My Back Pages
"My Back Pages" | |
---|---|
Tom Wilson | |
Audio sample | |
"My Back Pages" is a song written by Bob Dylan and included on his 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan. It is stylistically similar to his earlier folk protest songs and features Dylan's voice with an acoustic guitar accompaniment. However, its lyrics—in particular the refrain "Ah, but I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now"—have been interpreted as a rejection of Dylan's earlier personal and political idealism, illustrating his growing disillusionment with the 1960s folk protest movement with which he was associated, and his desire to move in a new direction. Although Dylan wrote the song in 1964, he did not perform it live until 1988.
"My Back Pages" has been covered by artists as diverse as Keith Jarrett, the Byrds, the Ramones, the Nice, Steve Earle, Eric Johnson, and the Hollies. The Byrds' version, initially released on their 1967 album Younger Than Yesterday, was also issued as a single in 1967 and proved to be the band's last Top 40 hit in the U.S.
Writing, recording and performance
Bob Dylan wrote "My Back Pages" in 1964 as one of the last songs—perhaps the last song—composed for his Another Side of Bob Dylan album.
In the song's lyrics, Dylan criticizes himself for having been certain that he knew everything and apologizes for his previous political preaching, noting that he has become his own enemy "in the instant that I preach."[2][5][6] Dylan questions whether one can really distinguish between right and wrong, and even questions the desirability of the principle of equality.[7] The lyrics also signal Dylan's disillusionment with the 1960s protest movement and his intention to abandon protest songwriting.[5][6][8] The song effectively analogizes the protest movement to the establishment it is trying to overturn,[4] concluding with the refrain:
Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now
Music critic Robert Shelton has interpreted this refrain as "an internal dialogue between what he [Dylan] once accepted and now doubts."[2] Shelton also notes that the refrain maps a path from Blakean experience to the innocence of William Wordsworth.[2] The refrain has also been interpreted as Dylan celebrating his "bright, new post-protest future."[6]
Dylan's disenchantment with the protest movement had previously surfaced in a speech he had given in December 1963 when accepting an award from the
In an interview with the Sheffield University Paper in May 1965, Dylan explained the change that had occurred in his songwriting over the previous twelve months, noting "The big difference is that the songs I was writing last year ... they were what I call one-dimensional songs, but my new songs I'm trying to make more three-dimensional, you know, there's more symbolism, they're written on more than one level."[11] In late 1965, Dylan commented on the writing of "My Back Pages" specifically during an interview with Margaret Steen for The Toronto Star: "I was in my New York phase then, or at least, I was just coming out of it. I was still keeping the things that are really really real out of my songs, for fear they'd be misunderstood. Now I don't care if they are."[1] As Dylan stated to Nat Hentoff at the time that "My Back Pages" and the other songs on Another Side of Bob Dylan were written, "There aren't any finger pointing songs [here] ... Now a lot of people are doing finger pointing songs. You know, pointing to all the things that are wrong. Me, I don't want to write for people anymore. You know, be a spokesman."[1]
Dylan did not play "My Back Pages" in concert until June 11, 1988, during a performance at the
Cover versions
The Byrds' version
"My Back Pages" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by the Byrds | ||||
from the album Younger Than Yesterday | ||||
B-side | "Renaissance Fair" | |||
Released | March 13, 1967 | |||
Recorded | December 5–8, 1966 | |||
Studio | Columbia, Hollywood, California | |||
Genre | Folk rock | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan | |||
Producer(s) | Gary Usher | |||
The Byrds US singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Byrds UK singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio sample | ||||
The American rock band the Byrds released a recording of "My Back Pages" on February 6, 1967, as part of their fourth album, Younger Than Yesterday.[14] The title of Younger Than Yesterday was directly inspired by the song's refrain of "Ah, but I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now."[15] "My Back Pages" was subsequently issued as a single by the Byrds on March 13, 1967, with the version included on the single being a radio edit that omitted the song's second verse, to reduce the playing time from 3:08 to 2:31.[14][16] The single reached number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 18 in Canada, but failed to chart in the United Kingdom.[17][18][19] "My Back Pages" was the last single by the Byrds to reach the Top 40 of the U.S. charts.[17]
The song was initially suggested as a suitable vehicle for the band by their manager Jim Dickson.[20] Lead guitarist Jim McGuinn felt that it would make an effective cover version, but David Crosby, the band's rhythm guitarist, felt that covering another Dylan song was formulaic.[21] The Byrds had already released a total of six Dylan covers on their first two albums, Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn! Turn! Turn!, enjoying particular success with their recordings of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "All I Really Want to Do".[17][22][23] Despite Crosby's objections, the band recorded "My Back Pages" between December 5 and 8, 1966, during the recording sessions for their fourth album.[24] Upon its release, this cover was received well by the critics and is today regarded as one of the Byrds' strongest Dylan interpretations.[25][26] Following its release on Younger Than Yesterday, the song would go on to become a staple of the Byrds' live concert repertoire, until their final disbandment in 1973.[27] On December 4, 1968, a later line-up of the Byrds re-recorded an excerpt of "My Back Pages" as part of a medley that was included on their 1969 album, Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde.[24][28] The song was performed live extensively during the band's later country rock period, often segueing into Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me to Do". Live versions from this time can be found on Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 and as a bonus track on the reissue of (Untitled). The song was also performed live by a reformed line-up of the Byrds featuring Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, and Chris Hillman in January 1989.[27]
In addition to its appearance on the Younger Than Yesterday album, the Byrds' original version of "My Back Pages" appears on several of the band's compilations, including The Byrds' Greatest Hits, History of The Byrds, The Byrds Play Dylan, The Original Singles: 1967–1969, Volume 2, The Byrds, The Very Best of The Byrds, The Essential Byrds, and There Is a Season.[29] In 1996, a previously unreleased alternate version of "My Back Pages" (which had been considered for release as a single in 1967) was included as a bonus track on the Columbia/Legacy reissue of Younger Than Yesterday.[30]
Other covers
The song has been covered by numerous artists, including the
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-55652-843-9.
- ^ ISBN 0-306-80782-3.
- ISBN 0-312-15067-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4165-5915-3.
- ^ ISBN 0-8230-7974-0.
- ^ ISBN 1-84353-718-4.
- ISBN 0-8126-9592-5.
- ISBN 0-8264-5150-0.
- ^ "Bob Dylan and the NECLC". Corliss Lamont Website. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
- ISBN 1-56584-825-X.
- ^ De Yong, Jenny; Roche, Peter (May 1965). "Bob Dylan". Sheffield University Paper. Sheffield. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
- Allmusic. Archivedfrom the original on February 18, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
- ^ Allmusic. Archived from the originalon September 7, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
- ^ ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ISBN 978-1-906002-15-2.
- ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-89820-172-7.
- ^ "Canadian charts listing" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ISBN 0-7119-7670-8.
- ISBN 978-1-906002-15-2.
- ^ "Younger Than Yesterday". ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
- ^ "Mr. Tambourine Man album review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
- ^ "Turn! Turn! Turn! album review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
- ^ ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ^ "Younger Than Yesterday album review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
- ^ ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ^ "Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde". ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
- ^ "My Back Pages album appearances". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
- ^ Rogan, Johnny (1996). Younger Than Yesterday (booklet). The Byrds. Legacy Recordings.
- Allmusic. Archivedfrom the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
- Internet Movie Database. Archivedfrom the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
- ^ "Stream The Chesterfield Kings Electified". February 24, 2024.
External links
- My Back Pages lyrics from Dylan's website