Bob Dylan references Queen

As most of you have probably heard, a little over a week ago, Bob Dylan unexpectedly released a new song, his first since 2012, called "Murder Most Foul". The main subject is the assassination of John F. Kennedy, but in the course of the nearly 17-minute track, Dylan references many of the great bands and musicians of the 20th century. He includes Queen in the fifth verse: "Play "Tragedy", play "Twilight Time" Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crime Play another one and "Another One Bites the Dust" Play "The Old Rugged Cross" and "In God We Trust" Ride the pink horse down that long, lonesome road Stand there and wait for his head to explode" If anyone is interested, have a listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NbQkyvbw18 Lyrics with annotations: https://genius.com/Bob-dylan-murder-most-foul-lyrics I certainly did not expect to ever hear Bob Dylan make reference to Queen.

thomasquinn 32989 - yep i heard this last week. it's an interesting song, in that - it's very demanding (lyrically) while being incredibly understated (musically).
i like that it serves a slice of history in the way it does. an intellectual "We Didn't Start The Fire", if you will.

"Play Don Henley, play Glenn Frey -
Take it to the limit and let it go by"

genius.

It's definitely interesting and intriguing and I personally find it more than a little haunting at times (the almost ambient music with at times very bitter lyrics). Lots of subtle (as well as not so subtle) references to songs and lyrics in there. I was reminded of the way American Pie (Don McLean) obliquely references songs, artists and events, but in a very Bob Dylan kind of way, so I see what you mean with an intellectual "We Didn't Start The Fire".

It's definitely a song Dylan-fans will be talking about for a long time to come.

well - in the way that We Didn't Start The Fire is a "30-year Soundbite/Buzzword Bingo Odyssey"

also (and i'm still racking the old grey matter on this one) - the melody is a direct lift of something else.
if you get it, don't say here...because i'd quite like to work it out

Gee, why am I not surprised that gerry doesn't like Dylan? "It makes my brain hurt" comes to mind.

Roger's a big Dylan-fan. I'm pretty sure Freddie wouldn't agree with your assessment either.

[QUOTE] [b]brENsKi wrote:[/b]

also (and i'm still racking the old grey matter on this one) - the melody is a direct lift of something else.
if you get it, don't say here...because i'd quite like to work it out[/QUOTE]

Ok, no spoilers then. I'm not 100% sure, especially given Dylan's semi-parlando delivery and the low tempo, but I think there are parts from more than one melody in there. I do think there's one oldie that's more up front than others, but a *lot* slower than I know it. If I'm right (and that's definitely an "if"), the choice ties in well with the substance of this song and Dylan's own history.

[QUOTE][color=SaddleBrown] [b]brENsK wrote:[/b] [i]Freddie would be more impressed that Madonna gave reference to him in one of her tracks than drab Dylan. Mind you Dylan was legendary on The Magic Roundabout ![/i][/color][/QUOTE]
you really have no idea. for someone who claims to love music - you have completely wasted your musical life in one narrow little lane. sure Queen, yep...but ffs Gerry, you cite Suzi-Q, Olivia Newton John and Abba. those artists (might be good) but hardly stretch the brain or ears musically. you're wasting your entire musical existence on vanilla. there's so much out there. you're missing out - and you don't even care.


[QUOTE] [b]thomasquinn 32989 wrote:[/b]Ok, no spoilers then. I'm not 100% sure, especially given Dylan's semi-parlando delivery and the low tempo, but I think there are parts from more than one melody in there. I do think there's one oldie that's more up front than others, but a *lot* slower than I know it. If I'm right (and that's definitely an "if"), the choice ties in well with the substance of this song and Dylan's own history.[/QUOTE]
i'm (sort of) delving through some unlikely sources.
like for example (and it's been used a lot elsewhere, i know) - the piano 1:46 (repeated throughout) - i half expect Roger Taylor to follow it up with "this ship it sings - to the skies"

also, and i have no idea why - it reminds me of Exile's "kiss you all over"

[QUOTE] [color=SaddleBrown][b]brENsK wrote:[/b] [i]Musical taste is one's own personal choice and for the record i like other things from The Beatles to Twisted Sister it really is a broad spectrum of musical direction [/i][/color][/QUOTE]

i doubt you'd know a "musical direction" if it came with Satnav Instructions for finding it.

any chance we can get back on track, TQ? any ideas on the sources of the melody?
btw - i love the double meaning in the line: "Play it for Houdini - spinning around in his grave" brilliant stuff. the obvious allusion being he's still trying to escape, while the less obvious being that he'd be turning in his grave with anger at the assassination.

TQ - what do you reckon to the Fun In Space chord?

Now this is very, very tenuous, but I was thinking in places the melody reminded me of "1913 Massacre", and old Woody Guthrie song Dylan also performed early on in his career. I'm going to link to Rambling Jack Elliott's version, a friend of Dylan's, which has a piano and is a little slower. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJWfHRcdSAk Most of it clearly sounds very different, but imagine Dylan treating that melody like he treats 'Great American Songbook' material on his covers albums of the 21st century. But maybe that's still too much of a stretch - it could be much more general than that, simply taking the talking blues-*style* he used so much earlier on rather than a particular song, and giving it the Bob Dylan-version of a crooner's rendition, like he's been doing on things like Shadows In The Night. I think the bit you're referring to is a move from tonic -> subdominant -> dominant -> subdominant -> tonic, and I'm not entirely sure, but I think the same happens in the Fun In Space-bit you're referring to. That bit back from the dominant to the subdominant is not uncommon in pop music, and I think Roger used it quite a few times. There's a whole lot in the lyrics in terms of imagery and references that I'm going to have to look at again and again. Sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush right now, but I promise I'll get back to you in this topic.

i'm thinking the Fun In Space thing also ties in with the very simple drum beat in both songs - almost like a heartbeat you'd hear from Ultrasound

[QUOTE] [b]brENsK wrote:[/b]

@brENsKi You are the one asking all the questions so do not blame me for this thread going off track you are the master of derailing threads.
Everyone has choices and you should not be critical of peoples choices or slag them off because its not all about you on here.[/QUOTE]

While I am not a big fan of Dylan myself, his importance in music and popular culture since the early 60s simply cannot be overstated. If you don't like him for some reason, that's fine. But anyone over the age of 8 should know that if you don't like something, you can resist that urge to say how much you dislike it in lieu of being respectful of those who have different tastes from you and not rain on their parade.

You accuse Brenski of making this about himself. Do you not realize the irony that you are exhibiting the exact behaviour that you are accusing him of? Your entrance to this thread was to slag off Dylan. What were you hoping to add to the discussion by (erroneously) declaring Dylan to be "over hyped" in a way only a true philistine could ?

Back to topic.

This is a brilliant piece of music. So few artists remain relevant decade after decade. Dylan has done it again.

It's a mourning for America - not just for JFK. The timing could not have been more perfect.

[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]

Back to topic.

This is a brilliant piece of music. So few artists remain relevant decade after decade. Dylan has done it again.

It's a mourning for America - not just for JFK. The timing could not have been more perfect.
[/QUOTE]

in the main it is a mourning of America, but i also think he's lamenting the world at large. lots of world references - Beatles, Queen, Tom Jones, Gerry & The Pacemakers, the Who etc.
i think he's warning about the end of humanity itself.
the arrhythmia in the "heartbeat" of the drums is sublime...and such an incredibly subtle way to get the message across.

[QUOTE] [b]brENsKi wrote:[/b]

i think he's warning about the end of humanity itself.
the arrhythmia in the "heartbeat" of the drums is sublime...and such an incredibly subtle way to get the message across.
[/QUOTE]

Great interpretation - I didn't see it that way.