Deciphering Dylan's "Where are you tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)" #LyricVideo, #Reaction,

7 months ago
11

This forgotten classic is the final track on Bob Dylan's often overlooked 1978 album "Street Legal." Written in the wake of his divorce from his wife Sara and the custody battle over their 4 children, it is filled with strong emotion both about the loss of the love of his life and also about the bitterness of his legal struggles.

As the last album before Dylan entered his "Jesus Period," Dylanologists have been searching for clues of his coming conversion, and there are plenty here, although I prefer not to dive too deep into that rabbit hole. Musically the song is notable for the introduction of a female chorus which he will use throughout his Jesus period and beyond featuring his future wife Carolyn Dennis and an organ part that appears to be an exact replica of the famous riff from, "Like a Rolling Stone."

To help me understand the song I have added lyric captions to both the song and my discussion. The original audio can be found here:

https://youtu.be/9pVRt3FU6As?si=EIwjyQm61zqmbJwZ

Loading 1 comment...