Tombstone Blues
"Tombstone Blues" | |
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"Tombstone Blues" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Twelve takes of "Tombstone Blues" were recorded on July 29, 1965. The last of these takes was released on Highway 61 Revisited the following month. The song received acclaim from music critics, with critics praising the lyrics, music, and delivery. The album version, and out-takes, have been included on several later compilations. Dylan's official website lists 169 concert performances, from 1965 to 2006. Live versions have appeared on the albums Real Live (1984), MTV Unplugged (1995), and Shadow Kingdom (2023).
Background and recording
Bob Dylan recorded "Like a Rolling Stone" in mid-June 1965, with Tom Wilson as producer.[1] Wilson had produced Dylan's albums The Times They Are a-Changin' (1964), Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964), and Bringing It All Back Home (1965); the last of these had been Dylan's first album with electric instruments.[2][3] Following clashes between Dylan and Wilson in 1965, Bob Johnston replaced Wilson as Dylan's producer.[4] After recording "Like a Rolling Stone", Dylan wrote a number of songs, including "Tombstone Blues", at his newly-purchased house in Byrdcliffe.[5]
Twelve takes were recorded on July 29, 1965, at
In the sleeve notes to Biograph, Dylan commented how he had felt that he had "broken through with this song, that nothing like it had been done before".[5] He added that he had been inspired by overheard bar-room conversations between police officers about the death of criminals.[13]
The critic Andy Gill describes the structure of the song as "paired four-line stanzas to the rhyme-scheme a/a/a/b, ddc/b".
"Tombstone Blues" has been described as
Lyrics and interpretation
The authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon assert that the title of the song refers to
Dylan's biographer Robert Shelton writes that the song references the Vietnam War throughout, especially the title and the third and fourth verses.[16] This interpretation is shared by other critics.[25] In an early version, the song refers to a "blacksmith with freckles"; as the song develops in later takes, this becomes "John the blacksmith" and eventually "John the Baptist".[26] The third verse includes:
The fourth verse includes:
Shelton sees President
David Boucher, an international relations scholar, describes the song as "not a narrative but instead a series of metaphors whose inspiration happens to be the Vietnam war".[29] Political science scholar Jeff Taylor and historian Chad Israelson suggest that although "Tombstone Blues" is not overtly political, its theme is the mockery of authority.[30] For the critic Mike Marqusee, the repetitive and routine lives of the narrator's parents[31] in the choruses contrast with the "cruel antics of the rich and powerful" laid out in the verses.[32]
The scholar of English Neil Corcoran reasons that as
Critical comments
Shelton finds the song funny, commenting on the outlandish juxtapositions, and praises both the lyrics and the musical performances, particularly the guitar playing.[16] John Nogowski also extols the humor, and gives the album version an A rating, suggesting that it could only have been written by Dylan.[35] In 2012, Jim Beviglia included the song at 36th place in his ranking of Dylan's "finest" songs,[36] commending the memorable phrases from the lyrics and the song's "glorious anarchy".[37] Another critic to highlight Bloomfield's contribution on guitar was Joe Levy of Rolling Stone.[38] Bill Janovitz of AllMusic, despite remarking that the musicians seem to be out of time with each other, gave a positive assessment, and argued that with songs like "Tombstone Blues", Dylan opened up new possibilities for other artists.[39]
Stephen King, who has spoken of his admiration for Dylan's work, quotes from "Tombstone Blues" at the end of his first published novel Carrie.[40]
Live performances
Dylan's official website lists a total of 169 live performances of "Tombstone Blues", the most recent being in October 2006; after 1965 he did not perform the song live again until 1984.
In 1994, Dylan recorded the song for his MTV Unplugged episode,[47] and it was included on his MTV Unplugged album and video release of the show in 1995.[12][48] The 2021 concert film Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan includes a slower (and abridged) version of the song, which also appears on the related album Shadow Kingdom (2023). Rolling Stone reviewer Michaelangelo Matos wrote that the "mordant, mortality-steeped feeling doesn't bring the music down a bit".[49]
Personnel
Musical credits adapted from the details for take 1 on The Bootleg Series, Vol. 12: Bob Dylan 1965–1966, The Best of the Cutting Edge, and from Olof Björner's website.[9][1] Technical credits adapted from the Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track book.[50]
Musicians
- Bob Dylan – vocals, guitar, harmonica
- Mike Bloomfield – guitar
- Paul Griffin – piano
- Al Kooper – organ
- Joe Macho, Jr. – bass
- drums
Technical personnel
- Bob Johnston – producer
- Frank Laico – sound engineering
- Pete Dauria – sound engineering
- Ted Brosnan – sound engineering
References
- ^ a b c d e f Björner, Olof. "Still On The Road: 1965 Concerts, Interviews & Recording Sessions". About Bob. Archived from the original on August 22, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ Polizzotti 2006, p. 46.
- ^ Williams 2004, pp. 283–284.
- ^ Polizzotti 2006, pp. 47, 78.
- ^ a b Polizzotti 2006, p. 75.
- ^ a b c Shelton, Robert (August 30, 1965). "Folk Singer Offers Works in 'New Mood' at Forest Hills". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ a b Gleason, Ralph J. (December 14, 1967). "Bob Dylan Gives Press Conference in San Francisco". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Heylin 2009, p. 246.
- ^ a b The Bootleg Series, Vol. 12: Bob Dylan 1965–1966, The Best of the Cutting Edge (booklet). Bob Dylan. Columbia / Legacy. 2015. p. 56. 88875124422.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c Margotin & Guesdon 2022, p. 190.
- ^ Williams 2004, p. 284.
- ^ a b c d e f "Tombstone Blues". Bob Dylan's official website. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ Crowe, Cameron (1985). Biograph (Side 3 sleeve notes). Bob Dylan. Columbia Records. C5X 38830.
- ^ a b c Gill 2011, p. 118.
- ^ Flanagan, Bill (2015). The Bootleg Series, Vol. 12: Bob Dylan 1965–1966, The Best of the Cutting Edge (booklet). Bob Dylan. Columbia / Legacy. pp. 12–13. 88875124422.
- ^ a b c d Shelton 1987, p. 279.
- ^ Polizzotti 2006, p. 69.
- ^ Gill 2011, p. 117.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Highway 61 Revisited Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ Gray 2000, pp. 95–97.
- ^ Gray 2000, p. 97.
- ^ Brown 2003, p. 207.
- ^ Corcoran 2003, p. 163.
- ^ Trager 2004, p. 629.
- ^ a b Gamble 2004, p. 24.
- ^ Flanagan, Bill (2015). The Bootleg Series, Vol. 12: Bob Dylan 1965–1966, The Best of the Cutting Edge (booklet). Bob Dylan. Columbia / Legacy. p. 25. 88875124422.
- ^ Gamble 2004, p. 23.
- ^ Boucher 2004, pp. 164–165.
- ^ Boucher 2004, p. 164.
- ^ Taylor & Israelson 2015, p. 111.
- ^ In the initial chorus, "Daddy is in the alley looking for food"; in later versions Daddy is "looking for the fuse". (This was presumably to get a word to rhyme with "shoes" and "bues").
- ^ Marqusee 2005, pp. 177–178.
- ^ Corcoran 2003, p. 164.
- ^ Jopling, Norman (September 23, 1965). "Dylan's New LP in Depth". Record Mirror. p. 8.
- ^ Nogowski 2022, p. 54.
- ^ Beviglia 2012, p. 120.
- ^ Beviglia 2012, p. 121.
- ^ Levy, Joe. "How Bob Dylan Made Rock History on 'Highway 61 Revisited'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Janovitz, Bill. "Tombstone Blues". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- Far Out. Archivedfrom the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ "Setlists that contain Tombstone Blues". Bob Dylan's official website. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ Heylin 2009, p. 235.
- ^ Heylin 2011, p. 207.
- ^ Heylin 2016, 1104.
- ^ Williamson 2021, pp. 247–248.
- ^ Loder, Kurt (February 14, 1985). "Real Live". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ Nogowski 2022, p. 189.
- ^ "MTV Unplugged [Video]". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ Matos, Michaelangelo (June 1, 2023). "Bob Dylan Makes His Classic Songs Seem Stunningly Brand-New on 'Shadow Kingdom'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ Margotin & Guesdon 2022, pp. 190–191.
Books
- Beviglia, Jim (2012). Counting Down Bob Dylan: His 100 Finest Songs. ISBN 978-0-8108-8824-1.
- Boucher, David (2004). "Images and Distorted Facts: Politics, Poetry and Protest in the Songs of Bob Dylan". In Boucher, David; Browning, Gary (eds.). The Political Art of Bob Dylan. ISBN 978-0-230-52254-1.
- Brown, Richard (2003). "Highway 61 and Other American States of Mind". In Corcoran, Neil (ed.). Do You, Mr Jones? Bob Dylan with the Poets and Professors. ISBN 9780712668248.
- Corcoran, Neil (2003). "Death's Honesty". In Corcoran, Neil (ed.). Do You, Mr Jones? Bob Dylan with the Poets and Professors. ISBN 9780712668248.
- Gamble, Andrew (2004). "The Drifter's Escape". In Boucher, David; Browning, Gary (eds.). The Political Art of Bob Dylan. ISBN 978-0-230-52254-1.
- Gill, Andy (2011). Bob Dylan: the Stories Behind the Songs 1962-1969. ISBN 978-1-84732-759-8.
- ISBN 978-0-8264-5150-7.
- ISBN 978-1-84901-051-1.
- ISBN 978-0-571-27240-2.
- Heylin, Clinton (2016). Judas!: From Forest Hills to the Free Trade Hall: A Historical View of Dylan's Big Boo (Kindle ed.). Route Publishing. ISBN 978-1-901927-68-9.
- Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2022). Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track (Expanded ed.). ISBN 978-0-7624-7573-5.
- ISBN 978-1-58322-686-5.
- Nogowski, John (2022). Bob Dylan: A Descriptive, Critical Discography and Filmography, 1961-2022 (3rd ed.). ISBN 978-1-4766-4362-5.
- Polizzotti, Mark (2006). Highway 61 Revisited. Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-1775-2.
- ISBN 978-0-450-04843-2.
- Taylor, Jeff; Israelson, Chad (2015). The Political World of Bob Dylan: Freedom and Justice, Power and Sin. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-48234-1.
- Trager, Oliver (2004). Keys to the Rain: the Definitive Bob Dylan Encyclopedia. ISBN 978-0-8230-7974-2.
- ISBN 978-1-84449-095-0.
- ISBN 978-1-912733-41-5.
External links
- Lyrics at Bob Dylan's official website
- Chambers Brothers version at YouTube