This series of articles looks at Dylan’s compositions from the point of view of the music he wrote and the way he changed his musical style. A list of previous articles in the series is at the end.
By Tony Attwood
In the last article in this series, we looked at the early 1973 compositions in which Bob clearly was trying to explore ways of developing the musical content of his songs, and I ended up with “Going going gone” and my phrase “turning an ok song into one of the greatest moments in rock music.” It is a song that included chord changes, melodic movements and rhythmic alternations the likes of which Dylan had never incorporated before, and all that in one song.
The next song on our list as we follow Dylan’s compositional work month by month, is “Hazel”, which is a love song from Planet Waves, and which got just seven outings across an 11 year period . And to deviate for a moment from my main theme, I would love to know how this sort of history of occasional performances happens. By which I mean, did Bob suddenly wake up thinking about the girl this was written about, or did someone say to Bob, “Hey my girlfriend is Hazel – could you play your Hazel song tonight – she’d be knocked out…” or indeed anything else. How does it happen? If you have an idea, do let me know.
As far as I can tell, “Hazel” has about ten chords in the accompaniment, which is probably more than any other Dylan song, and it uses a technique he seemingly had only recently thought of using – introducing chords that are not part of the basic structure of the key he is performing in. In this case, the accompaniment runs through E, G#, A, F#7, at the very start, and although the song clearly is in the key of E, two of those chords are not formed from notes that are found in E major. Which is not to say anything here is “wrong” for it works perfectly, but rather to say, “I don’t think Dylan had done this before”.
So, of course, there is nothing new here in musical terms – popular songwriters have been doing this sort of thing for years – but those based more in the folk and blues tradition, such as Dylan, have not. Which again is not to say that a blues artist writing a song in E major would only use chords that can be made out of the notes of E major – far from it – but when such a composer wanted a variation, he would be inclined to throw in D major, rather than the G# major and F#7 that we find here.
Thus Dylan is not breaking new ground – plenty of songwriters have used such chords before – but rather it is to say this is new for Dylan. And this really is my point. I think Dylan at this time was deliberately trying to find new ways to write the music to go with his new approach to lyrics.
So, if we go back to classics such as “Visions of Johanna,” that whole song is based on three chords – all of which are regularly found in songs in the key it is written in. So, if we consider “Visions” in A major, the three chords are A major, D major, and E major.
Indeed, it can be argued that Visions doesn’t need multiple chord changes because it is powered by its outstanding lyrics – even that opening line starting, “Ain’t it just like the night to play tricks when you’re trying to be so quiet,” is enough to stop most people in their tracks.
Yet Dylan does have an interesting melody in Visions, and it is the lyrics and melody that power the song along and keep us gripped. Thus, there is no need for multiple chord changes. And if you listen to other masterpieces of the era, I think you will find the same – “Desolation Row” is another perfect example. If any extra chords are added, they are incidental to the overall issue because the lyrics and melody themselves draw us in. And to jump back a step, just consider, “They’re selling postcards of the hanging” as a line, and imagine it is the first time you have ever heard that. How can you do anything but pay attention?
But now, in 1973, Dylan doesn’t have such openings, and he is not writing songs about subjects that no one has ever touched on before in terms of rock lyrics. Now he is writing a love song, and we have all heard ten thousand love songs before. So he needs to do something else – and the something else he has chosen is unexpected chord changes that do not occur in the rock tradition, and indeed where it is found that is generally within popular music from the 1920s and 1930s.
This is not to say Dylan has copied someone else’s chord sequence or melody – but rather that Dylan has changed styles. The chords here are taken from the Dylanchords website.
E G# Hazel, dirty-blonde hair A F#7 I wouldn't be ashamed to be seen with you anywhere. E G# C#m E A You got something I want plenty of E B A G#m F#m E Ooh, a little touch of your love.
This is a totally different way of writing from that which Dylan adopted previously. And if that were not enough, the “middle 8” of the song, instead of simply moving up for a moment to centre around the fourth note of the key the song is in (which in this case would be A) Dylan changes the melody, the key and the rhythm. All at once.
Am G
Grandma said, "Boy, go and follow your heart
G C/g G
And you'll be fine at the end of the line.
G C/g G
All that's gold isn't meant to shine.
Am C D /(c c bb bb a)
Don't you and your one true love ever part."
Suddenly, without any of the normal conventions of modulation, we have jumped from the key of E major to the completely unrelated G major, and then at the end of the middle 8 suddenly we jump back into E major.
Now I am not saying “jump back into” in a pejorative way – it is interesting, and makes for a good piece of music, although I must admit not one of my personal favourites. But my key point is that these are certainly not the sort of lyrics we have come to associate with Bob – not even when he was writing love songs. I mean if we just compare the opening lines of “Hazel, dirty-blonde hair,” with “My love she speaks like silence,” it is clear we are on a different planet. And what Bob has done, rather cleverly I think, is found his way to create a different sort of music for this very different sort of song.
Previously in this series….
- We might have noted the musical innovations more
- From Hattie Carroll to the incoming ship
- From Times to Percy’s song
- Combining musical traditions in unique ways
- Using music to take us to a world of hope
- Chimes of Freedom and Tambourine Man
- Bending the form to its very limits
- From Denise to Mama
- Balled in Plain
- Black Crow to All I really want to do
- I’ll keep it with mine
- Dylan does gothic and the world ends
- The Gates of Eden
- After the Revolution – another revolution
- Returning to the roots (but with new chords)
- From “It’s all right” to “Angelina”. What appened?
- How strophic became something new: Love is just a four letter word
- Bob reaches the subterranean
- The conundrum of the song that gets worse
- Add one chord, keep it simple, sing of love
- It’s over. Start anew. It’s the end
- Desolation Row: perhaps the most amazing piece of popular music ever written
- Can you please crawl out your window
- Positively Fourth Street
- Where the lyrics find new lands, keep the music simple
- Tom Thumb’s journey. It wasn’t that bad was it?
- From Queen Jane to the Thin Man
- The song that revolutionised what popular music could do
- Taking the music to completely new territory
- Sooner or Later the committee will realise its error
- The best ever version of “Where are you tonight sweet Marie?”
- Just like a woman
- Most likely you go your way
- Everybody must get stoned
- Obviously 5 Believers
- I Want You. Creativity dries up
- Creativity dries up – the descent towards the basement.
- One musical line sung 12 times to 130 worlds
- Bob invents a totally new musical form
- There is a change we can see and a change we can’t see
- A sign on the window tells us that change is here
- One more weekend and New Morning: pastures new
- Three Angels, an experiment that leads nowhere
- An honorary degree nevertheless. But why was Bob not pleased?
- When Bob said I will show you I am more than three chords
- Moving out of the darkness
- The music returns but with uncertainty
- Heaven’s Door, Never Say Goodbye, and a thought that didn’t work…
- Going going gone