Performed Literature: Words and Music by Bob DylanBob Dylan is not a poet. He is a singer-songwriter, a performing artist. The unit of his art, as collected and documented by his intended audience, is the live performance. Right now, no existing technological tool can give researchers ready access to his entire corpus of work. Revised from the author's Ph.D. dissertation (UC Berkeley, 1978) and again from its first edition (Indiana UP, 1982), Performed Literature develops a methodology for close analysis of verbal art that is heard, not seen, using as comparative examples 24 performances of 11 songs by Bob Dylan. The second edition adds a preface, two major appendices and one minor one, and a detailed index. |
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Page 137
But not until Blood on the Tracks do several outtakes survive that are full length ,
with similar words but different sound than in the ... For example , in the outtake “
Tangled Up in Blue , ” the narrator starts out as a third - person pronoun .
But not until Blood on the Tracks do several outtakes survive that are full length ,
with similar words but different sound than in the ... For example , in the outtake “
Tangled Up in Blue , ” the narrator starts out as a third - person pronoun .
Page 151
In the outtake descending organ chords back up lines much more frequently ,
sometimes detracting from the sense of the words . For instance , such chords
behind “ losing every battle ” make losing , rather than winning , primary . The
dream ...
In the outtake descending organ chords back up lines much more frequently ,
sometimes detracting from the sense of the words . For instance , such chords
behind “ losing every battle ” make losing , rather than winning , primary . The
dream ...
Page 152
The lyrics of the second verse are much altered : the narrator in the outtake lyrics
is more in control of his situation . Instead of running into a fortune teller , he takes
the initiative to seek out a prediction . The personification of " peace and quiet ...
The lyrics of the second verse are much altered : the narrator in the outtake lyrics
is more in control of his situation . Instead of running into a fortune teller , he takes
the initiative to seek out a prediction . The personification of " peace and quiet ...
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aesthetic ain't album alliteration appear artistic audience Babe Baby beat becomes begins Blues Bob Dylan breaks chords closing comes concert continues contrast couplet create culture drums Dylan's voice effect emotional example express eyes fall feel female final follow four fourth give guitar hard harmonica Idiot Wind imagery instrumental Isis it's Italy John lady lead leave less listener live Lonely looking mark meaning measures Miss move narrator narrator's never notes once opening oppositions organ outtake patterns performance phrase pitch plays poetic rain recorded refer refrain released response rhyme rock Rolling Stone sad-eyed scene seems sense shift Side sings someone song song's sound stands stanza structure studio suggests sung tell third throughout tradition verse vocal voice Warner Bros woman words York