Pandemic Playlist: Our Top 5 Bob Dylan tracks are the perfect mood-setters for the relaxing weekend ahead
Hey there again, music lovers. We hope you're hunkering down in your quarters safe and sound, while the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause upheavals throughout the planet.
These are unprecedented times we're living in, and when you find yourself in uncharted territory, it's crucial to rely on words of wisdom and support from friends, family and loved ones to get you through these tough times.
So it came as a welcome bit of news on Friday, May 8, that the wise old man of folk music aka the legendary Bob Dylan would be dropping his 39th studio album next month. The 78-year-old music icon will be releasing 'Rough And Rowdy Ways', his first studio album featuring original songs after a gap of eight years on June 19.
This thrilling announcement follows the release of three new singles that will feature on the upcoming album — namely, 'Murder Most Foul', 'I Contain Multitudes' and the most recent song 'False Prophet'.
These individual tracks show different sides of the multi-faceted Nobel-Prize winning singer-songwriter and if they are anything to go by, the new album is destined to be another classic.
So in honor of the revered troubadour of our times, we're featuring our Top 5 Bob Dylan tracks in today's pandemix to get your weekend off to the perfect relaxed start.
'Mr Tambourine Man'
What better way to kick off our playlist than the ultimate Bob Dylan classic, perfect for a lazy weekend morning. Featuring Dylan's trademark soulful voice, jangling guitar, and some vivid, picturesque imagery, this 1965 strummer manages to hit that sweet, satisfying spot in your soul.
It goes without saying, but Dylan's lyrics are magical and mesmerizing as usual — "Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky / With one hand waving free / Silhouetted by the sea / Circled by the circus sands / With all memory and fate / Driven deep beneath the waves / Let me forget about today until tomorrow."
'It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)'
Although 'It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)' is relatively obscure when compared to his numerous popular hits, this 1965 track remains a testament to Dylan's lyrical prowess as both a prophet and a poet.
Described as a "grim masterpiece", the song features some of Dylan's most memorable lines and a healthy serving of biting social commentary.
"He not busy being born is busy dying" and "Money doesn't talk, it swears" are incredible lyrics, only matched by the song's immortal ending — "And if my thought-dreams could be seen / They'd probably put my head in a guillotine / But it's alright, Ma, it's life, and life only."
'The Times They Are A-Changin'
We've heard this evergreen track so many times on the radio, movies and television shows, but each time you hear it, there's something new to appreciate.
As a folk singer, Bob Dylan had his finger on the pulse of the nation, and when this song came out in 1964, it was readily embraced as an unofficial anthem for the ever-present constant in our socio-political climate — change.
The universally appealing lyrics are as timely as ever, and this song remains one of Dylan's groundbreaking hits — "Come gather round, people / Wherever you roam / And admit that the waters / Around you have grown / Then you better start swimmin' / Or you'll sink like a stone / For the times they are a-changin'.
'Blowin' In The Wind'
Another treasured classic from Bob Dylan's songbook, this 1962 protest song that explores themes of peace, war, and freedom struck a chord with millions of Americans who used it to champion the growing civil rights movement.
It's telling that even 50 years later, people still sing this song when protesting against the horrors of war, and the beauty of the ambiguous lyrics lies in their simplicity.
The answers to Dylan's rhetorical "How many" questions are either so obvious that they are right in your face, or intangible and unattainable, like a breeze blowing in the wind.
'Murder Most Foul'
This 17-minute epic about John F Kennedy's assassination was the first single to be released off Bob Dylan's upcoming album in June this year.
Using his signature nasally croak and a stream of consciousness delivery, Dylan waxes eloquent on the decline of the American Dream ever since President Kennedy was murdered in cold blood in 1963.
Filled with nods to the counter culture movement, fellow musicians, movie lyrics and other pop culture references, this gargantuan masterpiece is Dylan's longest song to date, and will go down in history as one of his greatest ever works of art.
Pandemic Playlist is a daily list of songs that will keep you entertained instead of feeling drained while you're isolated at home. Look out for a fresh selection of great tunes from MEAWW to refresh your mood every day!