Talkin' World War III Blues

"Talkin' World War III Blues" is a song written and performed by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan that was first released as the tenth track (or the fourth song on Side 2 of the vinyl) of his 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Like nearly every song on the album, it is performed by Dylan solo, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica played in a rack.

"Talkin' World War III Blues"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
ReleasedMay 27, 1963
RecordedApril 24, 1963
GenreTalking blues
Length6:28
LabelColumbia Records
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)John H. Hammond and Tom Wilson

Background and recording

"Talkin' World War III Blues" belongs to the comical "talking blues" genre that was popularized by Dylan's idol Woody Guthrie. It was one of the last songs recorded for The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan and was a replacement for "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues", which had been rejected by Columbia Records.[1] The song is a satire of the Cold War and then-pervasive fears and anxieties held by many Americans about the possibility of a third World War. In their book Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track, authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon note that Dylan "denounces the weaknesses" of and ridicules everyone in the song: psychiatrists, conservatives and even the narrator himself.[2]

Live performances

Dylan played the song no fewer than 31 times in concert between 1963 and 1965 (the exact number is not known because not all of his set lists from this era are extant).[3] A live version from 1963 was officially released on the album In Concert – Brandeis University 1963.[4] A partial version of a live performance from 1965, with altered lyrics that reference T. S. Eliot and Donovan, can be seen in D. A. Pennebaker's 1967 documentary Don't Look Back.[5]

Beyoncé Knowles quoted a lyric from the song ("I'll let you be in my dream if I can be in yours"[6]) on Instagram when she was preparing her self-titled 2013 album Beyoncé.[7]

Actress/singer Rita Wilson references the same line in the lyrics of her 2020 single "I Wanna Kiss Bob Dylan" ("Would it hurt so good when he says goodbye / Sayin' I'll be in your dreams if you'll be in mine").[8]

References
  1. "Talking World War III Blues: the music and the meaning behind Dylan's song | Untold Dylan". 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  2. Margotin, Philippe (27 October 2015). Bob Dylan : all the songs : the story behind every track. Guesdon, Jean-Michel (First ed.). New York. ISBN 978-1-57912-985-9. OCLC 869908038.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. "Bob Dylan Tour Statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  4. ""Bob Dylan In Concert – Brandeis University 1963" Now Available | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  5. "Dylan's Talkin' World War III Blues and the rather silly hurdy gurdy man | Untold Dylan". Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  6. "Talkin' World War III Blues | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  7. Kot, Greg. "How Bob Dylan Rebelled Against the Rebels". codacollection.co. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  8. Lifton, Dave (December 17, 2020). "Watch New Video for Rita Wilson's 'I Wanna Kiss Bob Dylan'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.