Song of the Day: When Dylan Mixed Up the Medicine

One of the most influential songs ever, "Subterranean Homesick Blues," was released on March 8 in 1965. And you still don't need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind blows.

Greg Mitchell is the author of a dozen books and now writer/director of award-winning films. He was also a longtime editor of the legendary Crawdaddy.

Heading for a (much deserved?) one-week vacation on Wednesday morning, even while putting the finishing touches on my latest film, set to debut over PBS stations around May 12. So an abbreviated, for me, daily posting today, and skipping the usual political cartoons. See you next week. In the meantime, would you mind taking a moment and recommending this newsletter to friends and suggest (via social media or whatever) that they, and even strangers, subscribe—adding, it’s still free? Thank you.

Dylan’s first electric single (and some say first rock-rap song), “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” was released by Columbia on March 8 in 1965, in advance of his landmark Bringing It All Back Home album. I remember this well: In my high school cafeteria one of the hipsters who had transcribed the lyrics on a sheet of paper and waving it around. I only knew Bob from his folk-protest ditties so….life changing, one might say!

Here are a few versions/videos.

The 1965 alternate Don’t Look Back version which hardly anyone saw for decades but also featuring Ginsberg.

The Bob Roberts’ parody, via Tim Robbins.

A Lumineers live cover.

Harry Nilsson from 1974, with Ringo on drums and Lennon producing.

A 2022 video re-make you may have missed.