Link to Song: Desolation Row
What you should know about this song: One word really describes this song: epic. This 11-minute finale to Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited album is an incredible ensemble featuring Michael Bloomfield on guitar and has been a cornerstone of his live show repertoire ever since. Mick Jagger hit it right on the head when he wrote about this song for Rolling Stone Magazine, saying:
“‘Desolation Row’ is so simple musically – just three chords for 11 minutes, with a minimal amount of accompaniment – yet so effective… Dylan’s delivery is recitative, almost deadpan, but he engages you. What’s wonderful about the lyrics is all these characters that he inveighs on our imaginations… It’s a wonderful collection of imagery – a fantasy Bowery – that really gets your imagination working.” (Issue 1131)
I love this quote from Bob Dylan, too:
“I do know what my songs are about. Some are about four minutes, some are about five, and some, believe it or not, are about 11 or 12.” – Bob Dylan, 1966*
*Source: “Dylan: 100 Songs and Pictures” by Fine Communications
Photo Source: Don Hunstein
