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"Positively 4th Street" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan . It was first recorded in New York City on July 29, 1965 and was released as a single the same year, reaching #7 on the U.S. charts and #8 on the U.K. charts. LYRICS The Positively 4th Street lyrics are bitter and derisive, which caused many at the time of the song's release to draw comparison with Dylan's similarly toned previous single " Like A Rolling Stone " (indeed, journalist Andy Gill described it as "simply the second wind of a one-sided argument, so closely did it follow its predecessor's formula, both musically and attitudinally"). Despite its direct second-person voice it has found many different meanings for many different listeners. Many have interpreted the song to be a general disparagement to the opportunistic and disingenuous people of the world, though like many Dylan songs it is probable that he was directing it at one or more specific individuals as well. There is uncertainty on exactly which "4th Street" the title refers to, with many scholars and fans speculating it refers to more than one. New York City's 4th Street is at the heart of the Manhattan residential district Greenwich Village , where Dylan once lived (the building, at 161 West 4th Street, now houses an erotic goods shop). This area was central to the burgeoning Folk Music scene of the early 1960s around Dylan and many other influential singer-songwriters. However, the song also may concern Dylan's stay at the University Of Minnesota , where 4th Street is Fraternity Row . The song is generally assumed to satirise Greenwich Village people who criticized Dylan, for his departure from simple folk styles towards the electric guitar. Many of them were good friends, took offence, and assumed that the song carried personal references. Village critic Israel Young had this to say of the accusation:
Other possible targets of the song's derision are: '', for which he was kicked out of Dylan's limousine in the middle of Manhattan. . MUSICAL STRUCTURE The song, like most of Dylan's, is composed of a simple chordal and melodic structure; the verse has a I-ii-IV progression followed by a I-V-IV-ii-V. While the lyrics are distinctly negative, the Organ -dominated backing music is major and almost care-free. This contrast heightens the ridicule and mockery of the lyrics. RECORDING SESSIONS & RELEASE "Positively 4th Street" was recorded on July 29 , 1965 during the same sessions that produced most of the material that appeared on Dylan's 1965 album Highway 61 Revisited . The song was the last song to be attempted that day, with Dylan and a variety of session musicians having successfully recorded master takes of " It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry " and " Tombstone Blues " earlier. The band for "Positively 4th Street" featured Robert Gregg (drums), Russ Savakus (bass), Frank Owens (piano), Al Kooper (organ) and Mike Bloomfield (guitar), with the song appearing as "Black Dalli Rue" on the studio's official recording sheets. Though recorded at the ''Highway 61'' sessions, the song was saved for single-only release, eventually charting in the top ten on both sides of the Atlantic. Critic Dave Marsh praised it as "an icy hipster bitch session" with "Dylan cutting loose his barbed-wire tongue at somebody luckless enough to have crossed the path of his desires." The song later appeared on the compilations '' Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits '', '' Biograph '', and '' The Essential Bob Dylan ''. |
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