Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall | REACTION/REVIEW

[@Code9]

This is one example of why Dylan was presented the Nobel award for literature. He was a genius when it came to capturing and expressing the pulse of his generation.

[@John_Locke_108]

One of the greatest songs ever written from one of the best records ever.

[@iainprendergast8311]

Amen

[@carsten1989]

Agreed

[@leonardsmith4976]

It's amazing how good writing can hold it's own for generations

[@thomasconnell5029]

Dylan was 22 when he wrote this song. I’ve been listening to him since I was 17 I’m 72 now. He changes always over the course of nearly 40 albums. Man has a lot to say. We need to listen.

[@jimdonahue7230]

Bob's songs always stand the test of time because truth is ALWAYS truth.

[@johno1765]

Dylan wrote this song around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. I believe he said he didn't think he had time to write all the songs he wanted to write before the "hard rain" ravaged half the world, so he tried to write each line that could be a song in itself. He structured the song according to the old English Ballad, Lord Randall. "Oh where ha'e ye been, Lord Randall my son? O where ha'e ye been, my handsome young man?"

[@simchabaruch7023]

Thank you

[@tonysienzant6717]

The 'hard rain' metaphor has been likened to nuclear fallout after a nuclear war. It could also mean the nuclear bombs themselves raining down. While those are both legitimate as symbolism, I prefer the 'hard rain' of Biblical implications: The Great Flood that washed the old world away, to be renewed. Throughout Dylan's career, his references to the Bible & its passages & its personae, is a constant thread centered on the idea of redemption & the freedom after salvation. Scholars have written about this. And we shouldn't forget his Christian conversion in the late 1970s. In fact, Dylan uses different sorts of 'languages' in nearly every song. That's why they work so well. He could have a line that is in use in the common vernacular, or common man on the street slang terms, or 'hillbilly' utterances followed by a line that has the grandiosity & sweep of Bible verses or Classic Literature. One can almost think of it as a combination or contrast between the Sacred & the Profane, as if one is a relatively short step from the other: Reality versus the Utopian vision. He uses it to great effect. Not many are capable of that.

[@jamesmoffatt6430]

@@tonysienzant6717 When Studs Terkel interviewed him, he assumed that the hard rain was nuclear fallout, but Bob responded very vigorously by saying, no! Not fallout, just a hard rain.

[@ceceliarussell-jayne2447]

I think your interpretation is spot on. The song is even more powerful now than when it was written because we can see it’s prophetic.

[@billcole5035]

Dylan has never been afraid to oppose any social injustice. An American icon. Thanks so much for your reactions. I really enjoy them.

[@Squeekyleaks]

Pure genius. Another mind blowing song he wrote is "With God on Our Side." Try to listen to the studio version, he tends to leave verses out in all the live preformances. I really enjoy your insightful reviews. ❤

[@edwardpurcell2905]

This shows me that times are the same through the decades. It's literally a poetic way of what was going on then and much can be said the same today in these trying times ... Timeless

[@hongfang2348]

You just heard one of the greatest Bob Dylan songs from only his 2nd album...when he was a very young man...aside from this great song, the album (Freewheelin Bob Dylan) is a masterpiece.

[@tonysienzant6717]

What makes that album stand up so well is that it's a great mix of serious topical songs relevant to the times with ones that are humorous. "Talkin' WWIII Blues" is both humorous with serious intent. It showed his versatility. He could be deeply insightful with mind bombs or could be off-the-cuff funny, both in subject matter & delivery. And dig that intro on guitar. People who claim Dylan plays rudimentary guitar aren't really listening: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iorXh5Zra9RspdE

[@HelynnHeels]

More Bob? Absolutely. Now do LILY, ROSEMARY, AND THE JACK OF HEARTS 😎👌

[@tonysienzant6717]

Great Song ! It should be made into a stage play or something. Fantastic, completely created narrative, great story.

[@JB-Deadskins]

And not just the lyrics, but the tunes too. Bob's the greatest songwriter of all time

[@fishfootface]

One of my favourite songs ever. Always makes my heart ache.

[@katec8796]

Bob Dylan - It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleedin') is sublime - Dylan figures the whole world out in one song and just hands it over to the listener.

[@mattreynolds612]

I watch all the time, but don't always feel like adding anything to the conversation, but just want to say, You're killin it man! Jus' keep being you my man. Pickin up what yer puttin down. 🎶☮️🕊️✌️🇺🇸🇵🇸

[@watchbizmatik]

Thank you 🙏🏿

[@blanebienvenu7280]

People that really understand Bob love him

[@joelliebler5690]

An amazingly touching and legendary song!

[@Richarddraper]

So much imagery just pours out of this song. Dark and apocalyptic. It's a masterpiece. I love the couple of lines that I presume are about him and Suzie (The woman with him on the cover). Her giving him the rainbow and Bob being wounded in love. It's about 30 years or so since I first heard this song and I've never grown tired of it.

[@gilevin100]

Your correct his songs are beautiful paintings.......excellent insightful review. Stay with Dylan....he'll never lead you astray.

[@f.murphy8340]

George Harrison's "Concert for Bangladesh": has a great version of this. That is also a triple album that has an amazing cast of musicians.

[@marymargaretmoore9034]

It's amazing to think about when this was written.

[@dougsusie2319]

Great song Biz from a great album. His second Lp released in 1963 and he was only 22 yrs of age when he wrote this stuff, genius on every level. Here's a nugget for you. This Lp originally had four alternate tracks on it and for reasons still not clear to this day, they were removed and replaced with four new tracks is what we all hear. A handful of the original tracks got out to the public and are highly sought after. A Stereo copy turned up a few years ago and brought $35,000. Mono copies bring over $15,000 and a Stereo radio DJ copy came to market a couple of years ago and brought well north of $100,000. These alternate track copies are some of the rarest records on the planet. Much scarcer than even The Beatles Butcher covers which are a tough find but they do pop up. I have a Stereo 1st state Butcher in perfect condition in its original plastic bag cover with a Sears price sticker which makes even more special because Sears pulled these after only one day on their shelves. Mine would bring around $20,000. I keep mine in a safety deposit box. Also have a first state Mono copy in NM condition which are very valuable but not as much as the Stereo copies. Also have 2nd state Stereo and Mono with the trunk Lp covers. When Capitol recalled the Butchers for some reason at one of their plants they weren't all destroyed but instead some of them they just pasted the new Trunk covers over the Butcher covers. They're out there but not easy to find at all and are worth a pretty penny. This one by Dylan though is like trying to find hens teeth, they're just not out there. Trust me, I've been hoping to find one for over four decades now with no luck. At least with the Butcher's since 1972 I've been able to find a total of seven. Look up this Dylan and The Beatles Butcher covers Biz. There histories are pretty fascinating. I think you would enjoy learning the histories of these rarities. Only take you a few minutes to Google them. Peace ❤

[@vedantapdx]

Later in his life, Bob was crushed because he and his wife divorced. During that period Bob wanted to do something different so he arranged to visit Johnny Cash the older and very established country singer who lived in Tennessee. During that visit Bob and Johnny recorded one of Bob's songs that they sang in duet called The Girl from the North Country. It is a beautiful song, as so many of Bob's were. It is on his album Nashville Skyline and is a lovely duet from two famous singers who were from two different types of music. It helped Bob get through a difficult period of his life, his divorce, and he and Johnny become lifelong friends. You should listen to that duet, it is very beautiful.

[@thomastimlin1724]

My friend, Bob Dylan was there at Dr. Martin Luther King's march on Washington in August 1963, singing "Only a Pawn in Their Game.” His set also included “When the Ship Comes In,” “Blowin' in the Wind,” and “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.”

[@IAMisLove]

👍👍An awesomely awesome performance and great song!! Sad, that these old school songs are still relevant today. 🖖❤

[@lele7467]

Thank you for expressing so eloquently your personal interpretation of this classic! Spot on!

[@christinawoolley6206]

Love your reaction! I listened to this as a very young child….shaped my heart and soul. He is a poet and poetry reflects tragedy and beauty. So heartening to see his words transcending time 💕Bless you son! 😽🎶

[@justkaron]

Great commentary on this Dylan masterpiece, Biz. Listen to Romance in Durango...or...Lay Lady Lay...for his romantic side. Or Girl From the North Country.

[@aaronhaupert3015]

Bob Dylan: "Masters of War" "Abandon Love (1975)" "Ballad of Hollis Brown"

[@neilwoodley530]

One man. One guitar. One take.

[@davidbordonaro1631]

please , please put his Gotta Serve Somebody on your list ! its as funky as you'll hear him .

[@John_Locke_108]

It might be the devil or it might be the lord but you're gonna have to serve somebody.

[@jen.radiates]

@@John_Locke_108 yeah he received a Grammy for that!

[@simchabaruch7023]

Pattie Smith sang this for the king and Queen of Sweden and a thousand of the worlds elite at the Nobel Prize concert. A MUST HEAR.

[@jaimefernandez4899]

Great reaction of a great song that elicits many feelings and meanings...

[@malkeh53]

Dylan's '115th Dream' is hilarious and amazing. You need the lyrics with it. I'm sure you'll love it.

[@robertstein3770]

That’s a fun, crazy story in that song.

[@cspringer333]

Check out Dylan's Rap from 65, "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)". LIVE kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHOxiJ55qNKkd7s

[@johnleebold8894]

This alongside ‘ Chimes of Freedom ‘ are incredible word scapes of brilliant insight of profound insight .. do Chimes of Freedom live in 1966

[@lancebon2931]

The Jews of old, published a book, with many prophets and predictions. Prophets are still around, Bob Dylan is one, George Carlin is another, I've been collecting Dylan's Psalms and songs for the past 60 years. I am so glad to see the youth and followers of other styles of music, hearing his messages and abstractions.

[@rc1564]

It's funny how he makes simple guitar strumming and a little harmonic playing with great lyrics sound so good

[@humpy936]

I think the world is more effed up today than it was back then!

[@fostercathead]

Not more or less. Just the same as it has always been...

[@deborahpaley21]

Your observations re Dylan's lyrics are very good. This is profound poetry, timeless in imagery and message. Centuries ago and in the furture, these words will fill the soul.

[@lindahunter4545]

One of my best songs by Bob Dylan. A Hard Rain Gonna Fall is all about the human condition.

[@warrenhughes911]

Great reaction..

[@bobdelp2023]

WE GOT THE SCHLYRRRICCCSSSS!!! 👍😊

[@brendanc.8019]

Great reaction. Great insight. Long live The Poet.

[@blanebienvenu7280]

Thanks for the nice treats of Bob Dylan

[@lsbill27]

For me Dylan wrote this as a comment about the sheltered or willfully ignorant lives most Americans lived in the 50’s and early 60’s and even, to some extent, live today. He contrasts the ‘pleasant’ lives they live with the horrors that can happen in the world. They get up, go to work, come home for dinner, talk about the weather and so on. All the while these horrible things are going on around the world that they don’t want to hear about. But he has broken with them, he can't live with blinders on and has gone to face the world.

[@alanFconrad]

Nobel Prize for a reason

[@elston3153]

I saw a new born baby with wild Wolves all around it. That gives chills

[@FrankD33577]

Great reaction to a Bob Dylan classic. Some other Dylan songs you may want to check out are With God On Our Side; Only A Pawn In Their Game; Dignity; Clean Cut Kid; It's All Good; I Feel A Change Coming On; George Jackson; Goodbye Jimmy Read; Beyond Here Lies Nothing,: Mississippi; Where Are You Tonight (Journey Through Dark Heat); among many others. Take care. ☮

[@lisannebaumholz5028]

A great Dylan song. For people like me who grew up in the 1960s with parents who sang folk songs around the campfire (and I mean that literally), this is only one of many songs we sung. (And yes, we also sung "Kumbaya" and "Guantanamera" absolutely unashamedly.) Pete Seeger's versions were how our parents (and consequently us kids) were introduced to this music: "A Hard Rains Gonna Fall" kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXKsgmuro9Sgmdksi=54GQERYLh47x5Kmc "Guantanamera" (Jose Marti) kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWLEq2afoJuqiacsi=h3ddUAen5QnZAFoF

[@LouiseTennant-fw7pb]

Listening to Bob shaped me as a person, my brothers played him a lot….I am 60 years old

[@neilmalone798]

Beautiful reactions, observations, and insights, Bismatic. One of my favorite songs of all time. Great to see and hear a young soul like yourself with so much gravitas.

[@Pahdopony]

Hootenanny is like a gathering of folk singers and was a popular way for folks to get together at that time. There was even a TV show called Hootenanny that featured various folk singers.

[@John-d5d9v]

You should see Patti Smith accepting his Noble Prize. I think would be great. 😮

[@davidmaholchic6146]

Masterpiece here Love you

[@nedludd7622]

"I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children." It is chilling that this still applies. Patti Smith sang this beautifully at the Nobel Prize ceremony.

[@MikeWalsh-f1g]

Great reaction to a great song Biz. An interesting really good much later song by Dylan is Everything's Broken.

[@jettrink7510]

What a family... you got that right !

[@pierretoureille7359]

Perfect song, perfect reaction

[@jeremiahallender1919]

Yep ❤

[@marksanders8028]

Great reaction an commentary Biz.

[@watchbizmatik]

Thank You

[@geoffyoung9564]

Good reactions! "The horrors of the world through innocent eyes." Words that kind of sting you a little bit.

[@BRLaue]

You want darker Dylan? Masters of War.

[@merrior7071]

Great reaction, thanks! Would appreciate a reaction to workingman’s blues #2 by Bob Dylan. Is a from 2006, he has released some great songs and albums in later years. This song is from modern times.

[@melissakhalar1842]

Great Reaction to a great song. ❤

[@davidpope2189]

A few other Dylan songs in the same vein to check out: "Blowing in the Wind," "Masters of War," The Ballad of Hollis Brown," and "With God on Our Side."

[@kathycurtis7037]

Gotta serve someone is a good Dylan song

[@bargell]

I suggest Chimes of Freedom by Dylan, the old folk version from early 1960s

[@wgb_jd]

I think you nailed it. One little girl is giving him a rainbow, and then he turns around and sees child soldiers with guns and sharp swords. It's like a kaleidoscopic nightmare.

[@Tbirdhaynes]

Sadly, the more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s almost to dark to contemplate and dwell on but that’s exactly why we need to!

[@dusty4835]

Not too shabby for a 21-year-old, eh?

[@DrTramp-uu1hh]

This song remains relevant because every generation has their Hard Rain to get through; for me and mine it was the 60s. Bonne Chance...........

[@birdingtrip7101]

Bob is still touring. True. Lots of shows this Summer.

[@otisdylan9532]

Great song, and I think you understand it well. My favorite Dylan is early electric Dylan, but I like his early folk music too, so rather than repeat my recommendations from your "Maggie's Farm" video, I'll add some acoustic ones. Since you liked the darkness and complexity of the lyrics here, my top acoustic recommendation is "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)". Also great, but rather different lyrically, are "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and "My Back Pages".

[@StevenMichals0812]

The 1976 live version from Rolling Thunder is great!

[@darkstar1074]

Three you have yet to do from Dylan that I'd highly recommend are , "Lily, Rosemary & the Jack of Hearts" with its superb storytelling of a bank heist in the Wild West, "Boots of Spanish Leather" - about two lovers a world apart and their realization that it is over and "Desolation Row" - with its fantastical, surreal lyrics. Forget trying to figure out what its about and just enjoy the mental images it conjures up.

[@John_Locke_108]

Three of my favorite Dylan songs.

[@konradv7]

Heard his lyrics often had to be cut down, because he would just go on and on!

[@margotreadstarot7115]

I think your description of the song is perfect...

[@aerynoftalyn1307]

My favorite song of his. Great analysis, I knew you'd appreciate it. "The executioner's face is always well hidden," indeed. Listen to The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, a dark and also angry Dylan protest song describing a messed up world from a different vantage point than Hard Rain.

[@jimdonahue7230]

Another must by Dylan is Visions Of Johanna.

[@otisdylan9532]

That's one of my favorite Dylan songs.

[@carsten1989]

The Live from Royal Albert Hall version though. Let’s be concise 😉

[@otisdylan9532]

@@carsten1989 I prefer the Blonde on Blonde version.

[@stevewebster973]

Next Bob Dylan ? Try From a Buick Six ~ I haven’t seen anyone react to that. From about three years after this song.

[@patscoby1509]

Still over my head

[@jasonmccluskey3623]

DYLAN!

[@zunbake3]

A Hard Rain can sometimes be referred to fallout from a Nuclear Bomb. In any case Dylan was preaching about apocalypses if we didn't get things right. On another issue that Dylan tackles, If you want to be stung with grim reality of what poverty can do to a family then you must listen to Dylan's The Ballad of Hollis Brown.

[@messiahmoose]

An amazing song. Lots of excellent live versions of this one. My fave is the one from the Concert for Bangladesh with George Harrison. Worth a listen even if you’re familiar with this song.

[@J_Gamble]

❤

[@mattflynn1342]

And he was only 21 years old when he wrote this!!

[@jamesdignanmusic2765]

It's a cliche to talk about song lyrics as poetry, but this... is. Powerful, powerful lyrics. There was nothing like it then and there's been damn-all like it since. I always smile at the bit where he gets the timing slightly wrong and stifles a laugh. It based on the structure of an old English folk song. "Visions of Johanna" next? Or maybe "Love Minus Zero/No Limit"?

[@cynergy4]

You would like "Blowin' In The Wind". Another very powerful song

[@tkengathegrateful4844]

I believe the liner notes quoted Dylan saying "This song is all the first lines of songs I thought I might not live long enough to write." Great reaction. Sadly, it seems that there's always a hard rain falling somewhere and on somebody. If you really want your blood to boil, listen to Dylan's "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" or "Only a Pawn in Their Game." "The Chimes of Freedom" is one of my favorites - it's much in the same vein as Hard Rain, but maybe, just maybe, there's some hope when you see the chimes of freedom flashing.

[@robertstein3770]

I think Bob was only 20 years old when he wrote this song.

[@alanbrown8527]

Try “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” off his 3rd album “Times They Are A Changin’. A heartfelt poetic reading of a real life injustice.

[@alanFconrad]

Genius

[@doriwiljt]

Masters of War is must listen too

[@maggiebryan2355]

❤❤❤

[@joeoliveira8558]

good take

[@rainzohav2181]

It’s darkest song possibly is “Masters of War”.

[@JB-Deadskins]

Visions of Johanna

[@clintoncarver1926]

Please listen to Desolation Row. It's a little long, but it is a prime example of his straem of consciousness writing. Vivid images one after the other.