THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

792-Bob Dylan-Subterranean Homesick Blues.

1965-Number 9 single.

Best Bit-At 0.10. It appears Dylan was doing Rap, well over a decade before anyone else.

‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ was the first of three singles released from ‘Bringing It All Back Home,’ which was the fifth studio Album by Bob Dylan, (see also best songs 621-358-103-36 and 7) the song was written by Bob Dylan, with the production being by the legendary music producer Tom Wilson, (1931-1978) (see also best songs 358-165-103-96 and 7.) Tom Wilson was born Thomas Blanchard Wilson Jr. on March 25, 1931, in Waco, Texas, United States, he died of a heart attack on September 6th, 1978, at the age of 47. Wilson played a very important role in the development of both Bob Dylan, and Simon & Garfunkel, (see also best songs 529-200-96 and 71) in their transition from ‘Acoustic Music,’ into ‘Electronic Music.’ Wilson also produced Albums for many other artists’ including The Velvet Underground, Eric Burdon & the Animals, and Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. The first side of ‘Bringing It All Back Home’, of which ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ is the opening track, features electric songs, while the second side of the Album is mainly acoustic. The move in to ‘Electronic Music’ alienated Dylan from some of his former peers, and fans, in the ‘Folk Music’ community. The Album would prove to be Dylan’s commercial breakthrough, giving him his first top 10 Album on Billboard in America, where it reached Number 6, while ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues,’ gave him his first top 40 single on Billboard, where it reached Number 39.

‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ reflects certain elements of American society in the mid 1960’s. Using several slang terms, the song references the drug culture, and politics of the time, the turmoil surrounding the war in Vietnam, and also the American Civil Rights movement. Bob Dylan has said that his inspiration for the song came from the writing technique of the ‘Beat Poets’ of the 1950’s, such as Jack Kerouac, (1922-1969) and Allen Ginsberg, (1926-1997) Dylan has also cited the ‘Scat’ songs of the 1940’s, and the Chuck Berry (1926-2017) (see also best songs 548-308 and 30) song ‘Too Much Monkey Business,’ from 1956, as further influences. The songs title ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues,’ is probably a nod towards the 1958 novel ‘Subterranean’s,’ by Jack Kerouac., while ‘Homesick Blues,’ is Dylan telling us that even so he has made it big, he still misses his past life. In one of John Lennon’s (1940-1980) last interviews before he died in 1980, he said that on hearing ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues,’ he was so captivated by it, that he was worried that he would never be able to write anything that could compete with it.

‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ skips quickly from one cultural reference to another. Dylan touches on social discontent,’Twenty years of schoolin’ and they put you on the day shift.’ He talks about drug busts,’The phone’s tapped anyway, Maggie says that many say,they must bust in early May. Orders from the D.A.’ He also mentions the violent policing, as which was witnessed at many ‘Civil Rights’ protests,’Better stay away from those, that carry around a fire hose,’ and Dylan also points out about the fight against authority,’Don’t follow leaders. Watch the parkin’ meters.’ The lyrics resemble a stream of consciousness, which was a writing technique championed by ‘Beat Poets’ such as Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg, both of whom were a major influence on Dylan.

‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ was not only a major influence on future generations of artists, it can also boast one of the most memorable, and groundbreaking promotional film clips, which was the forerunner to what would become the music video. The clip was shot in an alley close to the ‘Savoy Hotel.’ in London, with Bob Dylan holding up cue cards with selected words and phrases from the songs lyrics. There are intentional misspellings, and puns throughout the clip, which featured brief cameo appearances from Allen Ginsberg, and the American Folk singer/songwriter Bob Neuwirth (1939-2022.) The promotional film clip was first widely shown in a documentary called ‘Don’t Look Back,’ in 1967, about Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of England, by the American documentary film maker D. A. Pennebaker, (1925-2019) it was Dylan who came up with the idea of holding up cue cards with selected words and phrases from the lyrics. The cue cards were written by the Scottish singer/songwriter Donovan, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Neuwirth, and also by Bob Dylan himself.

‘Johnny’s in the basement, mixing up the medicine, I’m on the pavement thinking about the government. The man in the trench coat, badge out, laid off, says he’s got a bad cough, wants to get it paid off. Look out kid, it’s somethin’ you did. God knows when, but you’re doing it again.’