Bob Dylan is regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time but was also a keen horseman.
There is not much information about Dylan’s equestrian pursuits, but there are plenty of photos of him engaging in equestrian activities both on and off the screen (Dylan played a number of western/cowboy characters in his punctuated film career).
Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career spanning nearly 60 years. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" (1963) and "The Times They Are a-Changin'" (1964) became anthems for the civil rights and anti-war movements. His lyrics during this period incorporated a range of political, social, philosophical, and literary influences, defying pop music conventions and appealing to the restless counterculture.
One of his most controversial songs was called "All the Tired Horses" which was the lead song on his 1970 double album
Self Portrait. A requiem. It is most notable for its absence of Dylan's singing. It consists of a small choir of female voices repeating the same two lines to the same melody for 3 minutes and 14 seconds, with varying instrumental accompaniment.
All the tired horses in the sun
How'm I s'posed to get any ridin' done? Hmm.
You can listen to the song
here: It is worth a listen for its sheer unusualness.
For one of the greatest lyrists of the decade, the song has been described by some popular culture gurus as a "cop out" and Rolling Stones Magazine reviewed the whole album with the headline “What is this s—t?”. The song was used in the 2001 film Blow.
The lyrics hint at meaning but defy interpretation. Perhaps “riding” is a metaphor for a wearied Dylan’s “writing”. Repetition gives the two lines a strange power and the song has a hypnotic gospel-type feel. All The Tired Horses has been described by one critic as “enough to lure sailors to their deaths” and it frequently appears on lists as one of the ten worst songs of all time. Presumably, because it is benchmarked against Dylan’s other works.
Popular culture magazine Mojo described Dylan’s most recent album Rough And Rowdy Ways, released in February last year and Dylan's first in eight years, as a “vaccine against culture’s shrinking expectations”. Dylan is now 81years old.
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