All Along the Watchtower

All Along the Watchtower is a popular folk rock song by Bob Dylan, released his eighth studio album John Wesley Harding in 1967 . [1] It is a quiet and simple number consisting of three chords, played on acoustic guitar, accompanied by a bass guitar and drums . Some interludes on a harmonica are the only variation in the arrangement. The text is central in three stanzas without refrain. None of the titles on the album was released as a single, but the album sold well, was often played on the radio and the criticism was fairly positive.

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The song had just appeared when Jimi Hendrix in January 1968 at the Electric Ladyland studios own special interpretation made ​​of. Since he first heard the song had him intrigued. [2] In the words of Rolling Stone magazine, "Hendrix constructed a tumultuous four-part solo That transformed, Dylan's concise foreboding into an electric hurricane", a tumultuous four-part solo Dylan who withheld omtoverde prelude to an electrical hurricane. The move was in line where the wind Began to howl, the wind began to howl. Also transposed it a minor to C-sharp minor. It had become a new song. Dylan could appreciate the discovery and later played at venues including the version of Hendrix. [3]

It is the version of Hendrix who made ​​famous the song. Electric Ladyland was his best-selling album, and the Watchtower is the only single who took 20th place in the US charts during his lifetime. Afterwards, it is also often been covered by other artists. Include Eric Clapton , The Spirit , Neil Young , Bryan Ferry , Prince, the Dave Matthews Band and the Grateful Dead have the song recorded or played live. The version of U2 is on the album Rattle and Hum . In the movie Forrest Gump 1994 sounds on the radio in Vietnam as subtle atmospheric description of the schizophrenic life of an American soldier in the sixties. In season 3 and 4 of the series Battlestar Galactica (re-imagined, 2003-2009), the number plays an important role. A version of the song can be heard in the last scene of the last episode of the series "Daybreak Part two" (aired in the US on Friday, March 20th, 2009).

In 2004, Hendrix of the song appeared in the list of 500 best songs of all time according to Rolling Stone at the 48th place.

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The opening line is a classic in pop music:
 * "There must be somekind of way out of here," Said the joker to the thief

The first two stanzas describe a conversation between a fool and a thief, one is robbed and the other is not taken seriously. The thief concludes: "You and I have that behind us, it is not our final destination No Hassle now, because it's getting late.". Dylan himself is usually identified with the prankster, referring to the third line, in which he complains that businessmen, They drink my wine,the pounding of the record that pinched his royalties. Each line is imbued with symbolism and imagery, which can be interpreted in different ways, but between the lines it is clear that the two are planning something.

The third verse could perhaps be called the chorus. Because all along the watchtower, the watchtower there are princes on the lookout. They keep watch over others, women and barefoot servants. Then, in the very last row shows two horsemen, and the wind took hold ...

It has been suggested that the plot has to be understood in the reverse order. The first line would be the last. [4] life questions are asked and answered. In other areas, the religious point of striking. The words are at times apocalyptic, but the accompanying music was waiting for Hendrix.

John Wesley Harding has a very different character than previous albums of Dylan. He was recovering from a motorcycle accident and read daily in the Bible . [5] The atmosphere evoked by the numbers is understated, sometimes tense and slightly menacing. New areas to be explored, musical and philosophical grounds, so it is good to have a watchtower.

The tower is an ancient Christian symbol for the protective, fatherly character of God, that looks and watches over his children. By extension, it is a symbol become the message of the gospel as a whole. Today, the metaphor is best known for the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, that the magazine The Watchtower publishes. In the KJV, the word "watchtower" not literally, in the New Bible twice. [6] The word "watchtower" is six times in the KJV.