It is one of his masterpieces. Along w/ Like a Rolling Stone, Positively Fourth Street, Visions of Johana, Just Like a Woman, Memphis Blues, and Ballad of a Thin Man, this tune just screams at the listener to think! He always challenges his listener. I read somewhere, he never likes to repeat himself. This song is so incredibly unique. I remember when I was a kid when this album came out, and thought, what a great song title! So obviously the song is about a heartwrenching break up, probably his own, but he denies it. He said, "That was a song I wanted to make as a painting. A lot of people thought that song, that album, Blood on the Tracks, pertained to me, because it seemed to at the time. It was just a concept of putting in images that defy time--yesterday, today and tomorrow. I wanted to make them all connect in some strange way."
I don't believe him. It is probably about his break-up w/ Sara, and disguised as something more universal, like the soldier, the boxcar, the priest on the 7th day, the millionaire in Italy. The man's mind is so incredibly complex. That is what is so entertaining about his music. He is truly a painter. The images just come flying out of this song, like those in Johana--"lights flicker in the opposite loft, in this room the heat pipes just cough." Here, "flies buzzing around your eyes, blood on your saddle" prove to be such strong imagery. Even the album title portends something tragic, ominous, like the Coen Bros film "There will be Blood."
I agree w/ the previous poster--he is embittered at his ex, yet in the end admits it indeed takes two to tangle. There is plenty of blame for both. He is finally being honest w/ himself in the end. But what strikes me the most is his anger. Like Positively 4th Street, I have rarely heard a song containing so much rage.
One other thing--I don't believe I have ever heard an album that kicks off w/ four of the artist's most powerful/poignant songs--Tangled up in Blue, Simple Twist of Fate, You're a Big Girl Now, and Idiot Wind. Even though I think his stuff in '65 and '66 were his finest works, I still think this is his best yet--it's also the best musically.
It is one of his masterpieces. Along w/ Like a Rolling Stone, Positively Fourth Street, Visions of Johana, Just Like a Woman, Memphis Blues, and Ballad of a Thin Man, this tune just screams at the listener to think! He always challenges his listener. I read somewhere, he never likes to repeat himself. This song is so incredibly unique. I remember when I was a kid when this album came out, and thought, what a great song title! So obviously the song is about a heartwrenching break up, probably his own, but he denies it. He said, "That was a song I wanted to make as a painting. A lot of people thought that song, that album, Blood on the Tracks, pertained to me, because it seemed to at the time. It was just a concept of putting in images that defy time--yesterday, today and tomorrow. I wanted to make them all connect in some strange way."
I don't believe him. It is probably about his break-up w/ Sara, and disguised as something more universal, like the soldier, the boxcar, the priest on the 7th day, the millionaire in Italy. The man's mind is so incredibly complex. That is what is so entertaining about his music. He is truly a painter. The images just come flying out of this song, like those in Johana--"lights flicker in the opposite loft, in this room the heat pipes just cough." Here, "flies buzzing around your eyes, blood on your saddle" prove to be such strong imagery. Even the album title portends something tragic, ominous, like the Coen Bros film "There will be Blood."
I agree w/ the previous poster--he is embittered at his ex, yet in the end admits it indeed takes two to tangle. There is plenty of blame for both. He is finally being honest w/ himself in the end. But what strikes me the most is his anger. Like Positively 4th Street, I have rarely heard a song containing so much rage.
One other thing--I don't believe I have ever heard an album that kicks off w/ four of the artist's most powerful/poignant songs--Tangled up in Blue, Simple Twist of Fate, You're a Big Girl Now, and Idiot Wind. Even though I think his stuff in '65 and '66 were his finest works, I still think this is his best yet--it's also the best musically.
@railroadgin There Will Be Blood was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, not by the Coens
@railroadgin There Will Be Blood was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, not by the Coens