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| Bob Dylan at the Chicago Stadium, Jan. 3, 1974 |
Some dates were easy to match to an event — Oct. 8, the Great Chicago Fire, March 3, the incorporation of the city, Aug. 15, the unveiling of the Picasso.
Then there was Jan. 3. Nothing really happened on Jan. 3 — the best I could come up with was a Bob Dylan concert in 1974. Which was a fact, not a story. So I started to dig. It was his first solo show since he nearly died in a motorcycle accident in 1966. Trivia, not a story.
Eventually I found a set list, mentioning the debut of a certain song. And a stuffy Tribune review. And I was on my way.
Jan. 3, 1974: The concert at the Chicago Stadium is almost over. Bob Dylan's first in eight years, since he stopped touring in 1966, blaming a motorcycle accident. He has sung his own classics, “Lay Lady Lay,” and “The Times They Are A Changing.” He has sung “Stage Fright” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” penned by the group backing him, The Band. After their “Rag Mama Rag,” Dylan launches into a song never before heard in public:
“May God bless and keep you always,” he begins. “May your wishes all come true.”
Even the Chicago Tribune's Thomas Willis—a classical music critic in his mid-40s who sometimes lowers his gaze to contemplate contemporary artists— notices. In his review, he first tut-tuts Dylan's use of obscure words. Then dismisses his singing ability. “Dylan will never win any performance prizes.” And his harmonica playing.
Finally, Willis gets down to picking apart one specific song.
“May God bless and keep you always,” he begins. “May your wishes all come true.”
Even the Chicago Tribune's Thomas Willis—a classical music critic in his mid-40s who sometimes lowers his gaze to contemplate contemporary artists— notices. In his review, he first tut-tuts Dylan's use of obscure words. Then dismisses his singing ability. “Dylan will never win any performance prizes.” And his harmonica playing.
Finally, Willis gets down to picking apart one specific song.
“He introduced, among others, one presumably titled, 'Forever Young,'” Willis writes. “It is highfalutin' in its diction and full of words like 'courage,' 'truth,' 'righteousness,' and 'joy.' Over and over, in unaccustomed subjunctive, it repeats the line, 'May you be forever young.' Make of it what you will.”
Artists make a lot of it, despite that grammatically unusual "may you stay" (which Williams misquotes in his review). The song will be covered at least 75 times, by artists from Joan Baez to Peter, Paul and Mary, Chrissie Hynde to Diana Ross, Harry Belafonte to Johnny Cash. All seem untroubled by the unaccustomed subjunctive, use of which will not prevent Dylan from winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016.
Artists make a lot of it, despite that grammatically unusual "may you stay" (which Williams misquotes in his review). The song will be covered at least 75 times, by artists from Joan Baez to Peter, Paul and Mary, Chrissie Hynde to Diana Ross, Harry Belafonte to Johnny Cash. All seem untroubled by the unaccustomed subjunctive, use of which will not prevent Dylan from winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016.
At least the critic got the part about not winning a prize for performance right.
ReplyDeleteEven Taylor Swift has a better voice than him!
DeleteIf you go to a Dylan concert for the voice clarity, you have missed the boat. His voice is PERFECT for his songs. As that is all a singer should strive for. Maybe others could try writing songs as timeless as his.
DeleteAging vocal cords affect us all. Too many continue to tour past their prime, but at least they had a prime. Today's singers are pitch corrected, autotuned and digitally manipulated so their true voice is never heard. Even in supposed live concerts.
DeleteYou should check out Wings of Pegasus on You Tube. He shows how many singers are pitched tuned or auto tuned or even lip synching when performing live. He even caught Taylor Swift lip synching
DeleteOne of my favorite Dylan songs. A good one for the new year, when we're led by a visibly aging, deteriorating elderly man sinking ever deeper into dementia.
ReplyDeleteLove Forever Young! My favorite cover is by the Tenors from Canada.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/9E6-AYce-_M?si=ZuWYRF_vLgp2ME-e
Thank you. Absolutely lovely.
DeleteDylan was already a star before he was panned by the Tribune's music critic. Unlike the roasting the Beatles got from the NYT's very early in their existence.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of 'way back', the photo of Dylan on stage at the Stadium sure brought back fun memories. I recalled attending concerts at the Stadium just the other day, but with a sadder association. My parents hated when I went there because they thought it was unsafe and might go up in flames. It was a large wooden structure, and all the concert attendees would click on cigarette lighters to light up the place. I had a cigarette lighter even though I didn't smoke! I considered my parents' fears in a new way after hearing about the New Year's eve tragedy in Switzerland. Looking back with older eyes, the cigarette lighter practice was indeed a bad idea.
As for the song with the unaccustomed subjunctive - did the words change over time? Lyrics now are "may you stay forever young". (at least I think those are the lyrics... I can hear Dylan singing them in my mind)
The Chicago Stadium was "a large wooden structure"? When I recall my times there for sporting events or concerts, or even call up a photo of the notorious Madhouse on Madison, it was a huge masonry/concrete building. Of course, there were undoubtedly things inside constructed entirely or in part with wood, like just about anyplace, but wooden structure? Are you thinking of another place, perhaps?
DeleteWas the Chicago Stadium really made of wood? Or was it actually metal? Lived half my life in Chicago and only attended events there a handful of times. A circus in 1952, when I was five, and a rally for LBJ in '64 (the first of five Democratic presidents I've seen in the flesh). And ONE hockey game, around 1990 or so.
DeleteThe cigarette lighters would only have proven dangerous if held near a wood ceiling, and I don't think it was wooden. And people probably were not that close. My first thought, when I heard about the fire, was that people are stupid and that stupidity kills. There's no vaccine for stupidity
. Sparklers and candles held up to a wooden ceiling covered with highly combustible foam. The exact same thing happened over twenty years ago, when that nightclub burned in New England. The idiots on stage, or who were with the metal band, set off "pyro" (fireworks)...and a hundred people died horribly.
If you know where to look on YouTube, you can find a video of them, and watch them as they burn to death, and hear their screams. Trust me...you will only watch it once. If that. The club owners went to jail. But people have short memories, and nobody learned anything from that disaster, and Switzerland is an ocean away.
I actually remember the arguments with my parents about it more than I do the building! I trust that you guys are correct and the place was built like Fort Knox. My mom had a thing about candles and flames of any kind. One of her 'go-to' lines was "you're going to burn the house down!" (we stuck things in the candles and made invisible writing with lemon juice, etc). So it was probably a myth from my youth. The last few times I was there was to watch the Blackhawks, and I honestly can't recall the construction.
DeletePerhaps you’re remembering the Amphitheater?
DeleteThink of how many people clicked their lighters, lit their candles and never perished doing so. Same reason people drive cars, ride buses and trains, fly in planes.
DeleteGeorge Bernard Shaw said, "He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches". Woody Allen added to that, "He who can't teach, teaches gym". I'd like to add, "He who can't teach gym, becomes a music critic". Apparently, Willis couldn't teach gym.
ReplyDeleteA strange genius. But aren’t they all?
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that Bob Dylan is #1 in my personal category of People whose Songs would Sound Better if Somebody Else Sang Them. (I would also include Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, and several others who are not obscure artists. I've been compiling this mental list while making breakfast this morning.)
ReplyDeleteIn many cases, other people have indeed covered his songs, and done a good job. There are lots of songwriters who are happy to write for others to sing, and leave it at that, and good for Bob Dylan to get out there, sing it himself and get credit for it, but I still can't get past the feeling that my ears are always grateful to hear someone else doing it.
Andy- I think it depends on the tone of the song/ what is being conveyed. Thinking of "Long Way Home" by Tom Waits, for example. His rough, gravelly voice depicts a stumbling drunk guy, yet I get different vibes when Norah Jones sings it. I like both versions.
DeleteFirst heard Dylan at 17, in 1964. Friend played an LP for me. Mocked his voice and laughed and sneered and remember saying that his harmonica sounded like the horn of the Skokie Swift. Yes, I actually said that.
DeleteBut a few months later I was listening to, and absorbing, every note and every word. Became a huge devotee for the rest of the 60s, and into the early 70s. The times were indeed a-changing...and I was, too. But in the mid-70s, something happened. My interest in Dylan waned--and finally died. For keeps. Still don't know why.
Never saw him live and will shamefully admit that I haven't paid much attention to Dylan for the past fifty years. He will be 85 in May. He was 23 when I heard his voice...and his message...for the first time. The time has gone by much too fast.
Color me Curious: What other singer would do a better rendition of "Eggs and Sausage, "Chocolate Jesus," and "Tom Traubert's Blues" than Tom Waits's original version?
DeleteHaving seen Dylan many times over the decades the most recent being last year's outlaw tour in Tinley Park with my oldest son, I immediately recognized him and members of the Band.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan . I went and watched a performance of the song on YouTube performed with Robbie Robertson et al
Probably not from as long ago as 1974
But in this version he sings over and over again" may you STAY forever Young"
Maybe he was informed of the unaccustomed subjunctive and changed it but I doubt it.
Nowadays you can't understand a single word he says nor recognize a melody or even a rhythm that gives you an indication as to what song He's played. He thrills me it's like being able to go watch Willie Mays play baseball 50 years after his heyday and he can still put the bat on the ball
Oh, I'm glad you brought that up, Franco. You are correct, he sings "may you STAY." Stresses the word, in fact (in posting this, I grabbed an earlier draft of the book; it's corrected now to reflect how it was in print). Willis quoting him singing "may you be" sent me down a particularly deep research rathole. Had the song changed? Was this an earlier version Dylan later amended? After burning up too much time working on that, I ended up consulting Bob Dylan experts James Ziegler and Richard Thomas, who have a tape of that concert, and checked it, discovering that Willis was simply wrong, as snide fellows so often are. Though having reviewed concerts myself, I know that when jotting down notes in the dark, one is prone to error.
DeleteBut the "be" is still there in the song... "may you be righteous and be strong"
DeleteHe may have sang "be" instead of "stay" on that particular night. Dylan was never one to go on stage and mimic his own songs.
DeleteWhen Dylan was young he was quite the troubadour and he sings his songs how they sounded on the record he's got many live records his performance at the concert for Bangladesh is a great example.
DeleteIn the 80s he really started to change things around and people disliked it. I thought it was great because all the people sitting around you weren't singing along.
When they worry you couldn't actually hear Dylan singing and it kind of sucked.
He's got many Good records the last 20 years and his voice doesn't sound too bad but in concert. It sounds like he's got marbles in his mouth
Last year's show in Tinley Park he played one song straight from the record first time I've seen him do that then years from what I understand he went to England and did it several times he's a real enigma
Franco
You're certainly right about The Concert for Bangla Desh.
DeleteI’ve been to weddings where it was played for father daughter and mother son dances. Love the song.
ReplyDeleteSubjunctive aside, am I the only one to find this song a little creepy?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why you would, unless to you it evokes a song to a (too?) young lover. According to Wikipedia, it was a lullaby to his son. Although I didn't know that, I've always thought it referred to youth of spirit, not physical youth.
DeleteDylan fans know it’s not about whether Bob can sing anymore, and its not about knowing the song right away…it’s about spending time with a legend…finally recognizing his latest version of whatever song, and then sleeping like a baby having been cleansed by a wave of pure genius.
ReplyDeleteI went to that concert with my older brother and cousin. It was my second big concert, the first being Three Dog Night at the International Ampitheater several years before. I wasn't a big fan of Bob Dylan at the time, but at age 16, I knew he was cool so I was surprisingly allowed to tag along.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing tomorrow's blog will be on the Field Museum.
ReplyDeleteI grew up when Dylan was first on the music scene; loved his songs, music, etc from the beginning. Still enjoy listening -especially driving-with my old cds playing.. Some song writers/singers are classic. I also love Bach and Mozart and opera. And The Beach Boys.
ReplyDeleteThe Chicago Fire started on Oct. 8, 1871, and was over by Oct. 10.
ReplyDeleteRIght you are, fixed. Thank you. And the book was sitting here in front of me. Always check.
DeleteFun memory and great words for the new year. I've just printed out the full lyrics; not sure what, but I'll do something with them! And Dylan's voice? It was Dylan and just right for Dylan.
ReplyDeleteRegarding For Ever Young. Rod Stewart did write a song with band mates For Ever Young. According to Wikipedia. The structure of the lyrics in this song was similar enough to a Bob Dylan song of the same title that, after its completion, the song was then sent to Dylan, asking whether he had a problem with it. The two men agreed to participate in the ownership of the song and share Stewart's royalties. I am guessing they made a few million off of Stewarts song
ReplyDelete