Desolation Row: Bob Dylan’s Epic Poem Revisited
5/5
()
About this ebook
Desolation Row (released in August 1965 on the album Highway 61 Revisited) is not your average pop song. More like an epic poem set to music. Its epic-ness comes not from its relatively short length as epic poems go, but from the depth and breadth of its themes. It is very rare to find a song with such density of meaning. Most songs on the radio do not stray much past the theme of romantic love. As Douglas Adams observed in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy most (pop) songs are on the whole very simple and mostly follow the familiar theme of boy-being meets girl-being under a silvery moon.
Dylan is not only a deep thinker, but also a broad thinker who is able to articulate and condense his ideas into elegant verse. He has been described as one of the most significant poets of the Twentieth Century. Sir Andrew Motion, the British Poet Laureate in 1999 cited another of Dylan’s songs, Visions of Johanna, as a contender for the greatest song lyric ever written.
Dylan is remarkably well-read, having delved into the classic texts of many different cultures. In Desolation Row he takes these themes and weaves a rich fabric that expresses the reality of 1960’s America. By tapping into these archetypes, the poem gets its power to reach people at a deep level.
When asked by a radio interviewer why he insisted on being so irritating, Dylan replied so where do you get the idea that I want people to like my music. It is more important to challenge people’s complacency and get them to think about their values.
David Tuffley
David Tuffley (PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & Socio-Technical Studies at Griffith University in Australia.David writes on a broad range of interests; from Comparative Religion, Anthropology, Psychology, Ancient and Modern History, Linguistics, Rhetoric, Philosophy, Architectural History, Environments and Ecosystems.
Read more from David Tuffley
Nautical Terms: A Dictionary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeing Happy: Part 4 Cultivating Virtue Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Going with the Flow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeing Grateful: Becoming Whole Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSurfing Lingo: A Dictionary of Surfing Terms Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeing Resilient Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Desolation Row
Titles in the series (9)
Tao Te Ching: Lao Tzu's Timeless Classic for Today Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Artful Traveller: The Flâneur's Guidebook Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Strategic Non-Action: Learning to Go with the Flow Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Communications for ICT: The Essential Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Enchiridion of Epictetus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Desolation Row: Bob Dylan’s Epic Poem Revisited Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Doing a PhD: The Hero’s Journey Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Guide to Effective Report Writing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: A Primer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related ebooks
The Old, Weird America: The World of Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Bob Dylan: What the Songs Mean Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTearing the World Apart: Bob Dylan and the Twenty-First Century Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRevolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan, 19571973 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Time out of Mind Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBob Dylan: The Essential Interviews Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLIFE Bob Dylan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bleecker Street Tapes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDylan: The Biography Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Why Bob Dylan Matters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn Another World: Van Morrison & Belfast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dylanologists: Adventures in the Land of Bob Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bob Dylan's New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn Some Faraway Beach: The Life and Times of Brian Eno Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bob Dylan: Private Man, Music Legend Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDown the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dreams and Dialogues in Dylan’s "Time Out of Mind" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrips: Rock Life in the Sixties—Augmented Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhy Bob Dylan Matters, Revised Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTogether Through Life: A Personal Journey with the Music of Bob Dylan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJimmy Page in Brazil Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings100 Songs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLyrics:1962-2012 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pledging My Time: Conversations with Bob Dylan Band Members Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chronicles: Volume One Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bob Dylan: Performance Artist 1986-1990 And Beyond (Mind Out Of Time) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMusic From Big Pink Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Political Art of Bob Dylan: Revised and Expanded Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Levon Helm Midnight Ramble Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Music For You
Music Theory For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Circle of Fifths: Visual Tools for Musicians, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Me: Elton John Official Autobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Easyway to Play Piano: A Beginner's Best Piano Primer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Weird Scenes Inside The Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & The Dark Heart Of The Hippie Dream Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Play Ukulele: A Complete Guide for Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Bowie: An Illustrated Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Strange Loop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn Guitar A Beginner's Course Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Songwriting Book: All You Need to Create and Market Hit Songs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn Jazz Piano: book 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Becoming a Great Sight-Reader–or Not! Learn From My Quest for Piano Sight-Reading Nirvana Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure: Tools and Techniques for Writing Better Lyrics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Singing For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Complete Piano Rags Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Singing Coach Secrets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hal Leonard Pocket Music Theory (Music Instruction): A Comprehensive and Convenient Source for All Musicians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Piano For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meaning of Mariah Carey Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Desolation Row
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Desolation Row - David Tuffley
Desolation Row:
Bob Dylan’s epic poem revisited
David Tuffley
Published by Altiora Publications at Smashwords
www.altiorapublications.com
© Copyright 2012 David Tuffley
Desolation Row lyrics Copyright © 1965 by Warner Bros. & 1993 Special Rider
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
About the Author
David Tuffley PhD is a Lecturer and researcher at Griffith University in Australia. David has a broad range of interests; Popular Culture, Anthropology, Psychology, Philosophy, Ancient and Modern History, Linguistics, Rhetoric, Comparative Religions, Architectural History, Environments and Ecosystems.
David Tuffley’s Profile & other eBooks: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tuffley
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tuffley/
Contents
Introduction
No Direction Home
Civil rights movement
Pop music as an agent of social evolution
The song
Where is Desolation