1. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again - Blonde On Blonde (1966)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXlwZkshzvc Im going to be honest, even though Ive had a good crack at analysing the other nine songs on this list, Im not really sure what Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again is about. In fact, John Lennon even wrote a hilarious parody of the song, entitled Stuck Inside of Lexicon with the Rogets Thesaurus Blues Again in order to make a wry comment on Dylan difficult and increasingly impenetrable subject matter. At the risk of coming across all Mr Jones, Id say that this song is all about the disconnection and isolation that substance overindulgence and a hyperactive creative streak can bring. Theres the ragman who circles the block incessantly, the notion that Dylan no longer has any sense of time and the fact that the mailbox is locked. That is to say that Dylan no longer has any way of effectively communicating with anyone and this disorientation is the result of a brain overloaded with drugs and ideas. And, as such, finds himself alone, desperate and wishing he was somewhere else, feeling stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again. But, I dont really know whats happening here, so Im going to leave it for those cleverer than me. Featuring a delicious example of Blonde On Blondes distinctive and ubiquitous thin, mercury sound, realised through a scintillating and infectious organ riff, Stuck Inside of Mobile... may be opaque in terms of meaning but its poetic flow and wealth of imagery is utterly remarkable. Dylan never reached these dizzy heights again!
Dan Owens
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A 22 year old English Literature graduate from Birmingham. I am passionate about music, literature and football, in particular, my beloved Aston Villa. Lover of words and consumer of art, music is the very air that I breathe.
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