Dylan, Bob. (b. 1941). Signed ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ Promotional 45 RPM. Johnny's in the basement
"Among the most provocative tracks on [Bringing it All Back Home] was "Subterranean Homesick Blues." The lyric is proto-rap: A stream of obscure references, inside jokes, stinging social commentary, and cinéma vérité-type images -- all delivered much too fast to understand in a single hearing.
The density of the lyric and the speed of Dylan's delivery challenged listeners to become engaged; one could not listen to him casually and expect to get much out of the experience. For this track, Dylan added a full rhythm section behind his acoustic guitar and harmonica. The band sets up a honky-tonk feel with a clear two-beat rhythm. At the same time, it's a free-for-all for the guitarists; their interaction evokes electric blues. The ornery mood it sets up right at the start is an ideal backdrop for Dylan's words and voice.
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
Vintage Columbia Records promotional 45 rpm record of Dylan’s single ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues / She Belongs to Me,’ signed on the label in blue ballpoint. In fine condition. Accompanied by the original Columbia Records sleeve. Released on March 8, 1965, the single ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ became Dylan’s first top 40 hit in the US, and was subsequently set as the lead track to his Bringing It All Back Home album. Noted for its numerous lyrical allusions to the various cultural movements of the 1960s, the song was one of Dylan’s first electric pieces, and has gone on to influence a myriad artists that include John Lennon, The Weathermen, and Radiohead. An essential signed album from one of music’s foremost storytellers, recently the recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Vintage Columbia Records promotional 45 rpm record of Dylan’s single ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues / She Belongs to Me,’ signed on the label in blue ballpoint. In fine condition. Accompanied by the original Columbia Records sleeve. Released on March 8, 1965, the single ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ became Dylan’s first top 40 hit in the US, and was subsequently set as the lead track to his Bringing It All Back Home album. Noted for its numerous lyrical allusions to the various cultural movements of the 1960s, the song was one of Dylan’s first electric pieces, and has gone on to influence a myriad artists that include John Lennon, The Weathermen, and Radiohead. An essential signed album from one of music’s foremost storytellers, recently the recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.
"Among the most provocative tracks on [Bringing it All Back Home] was "Subterranean Homesick Blues." The lyric is proto-rap: A stream of obscure references, inside jokes, stinging social commentary, and cinéma vérité-type images -- all delivered much too fast to understand in a single hearing.
The density of the lyric and the speed of Dylan's delivery challenged listeners to become engaged; one could not listen to him casually and expect to get much out of the experience. For this track, Dylan added a full rhythm section behind his acoustic guitar and harmonica. The band sets up a honky-tonk feel with a clear two-beat rhythm. At the same time, it's a free-for-all for the guitarists; their interaction evokes electric blues. The ornery mood it sets up right at the start is an ideal backdrop for Dylan's words and voice.
What's so remarkable and significant about this song and others like it is that it simultaneously elevates popular music to a higher level of seriousness and brings it down to earth by wiping away traditional forms of pretentiousness. Dylan's lyric is far more complex than anything that had been done before. Similarly, his singing is not pretty by any conventional standard -- it was ordinary enough to convince Jimi Hendrix that he could start singing -- but it's certainly appropriate for the song. And Dylan embeds his words and singing in a down-home setting.
Dylan's unprecedented combination of words and music reverses the traditional pop approach to artistry. Before, those who wanted to create artistic popular music emulated classical models: George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue or musical theater productions like West Side Story. Dylan's music sends a quite different message: One can be sophisticated without being 'sophisticated'; that is, without taking on the conventional trappings of sophistication, such as symphonic strings." (Michael Campbell, Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On (2012), p. 207.)
Dylan, Bob. (b. 1941). Signed ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ Promotional 45 RPM. Johnny's in the basement
"Among the most provocative tracks on [Bringing it All Back Home] was "Subterranean Homesick Blues." The lyric is proto-rap: A stream of obscure references, inside jokes, stinging social commentary, and cinéma vérité-type images -- all delivered much too fast to understand in a single hearing.
The density of the lyric and the speed of Dylan's delivery challenged listeners to become engaged; one could not listen to him casually and expect to get much out of the experience. For this track, Dylan added a full rhythm section behind his acoustic guitar and harmonica. The band sets up a honky-tonk feel with a clear two-beat rhythm. At the same time, it's a free-for-all for the guitarists; their interaction evokes electric blues. The ornery mood it sets up right at the start is an ideal backdrop for Dylan's words and voice.
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
Vintage Columbia Records promotional 45 rpm record of Dylan’s single ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues / She Belongs to Me,’ signed on the label in blue ballpoint. In fine condition. Accompanied by the original Columbia Records sleeve. Released on March 8, 1965, the single ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ became Dylan’s first top 40 hit in the US, and was subsequently set as the lead track to his Bringing It All Back Home album. Noted for its numerous lyrical allusions to the various cultural movements of the 1960s, the song was one of Dylan’s first electric pieces, and has gone on to influence a myriad artists that include John Lennon, The Weathermen, and Radiohead. An essential signed album from one of music’s foremost storytellers, recently the recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Vintage Columbia Records promotional 45 rpm record of Dylan’s single ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues / She Belongs to Me,’ signed on the label in blue ballpoint. In fine condition. Accompanied by the original Columbia Records sleeve. Released on March 8, 1965, the single ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ became Dylan’s first top 40 hit in the US, and was subsequently set as the lead track to his Bringing It All Back Home album. Noted for its numerous lyrical allusions to the various cultural movements of the 1960s, the song was one of Dylan’s first electric pieces, and has gone on to influence a myriad artists that include John Lennon, The Weathermen, and Radiohead. An essential signed album from one of music’s foremost storytellers, recently the recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.
"Among the most provocative tracks on [Bringing it All Back Home] was "Subterranean Homesick Blues." The lyric is proto-rap: A stream of obscure references, inside jokes, stinging social commentary, and cinéma vérité-type images -- all delivered much too fast to understand in a single hearing.
The density of the lyric and the speed of Dylan's delivery challenged listeners to become engaged; one could not listen to him casually and expect to get much out of the experience. For this track, Dylan added a full rhythm section behind his acoustic guitar and harmonica. The band sets up a honky-tonk feel with a clear two-beat rhythm. At the same time, it's a free-for-all for the guitarists; their interaction evokes electric blues. The ornery mood it sets up right at the start is an ideal backdrop for Dylan's words and voice.
What's so remarkable and significant about this song and others like it is that it simultaneously elevates popular music to a higher level of seriousness and brings it down to earth by wiping away traditional forms of pretentiousness. Dylan's lyric is far more complex than anything that had been done before. Similarly, his singing is not pretty by any conventional standard -- it was ordinary enough to convince Jimi Hendrix that he could start singing -- but it's certainly appropriate for the song. And Dylan embeds his words and singing in a down-home setting.
Dylan's unprecedented combination of words and music reverses the traditional pop approach to artistry. Before, those who wanted to create artistic popular music emulated classical models: George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue or musical theater productions like West Side Story. Dylan's music sends a quite different message: One can be sophisticated without being 'sophisticated'; that is, without taking on the conventional trappings of sophistication, such as symphonic strings." (Michael Campbell, Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On (2012), p. 207.)