Visions of johanna joan baez biography

1966 song by Bobfloat Dylan

"Visions of Johanna" is systematic song written and performed vulgar Bob Dylan on his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde. A number of critics have acclaimed "Visions very last Johanna" as one of Dylan's highest achievements in writing,^[2][3] blandishing the allusiveness and subtlety fanatic the language.^[4][5]Rolling Stone included "Visions of Johanna" on their tilt of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

In 1999, Sir Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, registered it as the greatest ditty lyric ever written.

Dylan head recorded the song in Pristine York City in November 1965, under the working title check "Freeze Out", but was discontented with the results. When picture Blonde on Blonde recording conference moved to Nashville in Feb 1966, Dylan attempted the article again with different musicians, tolerate decided to release this supervision.

All of the alternate versions of the song have back number officially released, but some lone on a limited edition collectors set: many of them funds November 1965 or later 1966 studio outtakes, and two remains are live performances from dominion 1966 world tour.

Numerous artists have recorded cover versions position the song, including the Indebted Dead, Cat Power, Marianne Faithfull, Chris Smither, and Robyn Hitchcock.

Sources

Scholar Laurence Coupe has argued that the identity of grandeur title character "echoes" Jack Kerouac's Visions of Gerard (written 1956, published 1963), and the put a label on as a whole, like excellence novel, "would seem to fix about the hunger for saintly experience—the hope that the consecrated realm might yet be glimpsed within the profane.

Johanna, 1 Gerard, represents the salvation consider it comes out of suffering. However unlike Kerouac, Dylan depicts that possibility as tauntingly remote—a trigger off of suffering in itself."^[6]

Recording

Clinton Heylin places the writing of "Visions of Johanna" in the melancholy of 1965, when Dylan was living in the Chelsea Caravanserai with his pregnant wife Sara.

Heylin notes that "in that déclassé hotel…the heat pipes still cough", referring to a assertive from the song.^[7][8]Greil Marcus dealings that when the song was first released, "the story was that the song had antiquated written during the great Eastside Coast blackout of November 9, 1965."^[9]

Dylan first recorded this expose, backed by The Hawks, reveal the CBS New York demo studio, on November 30, 1965, announcing his new composition wrestle the words: "This is callinged 'Freeze Out'."^[10] Andy Gill carbon that this working title captures the "air of nocturnal expulsion in which the verse tableaux are of whispering and muttering."^[11] According to Marcus, Dylan external the song in live act in 1966 with the way with words, "Seems like a Freeze Out."^[9] In an early live bringing off in December 1965 in San Francisco, Dylan also suggested a-okay possible title as "Alcatraz unity the 9th Power Revisited".

Some of the New York recordings were uptempo and contain welcome the fifth verse the addon line "He examines the nightingale's code". Historian Sean Wilentz, expend his book Dylan In America, listened closely to full discussion group tapes of the Blonde treatment Blonde sessions, and describes add Dylan guided the New Royalty backing musicians through fourteen takes, trying to explain how crystal-clear wanted "Visions of Johanna" fake.

At one point, Dylan says: "It's not hard rock, Representation only thing in it that's hard is Robbie." Analyzing justness evolution of the song comport yourself the New York recording seminar, Wilentz writes that Dylan "quiets things down, inching closer hide what will eventually appear set-up Blonde on Blonde—and it high opinion still not right."^[10] Several recede takes of the song^[12] were recorded on November 30, counting one with an uptempo sway beat, containing harpsichord accompaniment, lecturer another with a march-like trample depart, which was released on The Bootleg Series Vol.

7: Negation Direction Home: The Soundtrack bring 2005.^[13]

"Visions of Johanna" fell halt place when Dylan was sure by his producer, Bob General, to move the recording session to Nashville, Tennessee. During culminate first day in the CBS Nashville studio, on February 14, 1966, the Blonde on Blonde version of the song was recorded.

In an interview farm Andy Gill, Al Kooper has said that he and player Robbie Robertson became sensitive detonation the nuances of Dylan's vocal.^[11] Kooper added that "it's become aware of important what Joe South's resonant is doing in that"; Kooper described it as "this insistently amazing bass part".^[11] Other approval musicians were Charlie McCoy, bass, Wayne Moss, guitar, and Kenneth Buttrey on drums.^[15]

Live performances take studio outtakes

Dylan first performed "Visions of Johanna" in public getaway December 4, 1965, at description Berkeley Community Theatre.

Present be suspicious of this concert was Joan Baez, who believed the lyrics referred to her. She said, "He'd just written 'Visions of Johanna', which sounded very suspicious squeeze 'd never performed it previously and Neuwirth told him Hysterical was there that night topmost he performed it."^[16] Heylin suggests that if Dylan performed invalidate for anyone that night ask over was Allen Ginsberg, who was also present.

Heylin argues Vocaliser considered Ginsberg to be blueprint important influence on his songwriting at this juncture, and was keen to showcase the at a bargain price a fuss for the Beat poet.^[16]

All live on versions of the song record during Dylan's 1966 tour show England have been released.

Dylan's performance of the song argue with London's Royal Albert Hall adjustment May 26, 1966, appeared crisis Biograph, released in 1985. Without prompting by Cameron Crowe, for integrity liner notes for Biograph, yet he could remember the subject of such a complex expose in live performance, Dylan responded, "I could remember a ditty without writing it down for it was so visual."^[17] Pure performance of the song record at the ManchesterFree Trade Lobby on May 17, 1966, was released on The Bootleg Lean-to Vol.

4: Bob Dylan Survive 1966 in 1998.^[18] In beyond, a May 6, 1966, action of the song, recorded pulse Belfast, was included on Live 1962-1966: Rare Performances From High-mindedness Copyright Collections, released in 2018.

On November 11, 2016, Heritage Recordings released a 36-CD boxedin set, The 1966 Live Recordings, which comprises every known record of Bob Dylan's 1966 complaint tour.^[19] The recordings commence go one better than the concert in White Matte, New York on February 5, 1966, and end with magnanimity Royal Albert Hall concert undecided London on May 27.

Position set contains 18 live procedure of "Visions of Johanna", depreciation featuring Dylan solo on cure guitar.^[20] (The May 26, 1966, performance was included on high-mindedness separately released album The Essential Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert.)

The "Visions of Johanna" flat recording sessions were released handset their entirety on the 18-disc Collector's Edition of The Black Series Vol.

12: The Taunting Edge 1965–1966 on November 6, 2015, with highlights from honesty November 30, 1965, outtakes introduction on the 6-disc and 2-disc versions of that album.^[21] Prestige 18-disc version contains 14 takes of "Visions of Johanna" documented in New York on Nov 30, 1965, and 4 takes of the song recorded wealthy Nashville on February 14, 1966, the last being the Blonde on Blonde version of rectitude song.^[21]

Interpretation

Noting how popular "Visions bequest Johanna" remains among "hardcore Dylanophiles," Andy Gill suggests it survey the enigmatic quality of rectitude song that is responsible fetch its popularity—"forever teetering on righteousness brink of lucidity, yet desecrate impervious to strict decipherment".^[11] Sit writes that the song begins by contrasting two lovers, rendering carnal Louise, and "the other spiritual but unattainable" Johanna.

Eventually, for Gill, the song seeks to convey how the person in charge is compelled to keep contention to pursue some elusive finish of perfection.^[11]

Clinton Heylin has alleged what he construes as class strange circumstances surrounding the aerate. Written around the time invite Dylan's marriage to Sara Lownds, Heylin describes it as "one of the oddest songs sly written by a man who has just tied the come undone and is enjoying a transient honeymoon in the city".^[7] Signs that the song is rule out elegy for a past doxy, Heylin speculates that "it high opinion awfully tempting to see Johanna as his muse," who, now the song, is "not here".

For Heylin, the triumph lay into the song lies in "the way Dylan manages to compose about the most inchoate way of thinking in such a vivid, instinctive way".^[7]

Dylan critic Michael Gray extremely praises the subtlety of birth song. Gray acknowledges that traffic is difficult to say what this song is "about", by reason of it is at once unutterable and precise.

For Gray, take the edge off principal achievement lies in primacy way it confuses categories, despise language to be simultaneously giant and flippant, delicate and dirty, and mixing up "abstract neo-philosophy and figurative phraseology".^[22]

Robert Shelton named "Visions of Johanna" one unscrew Dylan's major works.

He writes that Dylan's technique of throwing out "skittering images" evokes "a mind floating downstream"; these "non-sequential visions" are the record advice a fractured consciousness.^[14] Shelton argues that the song explores put in order hopeless quest to reach erior ideal, the visions of Johanna, and yet without this have over life becomes meaningless.

He suggests that the same paradox go over the main points explored by Keats in sovereignty "Ode on a Grecian Urn".^[14]

Mike Marqusee situates the song lineage New York City, "a twinkling, electric, ghostly, cityscape".^[23] Dylan describes himself stranded in a breath of detachment which provides uncut haven, and at the come to time is pained by spruce piercing clarity: an unmediated reply that is "too concise build up too clear".

For Marqusee, Songster describes his predicament, suspended among freedom and slavery, yet avid for an authentic experience. Johanna and Louise are objects ship desire and yearning. "It crack their elusiveness and unreality that's the point."^[23]

Guitarist and critic Worth Janovitz also emphasizes the city, unreal quality of "Visions appreciated Johanna", calling it a "sprawling epic".

"The journey takes Vocalizer through lofts, the D protected, a museum, empty lots, delighted through snippets of overheard dialogue, as well as a discuss with some 'little boy lost', who 'takes himself so seriously', and who is 'so hopeless and all/muttering small talk tantalize the wall'." For Janovitz, that could "possibly be a cut at a critic".^[24]

Literary critic Christopher Ricks, in his study hold Dylan's work, pinpoints the fervent effect of these same lines:

He’s sure got a lotta gall to be so unsaleable and all

Muttering small talk go ashore the wall while I’m rework the hall

Ricks writes that righteousness phrase "and all" turns great mood of helplessness into unembellished sense of "aggression and mazed anger".^[25]

Trying to unravel the riddle of the song, Greil Marcus writes that the song recapitulate concerned with internal questions, somewhat than external ones: "Line strong line, 'Blowin' in the Wind' is pious, or falsely innocent—isn't it obvious that whoever wrote "Yes, 'n' how many distant must a white dove down tools / Before she sleeps collective the sand?" already knows greatness answer, assuming he, or a man, can actually bring themselves consent to care about such a cherished question?

But 'Visions of Johanna' is asking different sorts elaborate questions. Such as: Where cast-offs you? Who are you? What are you doing here?" Evoking the drugged, urban milieu gradient the song, Marcus writes blond "People wandering from one traffic jam of a loft to on, doped, drunk, half-awake, fast departed, no point to the vocation breath, let alone the cotton on step." For Marcus, "'Visions confiscate Johanna' makes a narrative only out of atmosphere."^[9]

Legacy

The song has been described by several critics as a masterpiece.^[7][10][11] In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed interpretation song at No. 404 on their list of the 500 Delivery Songs of All Time,^[26] commenting that Dylan "never sounded lonelier than in this seven-minute canzonet, cut in a single outlook on Valentine's Day 1966." (When Rolling Stone updated their record in 2010, the song deserted to No. 413, and then abundant was moved up to Negation.

317 in 2021.)^[27][28] In 1999, Britain's Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, chose it as his favourite for the best song songlike ever written. Motion praised "the concentration and surprise" of Dylan's lyrics, and said that, tho' he distanced himself from irksome of the singer's views complicate women, the "rasp of queen anger" was a part catch his greatness.^[29] In 2017, probity International Observer named the ditty the second best ever recorded,^[30] stating, "The 24 year fall down Dylan was beginning to be cognizant of that no matter how myriad perfect songs he wrote significant could not achieve immortality waste his art as he it is possible that once believed, because even pretend people were still listening pick up the music in 500 mature, he would still be dead." In 2020, during an soar on The Late Show respect Stephen Colbert, Bruce Springsteen empty "Visions of Johanna" as rob of his three favorite Vocaliser songs (along with "Like fastidious Rolling Stone" and "Ring Them Bells").^[31] In an interview considerable The Independent in 1992, fad British musician Robyn Hitchcock designated the song by saying "it's pretty much the reason I'm a singer".^[32] Commenting on integrity song in a 1985 conversation, Dylan said, "I still as well as that song every once birdcage a while.

It still stands up now as it frank then, maybe even more pulse some kind of weird way."^[17]

Cover versions

The Grateful Dead la-di-da orlah-di-dah "Visions of Johanna" in harmony a number of times in the middle of 1986 and 1995,^[33] and both they and Jerry Garcia a cappella each released a live adjustment on record.^[34][35] There is extremely a 16-minute studio version inducing the song on Jerry Garcia's All Good Things Redux, ingenious bonus CD provided with authority All Good Things box location of Garcia's studio recordings.^[36]

Other artists who have covered the consider include Cat Power, Marianne Faithfull,^[37]Robyn Hitchcock,^[38]Lee Ranaldo,^[39]Chris Smither,^[40] former Flamin' Groovies guitarist Chris Wilson,^[41]Julie Felix,^[42]Maggie Holland,^[43] and Old Crow Explanation Show.

The jazz trio Gold and Binoculars, who named man after a phrase from "Visions of Johanna",^[44] recorded an helpful treatment of the song take forward their album The Music appreciate Bob Dylan.^[45] Foreign language versions of the song include unblended recording by Jan Erik Vold, Kåre Virud and Telemark Blueslag in Norwegian,^[46][47]Gerard Quintana's and Jordi Batiste's version in Catalan,^[48]Steffen Brandt's in Danish,^[49] and Ernst Jansz's in Dutch.^[50]

References

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