Can You Go a Little Deeper: Dylan and the Band
I hate to even say this out loud, but my introduction to “This Wheel’s on Fire” was via the 90s-era TV show Absolutely Fabulous, which used the song as its theme. Rather than the Band’s version, though, AbFab used a poppy, sort of psychedelic version by Julie Driscoll.
The original was a darker-themed dirge recorded by Bob Dylan and the Band during the legendary 1967 sessions at Big Pink. It would later be officially released on the 1975 The Basement Tapes album.Like many Dylan songs, “This Wheel’s on Fire” seems to defy defining. Is it a religious song? Is it an apocalyptic vision he’s giving us? Could it even be a tale of a gunfighter?
While I was doing some research on this song, I stumbled across a blog called “Every Bob Dylan Song.” The entry for “Wheel” begins with a story about a conversation that took place among the Beatles while they were recording Let It Be. When the discussion turned to the topic of song writing, someone said that a great song doesn't have to tell a story or even make much sense; if the words match the emotion of the backing, you can make a masterpiece without hewing to musical convention.
Anthony, the blog’s writer, sticks pretty much to this thesis as he discusses “This Wheel’s on Fire,” although he does give mention to other views, particularly the idea that the song is a fire and brimstone sermon.
Interestingly, one of the comments on the blog notes that the line “if your memory serves you well” comes from Arthur Rimbaud's poem “Une Saison en Enfer.” Dylan, of course, regarded the French poet as a major influence, once telling friends, “Rimbaud’s where it's at. That's the kind of stuff means something. That's the kind of writing I'm gonna do.” Dylan has never hidden the fact that he’s borrowed from the masters, so it’s very possible indeed that some of the French decadent's influence found its way into some other areas of “This Wheel’s on Fire.”
On the other hand, it's also possible this song is nothing more than a classic example of what the Beatles were talking about....
This Wheel’s on Fire.mp3
~~~~~
(Can You Go a Little Deeper is an irregularly recurring feature here wherein I resurrect old favorites, lost songs, and other things you maybe haven’t heard in a while)
Labels: classic rock, deep tracks
posted by aikin @ 8:29 PM
4 Comments:
That was very informative. Many thanks for taking the time to blog it up.
Just for the record, The version of This Wheel used for the theme of Ab Fab was not the originally released Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and the Trinity version from 1967 (the first release of the song, and a top five hit in the UK), but a sound-alike re-recording featuring Julie (now J. Tippetts) with the British comedic actor Adrian Edmondson (Jennifer Saunders husband) playing most of the instruments. The distinctive organ on this re-recording was played by Simon Wallace. This version was also set to be released as the 3rd B-side of the Pet Shop Boys 'Absolutely Fabulous' charity CD single in 1994 but was withdrawn at Julie's request, possibly because the CD credited her as Julie Driscoll, a name she hadn't used since the early 1970s. Despite the withdrawal some promo singles were pressed up and are a much sought-after collectible rarity these days.
Following this incident Julie's vocals were re-recorded for later seasons of Ab Fab with a succession of artists including P. P. Arnold and Marianne Faithful.
And that's that!
Cheers,
Owen Keenan
The Julie Driscoll/Julie Tippetts Sessions Project
This comment has been removed by the author.
thanks for the info, Owen.
yeah, I was kind of vague on the use of the song on AbFab.
Rimbaud wrote, "Jadis, si je me souviens bien, la vie etait..."
(Once, if I remember well, life was...) at the beginning of A Season in Hell.
Dylan didn't get it right.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home