Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues (Analysis)

Originally released in 1965 as a single on Columbia Records.
One of Dylan's first 'electric' pieces, "Subterranean Homesick Blues" was also notable for its innovative film clip, which first appeared in D. A. Pennebaker's documentary, 'Dont Look Back'.

The song's first line is a reference to codeine distillation and politics of the time: "Johnny's in the basement mixing up the medicine / I'm on the pavement thinkin' about the Government". The song also depicts some of the growing conflicts between "straight" or "square" (40-hour workers) and the emerging 1960s counterculture. The widespread use of recreational drugs, and turmoil surrounding the Vietnam War were both starting to take hold of the nation, and Dylan's hyperkinetic lyrics were dense with up-to-the-minute allusions to important emerging elements in the 1960s youth culture.

The song also references the struggles surrounding the American civil rights movement ("Better stay away from those / That carry around a fire hose"). (During the civil rights movement, peaceful protestors were beaten and sprayed with high pressure fire hoses.) In spite of the political nature of the lyrics, the song went on to become the first Top 40 hit for Dylan in the United States.




Analysis
It is apparent that this music video is completely narrative, as shown by the cue cards highlighting certain lyrics. The video itself is entirely one shot which would be quite hard to achieve in one go, the use of one shot is further highlighted by Bob Dylan occasionally making mistakes with the cue cards and their timing.

Both the black and white film and the clothing Bob Dylan is wearing make a statement about the era he is singing from. Ths mis-spelling of some of the cue cards such as "Suckcess" could either be a pun or representative of the workers this video is about - they may not have had such as good education, or none at all, in comparison to upper classes.
The alleyway this appears to be filmed in also looks like a slum area, again reflective of the working class.

The words and phrases written on the cue cards appear to be important in the sense that the director wishes you to remember them and what image they connote.