That into such dark and disconcerting times should come a new song apiece from two stellar artists of our times is welcome relief in itself – but with each being a work of huge resonance their appearance is even more cause for celebration.
One is a sweeping epic, encompassing in broad, occasionally opaque terms a defining moment in history – the other a personal paean to the emergence of wisdom through innocence. Each is a work of notable originality, although from lyricists as accomplished as Bob Dylan and Jackson Browne, both of whom hold veteran status, anything less would have been more of a surprise.
With his first new release since 2012, Bob Dylan uses ‘MURDER MOST FOUL‘ to conjure the assassination of President John F. Kennedy – this 17-minute opus beginning on that fateful day: ‘Twas a dark day in Dallas, November ’63/A day that will live on in infamy/President Kennedy was a-ridin’ high/Good day to be livin’ and a good day to die.’
Moving back and forth between the shooting, in between there are brief ruminations, sometimes mere mentions, of significant cultural figures from before and after the murder.
To deliver what is part eulogy for the murdered President, part sombre reflection on how the world was shaken to its core and what sounds a yearning to find solace in music, Dylan uses a conversationalist approach, the lyrics sung and spoken in almost equal measure – his words heard over the sparse instrumentation of quivering piano, soft drums and intermittent lone violin.
Given its length and cinematic detail, ‘Murder Most Foul‘ immediately evokes the extended deliberations he began on ‘Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,’ and continued through (to name just a few), ‘Rosemary, Lily and the Jack of Hearts,’ ‘Joey‘ and ‘Highlands,’ although the melody at times is more reminiscent of ‘Disease of Conceit,’ which could be coincidence – or given the sentiment and title of that song, maybe not.
Beyond his own work, the song it immediately brings to mind, due to having such a wide scope, is ‘American Pie,’ although in contrast to the Don McLean composition there are no catchy verses or indeed, a sing-along chorus. Having said that the lyric, for the most part, is unambiguous, names and phrases so immediately recognizable from the horrific event – ‘Grassy Knoll,’ ‘Don’t say Dallas doesn’t love you Mr. President,’ ‘Dealey Plaza,’ ‘Oswald,’ ‘Ruby,’ ‘Parkland Hospital,’ ‘Patsy,’ ‘Zapruder,’ ‘Air Force One,’ ‘Johnson,’ ‘Love Field‘ – are all skillfully woven into the narrative.
With the strident statement, ‘Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car,’ he also appears to be stating a view on whether or not Oswald was the killer – with ‘they‘ Dylan apparently not purporting to the ‘lone gunman’ theory.
In placing the killing in its historical context, ‘Murder Most Foul,’ becomes the latest song to name check Marilyn Monroe, who appears in a roll call of star names that begins with The Beatles, after which there is one to be found at every turn; Patsy Cline (who appears in one of the most stunning of his couplets), Etta James, John Lee Hooker, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Carl Wilson, Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz, Dickey Betts, Art Pepper, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Lindsey (Buckingham), Stevie Nicks and Nat ‘King’ Cole‘ with ‘Woodstock‘ and ‘Altamont‘ also thrown in for good measure.
Most of the name dropping takes place in the fifth and final verse which on first hearing sounds a recitation of what music will brighten the shroud of darkness – and with most of the lines beginning with ‘Play‘ it becomes a list of requests to an anonymous DJ.
Of greater fascination, however, are the allusions that inform the piece, Dylan using clever, sometimes cheeky word play in referring to The Who, The Animals, Warren Zevon, Queen, Randy Newman and also to a fair quota of films.
But there is no escaping the depth and gravity of these ruminations, his trenchant depiction of a terrible day that altered the course of history. Don McClean found the levy dry when he drove there in his Chevy. In ‘Murder Most Foul‘ one senses Bob Dylan has driven to the edge of the cliff and only a Nat ‘King’ Cole or Jelly Roll Morton song on the radio can save him from driving over the edge.
Just twelve months into his recording career when Kennedy was slain, Dylan, the father of modern songwriting, leaves his most potent imagery to the last line – ‘The Blood-stained Banner,’ a haunting notion on which to close.
‘A LITTLE SOON TO SAY‘ finds Jackson Browne in contemplative mood, the tasteful, understated guitar playing and warm organ sound of his past few albums once again to the fore as he considers how fleeting life seems from the standpoint of hard won insight.
The second verse finds Browne at his most wistfully poetic, beautifully developing the narrative in gauging the effect of innocence colliding with haste:
‘I didn’t find much wisdom/When time was on my side/Too little information/Too much time to decide/I took a couple of wrong turns/It only takes you one/ To send you down a lifetime/Of wonderin’ what you might’ve done.’
In a song boasting his customary resonance, the line with the most immediate poignancy is, ‘Beyond the sickness of our day.’ This track, written before the Corona-virus outbreak, took on even greater significance when 71 year-old Browne tested positive for the symptoms – three weeks on, he is said to be recuperating well at his Los Angeles home.
With hope and tenderness Browne weaves a message of quiet optimism, maintaining belief that our best chance for progress lies with compassion and having faith in one another – Jackson continuing with a cause he first espoused in ‘Looking Into You,’ on his debut album back in 1972, showing no sign of abandoning the case for positive humanity all these years later.
During that time he has been the master of articulating personal emotions and political concerns, the closing line of his first new song in six years, both touching and topical – a profound turn of phrase whether intended or not:
‘I wanna think it’s gonna be alright/It’s just a little soon to say.’
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NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller available as an Amazon Kindle book.