Don't Think Twice It's All Right: the moment I 'discovered' Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan!!!

 

I don't know what to say, I adore his music more than almost anything, except The Beatles.

 

And that my friends, is really saying something.

 

But it wasn't always this way, I knew Dylan, knew his stuff, as a music lover how can you not? But I think I got caught up in the whole he can't sing, he's a bit too precious, and he's difficult, and I just didn't GET him. Funnily enough, these are the things I love about him the most now! I also was overloaded on his popular folksy stuff way too much in music lessons when I was younger, no matter how good something is, if it is shoved in your face too much, too often, it becomes tiresome. 

 

And so it went.

 

When his book, Chronicles, Volume 1, came out, I read it purely out of curiosity, not knowing how much I would love it. Or how much it would make me smile, because of his history and knowledge, and because he was bloody funny.

 

But also...because he is a wordsmith, a poet, a man with a turn of phrase that delights me, and now has a profound effect on me.

 

And then one day out of the clear blue sky I heard Don't Think Twice It's Alright on the radio...I song I knew, knew well, but up until then had never really heard.

 

I remember it so well, it was about 7 years ago, I had my new car about a week, and was driving and thinking about a boy long gone, and this song came on, and I just like that I got Dylan.

 

I remember going home and digging out his greatest hits and playing it over and over again, sobbing and smiling.

 

And I was gone...in the best possible way.

 

And it wasn't really about the long gone boy, or every other long gone relationship, it was just the right words to express those feelings, the culmination of life's disappointments and the calmness I felt about them upon hearing that song. Which is why it is my go to song for comfort now. At least that's my interpretation of the feeling of it.

 

It is not his best song I guess, but for those reasons it will remain my favourite forever, and one song I will never tire of hearing.

 

I know it is about Suze Rotolo disappearing overseas and abandoning him, mostly as he'd been a bit of a dope and a bit too intense for her, but of course he was bereft and missing her. I read her book and can appreciate both sides of the situation, it's also a fine book.

 

To me Don't Think Twice It's All Right is also about self respect and love and yearning. All the things that make the world go round really.

 

And it's a very polite fuck off too, and I love the ambiguity of that.

 

"You just kinda wasted my precious time, don't think twice it's all right."

That could possibly be one of my favourite lyrics ever.

 

I think it's also about people not realising the impact they can have on others, for good or for bad, and how we can unwittingly treat others not as well as they deserve, or be treated similarly ourselves, sometimes without even realising until after it has happened.

 

Other lyrics that really sing to me from it are:

 

"It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe" - advice I need to pay more heed to!

 

"But I wish there was somethin' you would do or say. To try and make me change my mind and stay" - That moment where you're waiting for that last grand gesture.

 

"I gave her my heart but she wanted my soul" - that thing where you give the very best of you to someone and they kinda stamp on you and destroy or try to destroy your soul, purposefully or not.

 

"Goodbye's too good a word, babe. So I'll just say fare thee well" - the ultimate kiss off!

 

Bless you Bob, whenever I feel down or used or hurt I listen to it and somehow, melancholy as it is, it makes me feel better, it warms my heart, hugs me lyrically and assaults every sense in my body in such a way it can bring me to tears. Sometimes tears of joy, sometimes tears of genuine sadness. I don't mind either way, to me that is the testament of a perfect song.

 

Musically I love it's rhythm, and the fingering on the guitar is so sweet and intricate. Add in the mellow harmonica and his voice (forlorn and melancholy), to me, sounds pretty perfect and that is why I love it so.

Don't Think Twice It's All Right (the song)

 

I could go one forever about Bob, but many have done it before me and so much more eloquently.

 

So instead, here is a list of my favourite things:

 

The Blonde on Blonde album cover

 

Blonde on Blonde 

 

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

 

Blood on the Tracks

 

Time Out of Mind/Love and Theft/Modern Times trilogy

 

Christmas in the Heart

 

Like A Rolling Stone - his best song

 

Subterranean Homesick Blues - all those words, all that attitude, musically fluid, and THAT video!

 

If Not For You and the pretty xylophone riff

 

Don't Look Back AND No Direction Home

 

The vibe and sentiment of Knocking on Heaven's door and Forever Young

 

His sense of humour...probably moreso in later life

 

He wrote the Ab Fab theme song...many years earlier of course

 

Chronicles, Volume 1

 

His wild hair and those cool black sunglasses

 

He's daggy AND the epitome of cool simultaneously

 

His authenticity

 

His intelligence

 

His way with words

 

His politics and hippy peace

 

He does it his way

 

He is fucking important musically

 

The perfect poetry of Blowin' in the Wind

 

"You may call me Bobby, You may call me Zimmy" in You Gotta Serve Somebody

 

Manfred Mann's cover you You Angel You

 

The Band and The Last Waltz

 

Theme Time Radio Hour

 

The beauty and fragility of Just Like A Woman

 

And the way I'll be your Baby tonight makes me melt

 

It's all over now, Baby Blue - his voice is not great in this, but the intent in there and his phrasing and rhyming is fabulous

 

Every single lyric he has ever written

An aside, I've been working on this for over a week, and could do forever and still not be happy with it. No doubt, once I hit publish I will think of something to add or change, but I'll let it go for now...it seems the right thing to do...