All Along the Watchtower

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"All Along the Watchtower"

Song by Bob Dylan
from the album John Wesley Harding
Released	December 27, 1967
Recorded	October 17 - November 29, 1967
Genre	Folk rock
Length	2:31
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Bob Dylan
Producer(s)	Bob Johnston
John Wesley Harding track listing
I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine (3)	"All Along the Watchtower" (4)	The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest (5)

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 and poet Bob Dylan.

1 Background
2 Cover versions
3 Trivia
4 Reference
5 External links

[edit] 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-famous 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).

Music sample:

Bob Dylan "All Along the Watchtower" (1967) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample from Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower". From the album John Wesley Harding.
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.

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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 that aren't taking life as seriously as they should: "There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke." It has been said that Dylan was complaining about record company executives cheating him out of royalties with the lines "Businessman they drink my wine/Plowmen dig my earth". 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.

[edit] Cover versions

The song has been covered by many artists, including:

[edit] The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Music sample:

The Jimi Hendrix Experience "All Along the Watchtower" (1968) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample from Jimi Hendrix's cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower". From the album Electric Ladyland.
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.

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The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded possibly the most notable version, one which many feel has overshadowed Dylan's original performance. Hendrix himself 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 the Electric Ladyland album (1968). The longest solo on the song is among the most famous guitar solos. After a period of more conventional lead work, it features slide guitar, done with a cigarette lighter rather than a more traditional tube of glass or metal. Hendrix settled on the lighter after frantically trying other objects to get the exact sound that he had in his head for that portion of the solo. The solo also features a complex wah-wah line.

Released as a single, it was an immediate hit—the only US Top 40 single Hendrix would release in his lifetime. So different was his delivery from Dylan's, that some people assumed that Hendrix had written the song himself. Dylan's subsequent live performances of Watchtower also used an electric guitar, like most of Dylan's contemporary live performances do. Hendrix's version was featured in the movies Withnail and I, Rush, Private Parts, Forrest Gump, A Bronx Tale, and Tupac: Resurrection and also in television shows such as The Simpsons, in episodes "Mother Simpson" and "My Mother the Carjacker". This version of the song appears at number 48 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs ever. Dylan himself has commented that he feel's Hendrix's version is a superior arangement.

[edit] U2

Music sample:

U2 "All Along the Watchtower" (1988) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample from U2's cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower", from the album Rattle and Hum
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.

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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 performance was later included as a scene in U2's 1988 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 The Jimi Hendrix Experience, 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 has made brief comebacks as it was snippeted by the band at two shows during the Zoo TV Tour and Elevation Tour.

[edit] Dave Matthews Band

Music sample:

Dave Matthews Band "All Along the Watchtower" (1995) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Sample from Dave Matthews Band's cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower", from the album Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.

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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.

[edit] Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter

In February 2006 a trailer for Tom Clancy's video game Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 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. This version also plays during the game's credits. That trailer can be watched here

[edit] Trivia

The 10th chapter, "Two Riders", of the classic comic book series Watchmen concludes with the superheroes Nite-Owl and Rorschach riding their hoverbikes to the villain's Antarctic base to confront him. As the villain watches them approach, his pet wildcat growls at the sight in a scene that corresponds to the final lyrics of the song — lyrics which are quoted in the last panel of the chapter.
The Bob Dylan version was featured in the 1999 film American Beauty.
In March 2005, Q magazine placed "All Along the Watchtower" at number 80 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
Texas Rangers' first baseman, Mark Teixeira uses this song as his intro music when he comes up to bat.
A World of Warcraft quest is named after the song.