could perform this and express its intensity and emotion through the lyrics and the music. 10^10.
kazoo wrote:
Everybody in my hotel room loves this blistering song... Bobby D. holds nothing back... we be dancing like bowlegged gypsy muleskinners... love this whole album... love sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll...
Don't hold back now Bob!
Everybody in my hotel room loves this blistering song... Bobby D. holds nothing back... we be dancing like bowlegged gypsy muleskinners... love this whole album... love sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll...
This was a major change for Dylan, he's just different than anybody else. He's cantankerous and shape shifting his whole life. I love Tangled up in Blue best, this one not so much but it wouldn't be a whole album without it.
oh, gaw... make it stop! sorry, I'm just not there yet. I'm sure his music meant a lot back in the day. but o man is he rough on my ears.
He can't help it if he's luckeeeeee
Oh, man. This is a 10. He is just as pissed off as when he sang about "what a drag it is to see you" or "you just kinda wasted my precious time."
(not even taking off points for when he sings "mou..TEETH...")
Oh, man. This is a 10. He is just as pissed off as when he sang about "what a drag it is to see you" or "you just kinda wasted my precious time."
(not even taking off points for when he sings "mou..TEETH...")
The lyrics on this album and the impassioned way he sings them — best employing the sound, alliteration, and power of the words — are a celebration of the fine poetic properties of the English language. As with Shakespeare, Melville, and Faulkner, it is the power of the words themselves, carefully chosen not for convenient rhyme but for their imagery and given rhythm providing impact, that sings.
Wondering how long Bob would have lasted with Engelbert Humperdinck's voice.
favorite dylan album
Pure raw passion genius.
aspicer wrote:
This made me chuckle in agreement.
.....if there was ever doubt about his inability to sing.....
This made me chuckle in agreement.
I can't stand this song!
Ha!
Ha!
iso2000 wrote:
The power is at your fingertips.
Personally, I think this is one of Dylan's most notable and memorable songs. Out of more than a few.
What a noise, make it stop. NOW!
The power is at your fingertips.
Personally, I think this is one of Dylan's most notable and memorable songs. Out of more than a few.
If songs could be measured by a kind of Signal-to-Noise ratio, where signal is songwriting and noise is the delivery, this one would be approaching zero.
daniel_rusk wrote:
Those that don't get Dylan are often unable to spell even the simplest of words.
Aweful! Just plain aweful! Please stop.
Those that don't get Dylan are often unable to spell even the simplest of words.
Aweful! Just plain aweful! Please stop.
What a noise, make it stop. NOW!
Sounds awful. What I dislike most about Dylan is the fact he can dish it out, but, he can't take it.
The 'Idiot Wind' are his fans.
The 'Idiot Wind' are his fans.
aspicer wrote:
But no doubt about his ability to write a helluva brilliant song.
.....if there was ever doubt about his inability to sing.....
But no doubt about his ability to write a helluva brilliant song.
Yes, and there is going to be a lot of blowing in the looming months. Make America Grate Again.
hayduke2 wrote: BLOWIN EVERY TIME U MOVE YOUR TEETH
Windy Idiot
.....if there was ever doubt about his inability to sing.....
kingart wrote:
Totally just thinking the same thing. God his voice is horrendous in this song.
One of his best pieces of songwriting. One of his worst pieces of singing that song.
Totally just thinking the same thing. God his voice is horrendous in this song.
One of his best pieces of songwriting. One of his worst pieces of singing that song.
Once again, I am thankful for the lyrics feature on RP. I never actually listened to the words, just assumed he was calling an ex an idiot. But by the end, it's "we're idiots, babe." More going on than I originally thought.
hayduke2 wrote: BLOWIN EVERY TIME U MOVE YOUR TEETH
Windy Idiot
garyalex wrote:
This does not sound like anger to me. It's something else. Maybe a brilliant channeling of frustration at life into something that transcends such things as emotion.
Bob sounds a bit angry.
This does not sound like anger to me. It's something else. Maybe a brilliant channeling of frustration at life into something that transcends such things as emotion.
It's only as I have aged that I have come to realize what a brilliant song writer he was. These lyrics are much more powerful than screaming childish lyrics in a typical rock song.
Make it stop!
Brilliant, scorching, visceral
Bob sounds a bit angry.
kazoo wrote:
He was one of the few that seldom did. That's one reason why he's so revered.
Don't hold back now Bob!
He was one of the few that seldom did. That's one reason why he's so revered.
Windy Idiot
Don't hold back now Bob!
ScottN wrote:
Perhaps, but I still love it. Would still be the best song from a lot of other artists.
Weakest song on an a masterpiece, imo. Still, gets an 8.
Perhaps, but I still love it. Would still be the best song from a lot of other artists.
Good grief. Sorry, PSD here.
ps popped me over to Sonny Landreth - Congo Square. What a wonderful place to spend my time. Thanks RP.
ps popped me over to Sonny Landreth - Congo Square. What a wonderful place to spend my time. Thanks RP.
great song ! great album !
PSD got me here. I forgot how vivid and impressive this song is.
Essbee wrote:
Dylan. Overrated. Overrated. Overrated. ...
Clueless. What can I say. Dylan is at a level where being "rated" is not relevant. Whatever the shape his voice takes on, it's always perfect. Even his failures are perfect failures.
You'll never know the hurt I've suffered
Or the pain I've rised above
And I'll never know the same about you
Your holiness or your kind of love
And it makes me feel so sorry...
engelwurm wrote:Incomparable lyrics.
Oh, I don't know -- I'm kinda partial to:
They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy;
She inherited a million bucks, and when she died it came to me.
I can't help it if I'm lucky.
Dylan when he started the quick slide downhill.
Why, oh why, does he have to winge on about what should be a private issue between him and another person. Idiot wind? More Idiot Dylan.
Weakest song on an a masterpiece, imo. Still, gets an 8.
Can't believe how many people miss the point of this song because they are too wrapped up in Dylan's voice. Although, I think that's the point. This is Dylan in a fit of rage.
Yes, and if he were in a fit of dyspepsia, he could record a different kind of "wind". But that doesn't mean the sound would be any more fit for listening. Dylan is wonderful at his best, but his blatting here is grating, heartfelt though it may be.
This isn't my favourite cut on the album but it's still pretty good (hence my 6 rating).
I prefer 'Shelter From the Storm' - simply amazing lyrics in that song.
You'll never know the hurt I've suffered
Or the pain I've rised above
And I'll never know the same about you
Your holiness or your kind of love
And it makes me feel so sorry...
Incomparable lyrics.
stalfnzo wrote:
Can anyone tell me what language Dylan sings in? I can't understand a word he says.
Interesting...I find this one easy to understand...its his later stuff where he mumbles...
The words to this are the best part...
ArbiterOfGoodTaste wrote:
You're an idiot babe. It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
That's a great line. He is so p*ssed off in this song, it's an emotional one for him, obviously. I wonder if this album was a post divorce thing?
I like it for the raw emotion and great writing. He's never been a great singer, but I can look past that to the HEART of the song...sung with emotion...just not so much on key or perfectly.
I give it an 8....
This should not be called singing.
ArbiterOfGoodTaste wrote:
You're an idiot babe. It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
Breathe? Yikes! I thought he was saying "pray."
Somebody else always sings Dylan better than Dylan (seems to me).
Can anyone tell me what language Dylan sings in? I can't understand a word he says.
Drunk!
Could never get into Dylan. This won't win me over either.
I can totally understand why someone would hate this. But it works for me.
I read all of the comments on this song. It seems to me that some people like Bob Dylan and others don't. Maybe we ought to put that in a FAQ somewhere....
Dylan. Overrated. Overrated. Overrated. And yes, he can't sing (except when he stopped smoking long enough to record "Lay Lady Lay"). But that's not the only reason why he's overrated (the harmonica is another one). His voice in this partcular cut is angelic compared to his voice today. Man, please, somebody put him out of my misery. wwweeeeeEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLL!
There is a better (I think) version of this song on the Bootleg Series, Vol. 1-3. I'll upload it.
P.
Where will you hear such passionate singing! An all time great :sunny.gif:
Never liked Dylan. I always found him boring. How can I hear the message when I can't tolerate the sound of the "music".
Mugro wrote:
...
Can't believe how many people miss the point of this song because they are too wrapped up in Dylan's voice. Although, I think that's the point. This is Dylan in a fit of rage.
Bob Dylan wrote:Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your mouth,
Blowing down the backroads headin' south.
Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your teeth,
You're an idiot, babe.
It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
This song, his voice in particular, is really painful. Ugh.
You're an idiot babe. It's a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
Someone should upload the "Jack of Hearts"...
I like this album a lot and this song in particular. I love his recordings but can't for the life of me figure out why he performs his songs live the way he does. I saw him recently and just wish he would try in concert to sing a song with the kind of care and conviction he puts into his songs when he records them. Is that asking too much? I have read his book and his philosophy on performing, but please Zimmy change your performance style and I will come see you again!!
By the way, having Waylon Jennings as the opening act was incredible! Now there is a performer!!
FlatCat wrote:
Sounds like someone doing a bad parody of Bob Dylan. Words can't express how wondeful much of his music is, but this is painful.
This is Dylan from the glory days. If you've heard him sing better it must have been a glorious rock and roll dream.
One of the many great things about Dylan is that he can take the same song and give it a very different meaning by the way he sings it. This is a bitter and angry song, but on the version from the Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3 he is sad and resigned to the failed relationship. All in all, Blood on the Tracks is one of the best failed relationship albums ever.
rascal420 wrote:
I've begun to think that Dylan is like rap - it's not really music but a story set to music - and he can't sing. So it's kind of like music but not really. It falls outside traditional music catgories.
Dylan once claimed to sing as "good as Caruso...I hit all the notes". Love him or hate him--you can't ignore him.
Sounds like someone doing a bad parody of Bob Dylan. Words can't express how wondeful much of his music is, but this is painful.
I've begun to think that Dylan is like rap - it's not really music but a story set to music - and he can't sing. So it's kind of like music but not really. It falls outside traditional music catgories.
RoyStudios wrote:
His history/gravitas aside, if this guy, for the sake of argument lets call him Rob Pillon, walked into your A&R office, and sung & played this song to you, would you sign him up and say 'Wow' ya got something there?
I don't know that I'd recognize it raw, but I'd like to think that there are still A&R personnel who know art when it walks into their offices and drones at 'em
;-)
radiojunkie wrote:
I can't believe what I'm reading here. Rock fans who don't "get" Dylan? Rock fans who can't imagine singing careers built on "not being able to sing"? Rock fans who are not into "poetry"?
This is truly tragic. The fruits of commercial radio's complete and deliberate ignorance of music history. For years, I've secretly wondered one thing: How can today's musicians possibly be familiar with ALL the influences that came before them, when the number of recordings they could reference has grown exponentially since the 50s? And the answer is: they really can't. Yet the really good artists generally manage to understand, appreciate, incorporate and adapt a fair amount of what came before, and -- on magical occasions -- turn it into something truly original. We can't really expect listeners to share that same depth of knowledge...especially if they didn't have a chance to experience it the first time.
If you're listening to RP, you're already light years ahead of the average radio listener. And while there will always be vast differences of opinion on what sounds good to each individual's taste, Bill and the core of listeners here seem to have a pretty good handle on what's worth hearing. So odds are, 8 out of 10 songs are worth your attention. Just try to remember that it's NOT only about what "sounds" pleasant. Or even what sounds "good." It's often about meaning and context.
On the other hand, sometimes, it's just good to dance to.
Ok, so does that make you the President of the Yoko Ono fan club? You sound like my mother: "Eat your lima beans. They're good for you. It is not about what tastes good, it is what is good for you. JUST EAT IT!"
I am glad that I am an adult and don't have to eat lima beans. If that takes years off my life, then so be it. And, with all due respect (and nothing personal), but I don't have to agree with your lima bean endorsement of a guy that CANNOT SING!!!
So, I can say this with reckless abandon: BOB DYLAN SUCKS! :P
love him - hate him....who gives a fuck. He's a genius. Doesn't make everything he does perfect and you don't have to like it. I'm tired of yelling at people who don't like what I like.....if you don't....you're and ieeeediot babe....but I'll keep it to myself.
gntlemanartist wrote:
It constantly amazes me how some musicians can make an entire career out of not being able to sing!
Depends what you mean by not being able to sing ... so Mariah Carey is your bencmark ?
First three songs on this album are perfection ...
I've always loved this song.
radiojunkie wrote:
I can't believe what I'm reading here. Rock fans who don't "get" Dylan? Rock fans who can't imagine singing careers built on "not being able to sing"? Rock fans who are not into "poetry"?
This is truly tragic.
If you're listening to RP, you're already light years ahead of the average radio listener. And while there will always be vast differences of opinion on what sounds good to each individual's taste, Bill and the core of listeners here seem to have a pretty good handle on what's worth hearing. So odds are, 8 out of 10 songs are worth your attention. Just try to remember that it's NOT only about what "sounds" pleasant. Or even what sounds "good." It's often about meaning and context.
On the other hand, sometimes, it's just good to dance to.
Radiojunkie you say it so well......Dylan is eons ahead of the rest of us in thinking as you well know.
But dance to this? :-k
radiojunkie wrote:
Just try to remember that it's NOT only about what "sounds" pleasant. Or even what sounds "good." It's often about meaning and context.
:nodhead:
No one makes you think like Dylan. Isn't that what it's all about?
catsoup wrote:
Dylan is a brilliant songwriter who should be revered for many generations. But whoever let him into a recording studio should be shot. Repeatedly.
I agree with you up to a point. A lot of his own covers are great. This song, however, should be eradicated.
i never understood the lyrics then and i dint understand them now but wotthehell he still thrills
His history/gravitas aside, if this guy, for the sake of argument lets call him Rob Pillon, walked into your A&R office, and sung & played this song to you, would you sign him up and say 'Wow' ya got something there?
If so, then great..It would be a leap of faith for me, I have to say, sadly.
I can't believe what I'm reading here. Rock fans who don't "get" Dylan? Rock fans who can't imagine singing careers built on "not being able to sing"? Rock fans who are not into "poetry"?
This is truly tragic. The fruits of commercial radio's complete and deliberate ignorance of music history. For years, I've secretly wondered one thing: How can today's musicians possibly be familiar with ALL the influences that came before them, when the number of recordings they could reference has grown exponentially since the 50s? And the answer is: they really can't. Yet the really good artists generally manage to understand, appreciate, incorporate and adapt a fair amount of what came before, and -- on magical occasions -- turn it into something truly original. We can't really expect listeners to share that same depth of knowledge...especially if they didn't have a chance to experience it the first time.
If you're listening to RP, you're already light years ahead of the average radio listener. And while there will always be vast differences of opinion on what sounds good to each individual's taste, Bill and the core of listeners here seem to have a pretty good handle on what's worth hearing. So odds are, 8 out of 10 songs are worth your attention. Just try to remember that it's NOT only about what "sounds" pleasant. Or even what sounds "good." It's often about meaning and context.
On the other hand, sometimes, it's just good to dance to.
If for no other reason, you gotta admire a guy who parodies himself...
I know, I know it is heresy to admit to a) not getting dylan, and b) not liking/enjoying his own versions of his songs. I do try and get it.
But, as it is, I really don't like or enjoy Dylan very much, even knowing that many of my favorite musicians reference him as influential (Beatles, David Gilmour, etc.). Hmmm.
Many of his compositions are iconic and in the hands of talented others can approach stratospheric heights, but ...... dunno
:verymad: He's got it down - spit, fire Rage & Anger.
I'll bet this is cathartic for him - but, if he's over it, not playin' it much? :fight.gif: What's the real story behind the song?
I like to think of myself as a lover of all great music, but I don't enjoy Dylan, and I finally understand why. It's not great music, not by any sense. It's great POETRY. There are poets I appreciate, but mostly it's a ton of work to digest what they have to say. My tastes run more toward prose, both fiction and non-fiction. It's strange to think that prose has so little to do with the kinds of music I like -- the lyrics to my favorite songs are always a bit of a let down compared to the beauty of the music, and I have no place for letdowns when it comes to prose writing.
The best pop music must be a combination of brilliant musicianship and poetic lyrics. Dylan employs the one and not the other. Poetry fans of all shades will rightfully adore Dylan. I'm not one of them. Sorry, Bob... please forgive me.
I thought he was singing "Aeolian Wind".
Bitter, party of one
gntlemanartist wrote:
It constantly amazes me how some musicians can make an entire career out of not being able to sing!
One of the changes brought by the ascent of rock 'n' roll, starting in the 1960s, was that the singer became more than just the singer. More and more, he or she had to be the total artist -- the creater of artistic vision. Some see that as a downturn in the quality of singing; I see it as a positive. It's more than the voice that matters.
I would not want to get on Dylan's bad side if I knew him. His pen is definitely mightier than his sword.
gntlemanartist wrote:
It constantly amazes me how some musicians can make an entire career out of not being able to sing!
I hardly think that that's how Dylan made his career but bless you for thinking that :-)
It constantly amazes me how some musicians can make an entire career out of not being able to sing!
this is really one of the most heart wrenching songs ever written- the slow version even more so-
"Idiot Wind" how....appropriate. This seems to me to be a case of rock n' roll heresy on my part, but jeez....enough!!!! The emperor's new clothes....
Angloray wrote:
I love this album so much, but I HATE this song. I always skip it. Ick. His singing style is perfectly fine for me, but on this song, he crosses the line. :headshake:
I almost agree with this. I don't quite skip it, but it is the rare Dylan song on which his vocal stylings--appropriate to the lyrics or not--are just almost too much.
That Hammond sound resembles " another Saturday night , and I ain't got nobody..." Clear lyrics , however. A 9.
I was going to add a comment but reading this note, I was so impressed by it and the way that everything was so clearly expressed that I just need to adhere to it.namesbenny wrote:
As someone who plays guitar (amateur), I admit that I can sing this song more melodically than Dylan, but in a sense, only he can convey the message. I'm not sure I buy into your assessment of lyrics vs. music. At times, each of us can groove on a message, a bass line, a drum bit, etc. Dylan is a true master-- as much a poet as a musician. True, you can't compare some of his stodgy arrangements and harsh voice to Karl Denson or Galactic (insert your band here) or even Mozart, insofar as beauty is concerned. Yet it is so powerful that it earns it's place in the pantheon. Tom Waits is similar, in that many can't get beyond his cacophonous voice. But his songs are true works of art, best understood in his voice alone.
I love music of many but not all kinds. Though I might consider myself to be "music driven" at times, there are other times when I'm listening to a band really groove, and I wish they had something more to say.
Pyro wrote:
I am NOT a Dylan fan, but this album is so full of anger and emotion, that I loved it the moment I heard it. His angst-filled, angry lyrics practically jump off of the CD!
I heard someone once describe this as the most hateful song ever written. just chockful of contempt.
I love it! a solid 10!
I love this album so much, but I HATE this song. I always skip it. Ick. His singing style is perfectly fine for me, but on this song, he crosses the line. :headshake:
guess you had to be there.