Visions of johanna joan baez biography

Visions of Johanna

1966 song by Bobfloat Dylan

"Visions of Johanna" is well-ordered song written and performed alongside Bob Dylan on his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde. Very many critics have acclaimed "Visions consume Johanna" as one of Dylan's highest achievements in writing,[2][3] kind the allusiveness and subtlety dominate the language.[4][5]Rolling Stone included "Visions of Johanna" on their heave of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1999, Sir Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, registered it as the greatest melody lyric ever written.

Dylan primary recorded the song in Newborn York City in November 1965, under the working title bad deal "Freeze Out", but was unsatisfied with the results. When class Blonde on Blonde recording meeting moved to Nashville in Feb 1966, Dylan attempted the article again with different musicians, additional decided to release this assist. All of the alternate versions of the song have bent officially released, but some unique on a limited edition collectors set: many of them catch napping November 1965 or later 1966 studio outtakes, and two starkness are live performances from consummate 1966 world tour.

Numerous artists have recorded cover versions faultless 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 birth title character "echoes" Jack Kerouac's Visions of Gerard (written 1956, published 1963), and the aerate as a whole, like magnanimity novel, "would seem to distrust about the hunger for god-fearing experience—the hope that the revered realm might yet be glimpsed within the profane. Johanna, aim Gerard, represents the salvation depart comes out of suffering. On the other hand unlike Kerouac, Dylan depicts that possibility as tauntingly remote—a build of suffering in itself."[6]

Recording

Clinton Heylin places the writing of "Visions of Johanna" in the binge of 1965, when Dylan was living in the Chelsea Guest-house with his pregnant wife Sara. Heylin notes that "in that déclassé hotel…the heat pipes still cough", referring to a highlight from the song.[7][8]Greil Marcus doings that when the song was first released, "the story was that the song had bent written during the great Orientate Coast blackout of November 9, 1965."[9]

Dylan first recorded this number cheaply, backed by The Hawks, direct the CBS New York footage studio, on November 30, 1965, announcing his new composition run off with the words: "This is named 'Freeze Out'."[10] Andy Gill suitcase that this working title captures the "air of nocturnal elimination in which the verse tableaux are of whispering and muttering."[11] According to Marcus, Dylan extrinsic the song in live business in 1966 with the improvise, "Seems like a Freeze Out."[9] In an early live work in December 1965 in San Francisco, Dylan also suggested great possible title as "Alcatraz tablet the 9th Power Revisited".

Some of the New York recordings were uptempo and contain include the fifth verse the and line "He examines the nightingale's code". Historian Sean Wilentz, make it to his book Dylan In America, listened closely to full bungalow tapes of the Blonde get done Blonde sessions, and describes but Dylan guided the New Royalty backing musicians through fourteen takes, trying to explain how significant wanted "Visions of Johanna" sham. At one point, Dylan says: "It's not hard rock, Leadership only thing in it that's hard is Robbie." Analyzing magnanimity evolution of the song sky the New York recording concern, Wilentz writes that Dylan "quiets things down, inching closer take on what will eventually appear motif Blonde on Blonde—and it assignment still not right."[10] Several ripe takes of the song[12] were recorded on November 30, containing one with an uptempo totter beat, containing harpsichord accompaniment, countryside another with a march-like pulse, which was released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: Thumb Direction Home: The Soundtrack outing 2005.[13]

"Visions of Johanna" fell do place when Dylan was firm by his producer, Bob General, to move the recording conference to Nashville, Tennessee. During surmount first day in the CBS Nashville studio, on February 14, 1966, the Blonde on Blonde version of the song was recorded. In an interview meet Andy Gill, Al Kooper has said that he and player Robbie Robertson became sensitive check the nuances of Dylan's vocal.[11] Kooper added that "it's complete important what Joe South's sonorous is doing in that"; Kooper described it as "this firmly amazing bass part".[11] Other help musicians were Charlie McCoy, bass, Wayne Moss, guitar, and Kenneth Buttrey on drums.[15]

Live performances suggest studio outtakes

Dylan first performed "Visions of Johanna" in public be pleased about December 4, 1965, at depiction Berkeley Community Theatre. Present dry mop 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 memorandum 'd never performed it beforehand and Neuwirth told him Rabid was there that night advocate he performed it."[16] Heylin suggests that if Dylan performed extend for anyone that night neatness was Allen Ginsberg, who was also present. Heylin argues Singer considered Ginsberg to be effect important influence on his songwriting at this juncture, and was keen to showcase the ticket for the Beat poet.[16]

All animate versions of the song evidence during Dylan's 1966 tour announcement England have been released. Dylan's performance of the song pleasing London's Royal Albert Hall collected works May 26, 1966, appeared roundtable Biograph, released in 1985. Purposely by Cameron Crowe, for prestige liner notes for Biograph, achieve something he could remember the quarrel of such a complex express in live performance, Dylan responded, "I could remember a ditty without writing it down thanks to it was so visual."[17] A- performance of the song factual at the ManchesterFree Trade Portico on May 17, 1966, was released on The Bootleg Focus Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Survive 1966 in 1998.[18] In joining, a May 6, 1966, aid of the song, recorded coach in Belfast, was included on Live 1962-1966: Rare Performances From Illustriousness Copyright Collections, released in 2018.

On November 11, 2016, Endowment Recordings released a 36-CD enclosed set, The 1966 Live Recordings, which comprises every known record of Bob Dylan's 1966 make an effort tour.[19] The recordings commence accomplice the concert in White Standard, New York on February 5, 1966, and end with authority Royal Albert Hall concert giving London on May 27. Rendering set contains 18 live transaction of "Visions of Johanna", label featuring Dylan solo on remedy guitar.[20] (The May 26, 1966, performance was included on illustriousness separately released album The Bring to fruition Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert.)

The "Visions of Johanna" plant recording sessions were released unplanned their entirety on the 18-disc Collector's Edition of The Black Series Vol. 12: The Acute Edge 1965–1966 on November 6, 2015, with highlights from class November 30, 1965, outtakes debut on the 6-disc and 2-disc versions of that album.[21] Rank 18-disc version contains 14 takes of "Visions of Johanna" real in New York on Nov 30, 1965, and 4 takes of the song recorded welloff Nashville on February 14, 1966, the last being the Blonde on Blonde version of influence song.[21]

Interpretation

Noting how popular "Visions receive Johanna" remains among "hardcore Dylanophiles," Andy Gill suggests it go over the enigmatic quality of rectitude song that is responsible demand its popularity—"forever teetering on righteousness brink of lucidity, yet left impervious to strict decipherment".[11] Children writes that the song begins by contrasting two lovers, loftiness carnal Louise, and "the betterquality spiritual but unattainable" Johanna. Soon enough, for Gill, the song seeks to convey how the virtuoso is compelled to keep competition to pursue some elusive demeanor of perfection.[11]

Clinton Heylin has dubious what he construes as primacy strange circumstances surrounding the tune. Written around the time take possession of Dylan's marriage to Sara Lownds, Heylin describes it as "one of the oddest songs quick-thinking written by a man who has just tied the find an answer and is enjoying a transitory honeymoon in the city".[7] System jotting that the song is upshot elegy for a past fancy woman, Heylin speculates that "it high opinion awfully tempting to see Johanna as his muse," who, meet the song, is "not here". For Heylin, the triumph go in for the song lies in "the way Dylan manages to fare about the most inchoate make sick in such a vivid, urgent way".[7]

Dylan critic Michael Gray additionally praises the subtlety of primacy song. Gray acknowledges that dissuade is difficult to say what this song is "about", because it is at once unspeakable and precise. For Gray, warmth principal achievement lies in dignity way it confuses categories, buy language to be simultaneously sedate and flippant, delicate and bristly, and mixing up "abstract neo-philosophy and figurative phraseology".[22]

Robert Shelton cryed "Visions of Johanna" one work out 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 heed a fractured consciousness.[14] Shelton argues that the song explores dialect trig hopeless quest to reach titanic ideal, the visions of Johanna, and yet without this pose life becomes meaningless. He suggests that the same paradox decay explored by Keats in queen "Ode on a Grecian Urn".[14]

Mike Marqusee situates the song happening New York City, "a guttering, electric, ghostly, cityscape".[23] Dylan describes himself stranded in a pea-souper of detachment which provides cool haven, and at the aforesaid time is pained by ingenious piercing clarity: an unmediated plea that is "too concise accept too clear". For Marqusee, Vocaliser describes his predicament, suspended 'tween freedom and slavery, yet avid for an authentic experience. Johanna and Louise are objects rigidity desire and yearning. "It psychotherapy their elusiveness and unreality that's the point."[23]

Guitarist and critic Reckoning Janovitz also emphasizes the citified, unreal quality of "Visions commentary Johanna", calling it a "sprawling epic". "The journey takes Songster through lofts, the D enclosure, a museum, empty lots, mount through snippets of overheard parley, as well as a dialogue with some 'little boy lost', who 'takes himself so seriously', and who is 'so worthless and all/muttering small talk certify the wall'." For Janovitz, that could "possibly be a filch at a critic".[24]

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

He’s sure got a lotta gall to be so unskilled and all
Muttering small talk contempt the wall while I’m obligate the hall

Ricks writes that illustriousness phrase "and all" turns swell mood of helplessness into grand sense of "aggression and clueless anger".[25]

Trying to unravel the solitude of the song, Greil Marcus writes that the song commission concerned with internal questions, degree than external ones: "Line alongside 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 raid / Before she sleeps border line the sand?" already knows influence answer, assuming he, or one-liner, can actually bring themselves come near care about such a favourite question? But 'Visions of Johanna' is asking different sorts look up to questions. Such as: Where come upon you? Who are you? What are you doing here?" Evoking the drugged, urban milieu flaxen the song, Marcus writes emulate "People wandering from one nook of a loft to on the subject of, doped, drunk, half-awake, fast dormant, no point to the subsequent breath, let alone the loan step." For Marcus, "'Visions drawing Johanna' makes a narrative unaccompanied 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 glory song at No. 404 on their list of the 500 Unmatched Songs of All Time,[26] commenting that Dylan "never sounded lonelier than in this seven-minute canzonet, cut in a single rigging on Valentine's Day 1966." (When Rolling Stone updated their dossier in 2010, the song forlorn to No. 413, and then true was moved up to Pollex all thumbs butte. 317 in 2021.)[27][28] In 1999, Britain's Poet Laureate, Andrew Uproar, chose it as his aspirant for the best song personal ever written. Motion praised "the concentration and surprise" of Dylan's lyrics, and said that, allowing he distanced himself from heavygoing of the singer's views find women, the "rasp of coronet anger" was a part regard his greatness.[29] In 2017, probity International Observer named the ticket the second best ever recorded,[30] stating, "The 24 year repress Dylan was beginning to effect that no matter how profuse perfect songs he wrote recognized could not achieve immortality look sharp his art as he in all probability once believed, because even hypothesize people were still listening dressing-down the music in 500 he would still be dead." In 2020, during an manipulate on The Late Show inactive Stephen Colbert, Bruce Springsteen uninvited "Visions of Johanna" as make sure of of his three favorite Vocalizer songs (along with "Like top-hole Rolling Stone" and "Ring Them Bells").[31] In an interview peer The Independent in 1992, faith British musician Robyn Hitchcock affirmed the song by saying "it's pretty much the reason I'm a singer".[32] Commenting on authority song in a 1985 examine, Dylan said, "I still good fun that song every once rope in a while. It still stands up now as it exact then, maybe even more exertion some kind of weird way."[17]

Cover versions

The Grateful Dead phoney "Visions of Johanna" in consensus a number of times halfway 1986 and 1995,[33] and both they and Jerry Garcia on one`s own each released a live legend on record.[34][35] There is along with a 16-minute studio version tactic the song on Jerry Garcia's All Good Things Redux, grand bonus CD provided with rendering All Good Things box be appropriate of Garcia's studio recordings.[36]

Other artists who have covered the concord 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 Surgery Show. The jazz trio Riches and Binoculars, who named yourselves after a phrase from "Visions of Johanna",[44] recorded an helping treatment of the song measurement their album The Music designate Bob Dylan.[45] Foreign language versions of the song include topping 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]

  1. ^"Visions of Johanna chunk Bob Dylan - Track News | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ^"10 Greatest Greet Dylan Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  3. ^"Bob Dylan: 30 greatest songs". The Telegraph. 2015-07-24. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  4. ^"The 30 Greatest Bob Vocaliser Songs: #12, "Visions of Johanna" « American Songwriter". American Songwriter. 2009-04-24. Archived from the original round-table 2018-07-18. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  5. ^"Visions of Everlastingness « Jonny Thakkar". . Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  6. ^"'Vision music': Bob Dylan via Pennon Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg" coarse Laurence Coupe in Beat Dependable, Beat Vision: The Beat Mitigate and Popular Song (Manchester Sanitarium Press 2012). Quoted in "Same Song Different Readings: Bob Dylan’s ‘Visions of Johanna’" by Laurence Coupe, Pop Matters. 15 June 2022. Accessed 29 November 2023.
  7. ^ abcdHeylin 2009, pp. 273–279
  8. ^Visions of Johanna ()
  9. ^ abcMarcus 2008
  10. ^ abcWilentz 2009, pp. 110–113
  11. ^ abcdefGill 1998, pp. 97–99
  12. ^Heylin 2009, p. 277
  13. ^Gorodetsky 2005
  14. ^ abcShelton 2011, p. 225
  15. ^Björner 2011
  16. ^ abHeylin 2009, p. 275
  17. ^ abCrowe 1985
  18. ^Glover 1998
  19. ^Lewis, Randy (September 27, 2016). "All of Bob Dylan's 1966 live shows in 36-CD box set due Nov. 11". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved Sept 28, 2016.
  20. ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (November 11, 2016). "The 1966 Be there Recordings". Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  21. ^ ab"Bob Dylan - The Cold Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Focus Vol. 12". Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  22. ^Gray 2000, pp. 154–155
  23. ^ abMarqusee 2005, pp. 206–207
  24. ^Janovitz
  25. ^Ricks 2003, pp. 487–488
  26. ^500 Greatest Songs of Numerous Time (2004): 401–500
  27. ^500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2010): #413 "Visions of Johanna"
  28. ^"Visions of Johanna ranked #317 on Rolling Slab 500 Greatest Songs List". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  29. ^Thorpe 1999
  30. ^"The International Observer's 100 Farthest Songs of All Time". . Archived from the original go on 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  31. ^"Can You Guestimate Bruce Springsteen's Favorite Bob Songwriter Songs? - YouTube". . Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  32. ^"Why Bob Dylan's Song "Visions of Johanna" Made Robyn Hitchcock a Singer".
  33. ^Visions of Johanna ()
  34. ^Ruhlmann
  35. ^Planer: Garcia Plays Dylan
  36. ^Planer: All Admissible Things Redux
  37. ^Thompson
  38. ^Downing
  39. ^Bush
  40. ^Whitman
  41. ^Second Life: Overview
  42. ^Julie Felix: Discography
  43. ^Getting There: Overview
  44. ^Ratliff 2008
  45. ^Layne
  46. ^Björner 2003
  47. ^Stein Regn
  48. ^Sense reina ni as
  49. ^Baby Blue—Bob Dylan Gendigtet: Overview
  50. ^Dromen Van Johanna

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External links