All Along the Watchtower
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- For the Scottish TV comedy series, see All Along the Watchtower (TV series)
"All Along the Watchtower" is a song written by folk-rock musician Bob Dylan.
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Background
Dylan has indicated that the events in the song's lyrics are "in a rather reverse order", (see Marqusee, p. 236), beginning logically in time with the "All Along The Watchtower" verse, describing the approach of the horsemen, and ending with the now opening lines, "'There must be some way out of here,' said the Joker to the Thief."
The song was recorded by the artist as a quiet, menacing three-chord folk song, featuring only an acoustic guitar, bass guitar, harmonica and drums for release on his equally quiet and menacing album John Wesley Harding, which was released on December 27, 1967. (According to some sources, it had originally been intended to add a full backing later).
Dylan, recovering from a motorcycle accident that marks a shift in his career as an amphetamine-driven rock-poet, was reading the Bible on a daily basis. As with many of the lyrics to the songs on this album, the words to "Watchtower" contain possible biblical and apocalyptic references, and are difficult to decipher with any degree of certainty. The song depicts a conversation between two people, a "joker" and a "thief", about the difficulties of getting by in life ("There's too much confusion"). Ironically, the joker is concerned about losing his property, and it is the thief rather than the joker who observes that some individuals among them believe that life can be humorous: "There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke." Analyst Sir Eric Grimwade presumed that Dylan may be using the thief's observation that some "take life as but a joke" and the joker's complaint that "none of them along the line know what any of it is worth" as a commentary on the perceived value of human life by supporters of the conflict in Vietnam. The joker then suggests that time is running out, which may hint of their own mortality or foreshadow a change in society. In the last verse the viewpoint of the song switches abruptly. The ruling princes stand guard in a watchtower over their women and servants as an unnamed pair approach amid ominous sounds.
One hypothesis (see e.g. Marqusee, p. 236) for the song's inspiration is that Dylan's couplet:
- Outside in the distance a wild cat did growl,
- Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl
may have sprung from Isaiah's similarly apocalyptic chapter 21:8-9:
- And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights. And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.
Cover versions
The song has been covered by many artists, including Richie Havens, Brewer & Shipley, XTC, the Indigo Girls, U2, Run DMC, Neil Young, TSOL, Elton John, Michael Hedges, Dave Matthews Band, Howie Day, The Grateful Dead, Phish, Lenny Kravitz, Paul Weller, Jeff Healey and Pat McGee Band. It was also remixed by Dj. Funkstar DeLux.
Jimi Hendrix
Guitarist Jimi Hendrix recorded a notable version, one which has overshadowed Dylan's own performance. He heard the track after being taken to a party by Traffic's Dave Mason. Hendrix, a longtime fan of Dylan's work, commented he would love to cover the track. The same night, Dave Mason and Hendrix recorded their version, with Brian Jones present in the studio. Jones played piano on some of the initial takes, but not on the final version. While Dylan's version had been minimalistic and menacing, Hendrix's spared nothing—his wailing electric guitar and sing-song vocal delivery were wholly different from Dylan's quiet folk performance. Hendrix rearranged the song to include several electric guitar solos, where the harmonica solos were in Dylan's version, and included it on his album Electric Ladyland (1968). The longest solo on the song is among the most famous guitar solos. After some conventional lead work, it has some slide playing (made with some metallic matchbox instead of slide tube). After that comes a wah-wah part and then some riffs in the end. Released as a single, it was an immediate hit—the only US Top 40 single Hendrix would release in his lifetime. Many assumed that Hendrix had written the song himself, so different was his delivery from Dylan's. Dylan's subsequent live performances of his own song have also used an electric guitar and been closer to Hendrix's arrangement than his studio version; however, it should be noted that most of Dylan's contemporary live performances use electric guitars, and he typically re-arranges all his songs in concert. Hendrix's version was featured in the movies Withnail and I, Private Parts and Forrest Gump.
Dave Matthews Band
The Dave Matthews Band has been known to cover the song since the band's inception in the early 1990s. Their rendition of the song maintains Dylan's three chord structure and key signature but differs in style. Vocalist and guitarist, Dave Matthews, typically begins the song slowly with just vocals and acoustic guitar. The band members come in after the line "the hour is getting late" and the song tempo and intensity picks up. This is then followed by extended solos taken by the band members culminating with the line that the band chooses to highlight, "No reason to get excited." The song is often chosen to feature a guest performer since it is a well known rock standard. Watchtower, as it is often referred to by fans, is a concert staple, often performed as a concert closer or encore. Total performances of the song, including those performed solo by Matthews or with guitarist Tim Reynolds have totaled over 500 to date. The group has released the song on over a half dozen live albums but has never released a studio recording of the song. Both Pat McGee and Howie Day have performed the song in the style of Dave Matthews.
U2
Irish rock band U2 first played a cover of the song during the Boy Tour in 1981. Years later during the Joshua Tree Tour in 1987, the cover was played for a second time, in San Francisco, CA, with an additional verse added by Bono. This special performace was later included as a scene in U2's 1989 rockumentary film, Rattle and Hum, and also as a track on the album of the same name. The song was played as a homage to both Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, and was later followed up by making its way into almost 50 live shows during the band's 1989 Lovetown Tour. The song has since faded from the band's live performances, however did make a brief comeback at a show in Denver, CO during the Elevation Tour in 2001.
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
In February 2006 a trailer for Tom Clancy's video game Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) contained a remade version of the song. The following artists contributed to the remade version of the song: Everlast – vocals; Billy Gould (Faith No More) – bass; Raymond Herrera (Fear Factory, Killing Zone) – drums; Doug Carrion (Kottonmouth Kings, Dag Nasty) – guitar; Russell Ali (Kamana/Killing Zone - local LA bands) – guitar.
Literary use
In the 10th chapter of the classic comic book series, Watchmen, "Two Riders", it concludes with the superheroes, Nite-Owl and Rorschach riding their hoverbikes to the villain's Antarctic to confront him. Meanwhile, that villain watches them approach as his pet wildcat growls at the sight in a scene that corresponds to the final lyrics of the song which are quoted in the last panel of the chapter.
Reference
Marqusee, M (2003), Chimes of Freedom: The Politics of Bob Dylan's Art, New Press