Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks

Written By: Moti Kupfer

Release date - 20.01.1975

Short stories turn into songs, especially when they come from one of the greatest storytellers of modern music.

The early 1970s brought a series of diverse albums by Bob Dylan, with uneven quality. “What is this shit?” asked Greil Marcus, music critic for Rolling Stone magazine, in response to Dylan’s tenth album, "Self Portrait". The double album included only a handful of new songs and was poorly received even by Dylan’s most loyal fans. Later that same year, Dylan rebounded with "New Morning", an album widely marked as a return to proper Dylan form.

In 1972, he composed the soundtrack for Sam Peckinpah’s film "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid", and also appeared in the movie as a supporting actor, playing one of the gang members. One song from the soundtrack, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", went on to receive dozens of cover versions over the years, left a far greater impression than the film itself, and became one of the defining classics of American rock music.

After his contract with "Columbia Records" expired, Dylan signed with David Geffen and his newly founded label "Asylum Records". He recorded the album "Planet Waves" together with members of "The Band", while simultaneously rehearsing for an upcoming tour.

In January 1974, Dylan and "The Band" launched a highly publicized coast-to-coast North American tour. Promoter Bill Graham claimed that the number of people seeking tickets was the highest he had ever seen. The tour was documented on the live album "Before the Flood".

Following the tour, it was reported in the media that Bob Dylan and his wife Sara had separated. Dylan filled three small notebooks with songs about relationships and marital struggles, which eventually became his fifteenth album, "Blood on the Tracks", released on January 20, 1975.

In his 2004 memoir, Dylan stated that the songs had no connection to his personal life and were instead inspired by the short stories of Anton Chekhov. His son, Jakob Dylan, leader of "The Wallflowers", was later quoted as believing that the album was in fact about his parents. Another key influence was artist Norman Raeben, whose 1974 painting workshop guide gave Dylan a new perspective and helped him connect his mind, hand, and eye together, allowing him to consciously do what he had previously felt only on a subconscious level.

When informed of the album’s popularity, Dylan told Mary Travers in a radio interview in April 1975: “A lot of people tell me they enjoyed that album. It's hard for me to relate to people enjoying that kind of pain.”

Dylan does seem to acknowledge the autobiographical nature of parts of the album, such as in "Simple Twist of Fate", which he introduced as “a simple love story that happened to me.” The song describes a one-night encounter in a hotel called the Waterfall. Dylan explores the thoughts of both the man and the woman, as she leaves to wander the docks shortly after the night of passion ends. He also shifts the song’s point of view from first person to third person, sometimes within the same verse.

In a 1978 interview, responding to interpretations that the album functioned as a personal confession and that "Tangled Up in Blue" was based on his relationship with Sara, Dylan said, “There might be some little part ... me confessing anything.” This aligns closely with the concept he absorbed from Norman Raeben. The song does deal with his wife Sara, describing how they split up on a dark sad night by the docks, something that likely did happen. The remarkable thing is that Dylan usually does not expose his emotions at all. But here, it is as if he wrote his feelings on a sign and held it up for the world to see. The lyrics are exceptionally deep and profoundly poetic.

In songs like "You're a Big Girl Now", "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go", and "If You See Her, Say Hello", Bob Dylan struggles to balance emotional maturity with the need to let go, all while being haunted by what might have been.

Melancholy gives way to bitterness in "Idiot Wind", an almost eight-minute lament in which a resentful Dylan develops anger and a sense of vengeance toward the lover who destroyed their shared love. In "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts", we encounter cinematic Dylan, delivering an upbeat country ballad that depicts a single night in the lives of outlaws, a diamond mine owner, and cabaret performers in an Old West town.

In "Shelter from the Storm", Dylan reflects on visions of a former great love who once offered him refuge from the constant storm that life presents. But as with many of the songs on the album, unconditional love eventually gives way to regret, as the two lose each other. After all the confessions and remorse comes "Buckets of Rain", which closes the album with Dylan looking forward rather than dwelling on heartbreak. Accompanied only by his acoustic guitar and a bass, Dylan presents love in uncomplicated terms. He describes the effort required to find it amid the bleakness of everyday life and the reality of friendships that drift apart. The words are simple yet carry profound depth and meaning, as he sings: “Friends will come, friends will go / If you want me, honey, I’ll be here.”

The album cover features a profile portrait of Bob Dylan looking to the left. The image was photographed by Paul Till. Till explained that the photo was taken with a telephoto lens during a performance at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on January 10, 1974. When developing the photograph, he solarized the image and then hand-colored it using watercolors.

For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music

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