- Changing of the Guards
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"Changing of the Guards" Single by Bob Dylan from the album Street-Legal B-side "Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)" Released 24 October 1978 Format Single Recorded April 1978 Genre Rock, gospel Length 7:04 Label Columbia Writer(s) Bob Dylan Bob Dylan singles chronology "Baby, Stop Crying"
(1978)"Changing of the Guards"
(1978)"Gotta Serve Somebody"
(1979)"Changing of the Guards" is a song written by Bob Dylan, released in 1978 as a single and as the first track on his album Street -Legal. As an A-side single it failed to reach the Billboard Top 100. However, it was included on Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3, released in 1994.
Contents
Critique
Musically, "Changing of the Guards," like much of Street-Legal, has a strange sound, certainly unique for Dylan if not unique in general. This is in part effected by a trio of female back-up singers, a prominent saxophone in between verses, and a hauntingly dynamic chord progression. The chord progression has a certain catch that is very noticeable: there is a repeating cadence, which, by landing on the dominant chord, "begs" for resolution. However, rather than resolving it with the tonic chord, it is resolved with the relative minor chord. This creates an almost tragic feel in the song: everything sounds as if there will be a normal, major and happy-sounding tonic chord; but instead, the song falls into the unusual and dark-sounding relative minor chord. Interestingly, the song speeds up slightly over the course of the song, only noticeable by playing the beginning and the end of the song back to back.
Lyrically, this song has provoked much critical insight, both positive and negative. According to Oliver Trager author of Keys to the Rain: The Definitive Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, "Changing of the Guards" has been criticized as a "song in which Dylan unsuccessfully and cynically parodies his anthemic self in haunting fashion..."[1]
But many have found much depth and meaning in the song's lyrics. Noted Dylan expert Michael Gray, author of The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, commented that "Changing of the Guards" is a thorough description of Dylan's journey, from the beginning of his musical career, about sixteen years prior (the opening line is "Sixteen years"), through his marriage and divorce with Sara Dylan, up to his soon-to-be-announced conversion to Christianity.[2] Indeed, much religious and biblical imagery is readily apparent in this work, especially apocalyptic imagery—not new ground for Dylan). Dylan once commented: "It means something different every time I sing it. 'Changing of the Guards' is a thousand years old'".[1] However, even the song's critical supporters admit that there is a good amount of opacity in this song's lyrics: "Like much in 'Changing of the Guards,' the intended meaning of this passage is opaque..."[2]
The song is also lavish with imagery from the tarot. The initial reference to the number sixteen evokes The Tower, the 16th trump card. Other cards are referenced directly: Fortune (the Wheel of Fortune), the "cold blooded moon" (The Moon), the "heart shaped tattoo" (the Three of Swords), "cruel death" (the Death card) and in the last line, the King and Queen of Swords. In this context, indirect references such as "a messenger arrived" make more sense as references to page cards.
This is the only song in Dylan's repertoire making use of tarot symbols in this way, though in the liner notes of Desire, his previous album, he depicts The Empress, suggesting that in addition to his biblical studies of that era he was also experimenting with tarot cards.
Live performance history
"Changing of the Guards" was only played live during the tour following its 1978 release. This tour was documented on the double live album Bob Dylan at Budokan, though "Changing of the Guards" was not included.
Covers
"Changing of the Guards" has been covered by:
- Frank Black: All My Ghosts (1998)
- Juice Leskinen: "Vahdinvaihto" single (1999)
- Rich Lerner and the Groove: Cover Down (2000) - as "Changing of the Guard"
- Chris Whitley & Jeff Lang: Dislocation Blues (2006)
- Patti Smith: Twelve (2007)
External links
References
Bob Dylan Studio albums Bob Dylan · The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan · The Times They Are a-Changin' · Another Side of Bob Dylan · Bringing It All Back Home · Highway 61 Revisited · Blonde on Blonde · John Wesley Harding · Nashville Skyline · Self Portrait · New Morning · Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid · Dylan · Planet Waves · Blood on the Tracks · The Basement Tapes · Desire · Street-Legal · Slow Train Coming · Saved · Shot of Love · Infidels · Empire Burlesque · Knocked Out Loaded · Down in the Groove · Oh Mercy · Under the Red Sky · Good as I Been to You · World Gone Wrong · Time Out of Mind · Love and Theft · Modern Times · Together Through Life · Christmas in the HeartLive albums Before the Flood · Hard Rain · Bob Dylan at Budokan · Real Live · Dylan & the Dead · The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration · MTV Unplugged · Live 1961–2000: Thirty-Nine Years of Great Concert Performances · Live at the Gaslight 1962 · Live at Carnegie Hall 1963 · In Concert – Brandeis University 1963Compilations Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits · Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II · Masterpieces · Biograph · Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3 · The Essential Bob Dylan · Bob Dylan: The Collection · The Best of Bob Dylan · Blues · Dylan · The Original Mono RecordingsThe Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 · Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert · Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue · Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall · Vol. 7: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack · Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006 · Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964Concerts and tours England Tour 1965 · Going Electric at Newport (1965) · World Tour 1966 · Isle of Wight 1969 · The Concert for Bangladesh (1971) · Tour with The Band (1974) · Rolling Thunder Revue (1975) · World Tour 1978Never Ending Tour Films Writings Tarantula · Writings and Drawings · Lyrics: 1962–1985 · Drawn Blank · Chronicles: Volume One · Lyrics: 1962–2001 · The Definitive Bob Dylan SongbookBooks about Dylan The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia · Bob Dylan, Performing Artist · Invisible Republic · The Cambridge Companion to Bob DylanRelated articles Albums · American folk music revival · Awards · Bob Dylan bootleg recordings · List of Basement Tapes songs · The Bootleg Series · Discography · List of artists who have covered Bob Dylan songs · Related topics · Songs recorded by Bob Dylan · Songs written by Bob Dylan · Great White Wonder · The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams · The Masked Marauders · Theme Time Radio Hour · The Best of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour · Traveling WilburysBob Dylan singles discography 1960s 1970s 1970 "Wigwam" / "Copper Kettle"1971 "Watching the River Flow" / "Spanish is the Loving Tongue" · "If Not For You" / "New Morning" · "George Jackson" (band version) / "George Jackson" (acoustic version)1973 "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" / "Turkey Chase" (instrumental from Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid) · "A Fool Such as I" / "Lily of the West"1974 "On a Night Like This" / "You Angel You" · "Something There Is About You" / "Tough Mama" · "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" (live with The Band) · "All Along the Watchtower" / "It Ain't Me Babe"1975 "Tangled Up in Blue" / "If You See Her, Say Hello" · "Million Dollar Bash" / "Tears of Rage" · "Hurricane" (Part 1) / "Hurricane" (Part 2)1976 "Mozambique" / "Oh Sister" · "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" (live) / "Rita May"1978 "Baby, Stop Crying" / "We Better Talk This Over" · "Changing of the Guards" / "Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)"1979 "Man Gave Names to All the Animals" / "When You Gonna Wake Up?" · "Gotta Serve Somebody" / "Trouble in Mind"1980s 1980 "Slow Train" / "Do Right to Me Baby" · "Solid Rock" / "Covenant Woman" · "Saved" / "Are You Ready?"1981 "Heart of Mine" / "Let It Be Me" · "Dead Man, Dead Man" / "Lenny Bruce"1983 "Union Sundown" / "Angel Flying too Close to the Ground"1984 "Jokerman" / "Isis"1985 "Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love?)" / "We Better Talk this Over" · "When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky" / "Emotionally Yours"1986 "Band of the Hand" / "Joe's Death" (Michael Rubini) · "Got My Mind Made Up" / "The Usual"1988 "Silvio" / "Driftin' too Far from the Shore"1989 "Everything Is Broken" / "Death is Not the End" · "Slow Train" (live with The Grateful Dead)1990s 1990 "Political World" / "Ring Them Bells" (only in the UK and Australia) · "Most of the Time" / "Most of the Time (edit piece) · "Unbelievable" / "10,000 Men"1991 "Series of Dreams" / "Seven Curses" · "Blind Willie McTell" / "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" (from The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3) · "Step it Up and Go" — (no b-side)1993 "My Back Pages" (with Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, George Harrison) — (no b-side)1995 "Dignity" (live on MTV Unplugged) / "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" (live version) · "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" / "John Brown" (both live on MTV Unplugged)1998 "Not Dark Yet" / "Tombstone Blues" (live) / "Ballad of a Thin Man" (live) / "Boots of Spanish Leather" (live) · "Love Sick" / "Tombstone Blues" (live)2000s 2000 "Things Have Changed" / "Make You Feel My Love" (live) / "Hurricane" / "Song to Woody" (live)2006 "Someday Baby" / "Someday Baby" (edit piece) · "Rollin' and Tumblin'" / "Not Dark Yet" / "High Water (for Charley Patton)"2007 "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" (Mark Ronson remix version) / "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" (album version)2008 "Dreamin' of You" (edit piece) / "Dreamin' of You" (album version)2009 "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" / "Down Along the Cove" (live) · "I Feel a Change Comin' On" / "I Feel a Change Comin' On" (edit piece) · "Must Be Santa" / "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"2010s 2010 "The Times They Are a-Changin'" (demo version) / "Like a Rolling Stone"Categories:- 1978 singles
- Songs written by Bob Dylan
- Bob Dylan songs
- Patti Smith songs
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