Nice interpretation! Live versions from this time can be found on Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 and as a bonus track on the reissue of (Untitled). [14] The title of Younger Than Yesterday was itself directly inspired by the song's refrain of "Ah, but I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now. "My Back Pages" has been covered by artists as diverse as Keith Jarrett, the Byrds, the Ramones, the Nice, Steve Earle, and the Hollies. [25][26] Following its release on Younger Than Yesterday, the song would go on to become a staple of The Byrds' live concert repertoire, until their final disbandment in 1973. Hyde. She scrapped the tune when the project was retooled to include more ballads. In 1995, the German rock musician Wolfgang Niedecken recorded a German-language (Kölsch language) cover of the song with the title "Vill Passiert Sickher" for his album Leopardefell. "My Back Pages" is a song written by Bob Dylan and included on his 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan. I think that's what Dylan was saying in this song. [21] The Byrds had already released a total of six Dylan covers on their first two albums, Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn! [1] The song was partly based on the traditional folk song "Young But Growing"[1] and has a mournful melody similar to that of "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" from Dylan's previous album, The Times They Are a-Changin'. I was still keeping the things that are really really real out of my songs, for fear they'd be misunderstood. The bset rendition of this song is on the 30th anniversary concert done in about 1993. The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream. [7] The lyrics also signal Dylan's disillusionment with the 1960s protest movement and his intention to abandon protest songwriting. With lines like "My pathway led by confusion boats" and "I dreamed romantic facts of musketeers," this is a rather cryptic song, but it likely deals with Dylan's efforts to distance himself from politics. [14][16] The single reached number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 18 in Canada, but failed to chart in the United Kingdom. Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. [2] The refrain has also been interpreted as Dylan celebrating his "bright, new post-protest future. [2] As with the other songs on Another Side, Dylan is the sole musician on "My Back Pages" and plays in a style similar to his previous protest songs, with a sneering, rough-edged voice and a hard-strumming acoustic guitar accompaniment.[3][4]. [13] Austrian singer-songwriter Wolfgang Ambros recorded a version of the song named "Alt und Jung" ("Old and Young"). More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits) and on the 2007 album Dylan. "[10], In an interview with the Sheffield University Paper in May 1965, Dylan explained the change that had occurred in his songwriting over the previous twelve months, noting "The big difference is that the songs I was writing last year ... they were what I call one-dimensional songs, but my new songs I'm trying to make more three-dimensional, you know, there's more symbolism, they're written on more than one level. In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind.". In "My Back Pages," Dylan tries to distance himself from the serious political commentator people took him for. Although Dylan wrote the song in 1964, he did not perform it live until 1988. Dierks Bentley's "5-1-5-0" was the first ever all-numerical titled #1 in the Country chart's history. It is stylistically similar to his earlier folk protest songs and features Dylan's voice with an acoustic guitar accompaniment. Smith. He was surprised when record executive Don Kirshner passed it instead to The Monkees. Later you realise that you have a lot more to learn ie. In the play "Give'Em Hell, Harry," James Whitmore as Harry Truman bewails the way college kid "seem to think they know it all." II (a.k.a. [32], The Original Singles: 1967–1969, Volume 2, "The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration", Live 1961–2000: Thirty-Nine Years of Great Concert Performances, Bob Dylan – The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings, Bob Dylan: The Complete Album Collection Vol. [1][5] At the 30th Anniversary Tribute Concert to Dylan at Madison Square Garden in 1992, Dylan performed "My Back Pages", in the Byrds' arrangement, with George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Roger McGuinn. [12] "[2] Shelton also notes that the refrain maps a path from Blakean experience to the innocence of William Wordsworth. "[6], Dylan's disenchantment with the protest movement had previously surfaced in a speech he had given in December 1963 when accepting an award from the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee (ECLC) in New York. When Pearl Jam plays "Daughter" live, they usually extend the ending so Eddie Vedder can improvise, saying or singing whatever is on his mind. From Newport to the Ancient Empty Street in L.A. The lilting refrain ... must be one of the most lyrical expressions of political apostasy ever penned. [17][22][23] Despite Crosby's objections, the band recorded "My Back Pages" between December 5 and 8, 1966, during the recording sessions for their fourth album. It is stylistically similar to his earlier folk protest songs and features Dylan's voice with an acoustic guitar accompaniment. It’s super easy, we promise! Lyrics submitted by One, The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991, Vol. [27], In addition to its appearance on the Younger Than Yesterday album, The Byrds' original version of "My Back Pages" appears on several of the band's compilations, including The Byrds' Greatest Hits, History of The Byrds, The Byrds Play Dylan, The Original Singles: 1967–1969, Volume 2, The Byrds, The Very Best of The Byrds, The Essential Byrds, and There Is a Season. Me, I don't want to write for people anymore. "[15] "My Back Pages" was subsequently issued as a single by The Byrds on March 13, 1967, with the version included on the single being a radio edit that omitted the song's second verse, to reduce the playing time from 3:08 to 2:31. In addition to its initial appearance on Another Side of Bob Dylan, "My Back Pages" has appeared on a number of Dylan compilation albums. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue, Vol. [1] The arrangement he used eliminated some of the song's verses and included an electric guitar part performed by session musician G. E. [20] Lead guitarist Jim McGuinn felt that it would make an effective cover version, but David Crosby, the band's rhythm guitarist, felt that covering another Dylan song was formulaic. [13], The American rock band The Byrds released a recording of "My Back Pages" on February 6, 1967, as part of their fourth album, Younger Than Yesterday. "My Back Pages" is a song written by Bob Dylan and included on his 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan. [24] Upon its release, this cover was received well by the critics and is today regarded as one of The Byrds' strongest Dylan interpretations. Neil Diamond originally wrote "I'm A Believer" for the Country artist Eddy Arnold. He seems to be saying several things, including: 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971). "[1] As Dylan stated to Nat Hentoff at the time that "My Back Pages" and the other songs on Another Side of Bob Dylan were written, "There aren't any finger pointing songs [here] ... Now a lot of people are doing finger pointing songs. More songs from The Byrds More songs written by Bob Dylan [30], The song has been covered by numerous artists, including The Ramones, Po!, America, The Hollies, The Nice, Eric Johnson, The Box Tops, Carl Verheyen, Jackson Browne & Joan Osborne, Marshall Crenshaw, Keith Jarrett, Steve Earle, La Mancha de Rolando, Dick Gaughan, and Anna Nalick. The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963–1965, Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan, Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met), It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry, Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again, Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine, The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest, The Best of The Byrds: Greatest Hits, Volume II, The Original Singles: 1965–1967, Volume 1, 20 Essential Tracks from the Byrds Box Set (1965-1990), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Back_Pages&oldid=985199254, Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer), Pages using infobox song with unknown parameters, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 24 October 2020, at 15:23. [27] On December 4, 1968, a later line-up of The Byrds re-recorded an excerpt of "My Back Pages" as part of a medley that was included on their 1969 album, Dr. Byrds & Mr. However, its lyrics—in particular the refrain "Ah, but I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now"—have been interpreted as a rejection of Dylan's earlier personal and political idealism, illustrating his growing disillusionment with the 1960s' folk protest movementwith which he was associa…