All Along the Watchtower is one of Jimi Hendrix’s most popular songs, a song he didn’t write himself. Originally the song was written and released by Bob Dylan in 1967 on his John Wesley Harding album, then given to Hendrix by Dylan’s publicist and released as a part of the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s third and final album called Electric Ladyland. (All Along the Watchtower, n.d.)
The Hendrix version (released 6 months after Dylan’s original recording) became a top 20 single in 1968 and ranked 47th in Rolling Stones magazine 500 greatest songs of all time (All Aong the Watchtower , 2011). As the original version of the song is a slow folk feel, Hendrix amped it up making it heavier rock ‘n’ roll. Dylan was so impressed with the way Hendrix recorded it, Dylan then played the song Hendrix’s way. (Owinski, 2012)
All along the watchtower is made up of only three versus and instrumental solos with a repeating single set of chords, with a constant change of sound. The lyrics are said to be more like poetry set to music, fitting to Dylan’s style of music (All Along the Watchtower , 2000). …show more content…
The Joker starts off distressed, wanting to escape but doesn’t know where from. Jokers and Thieves are two types of people that have been around for many years, this could be representing a sense of timelessness. Today, they are still seen as outsiders, separated from the rest of society (Western Analysis , 2011 ). The rest of the verse goes on to tell us the reason the Joker wants to escape. People are enjoying his position in society, benefiting from his efforts and supporting him to make them, but none know the worth of his efforts. The Joker is confused about what is valuable and what is
The Hendrix version (released 6 months after Dylan’s original recording) became a top 20 single in 1968 and ranked 47th in Rolling Stones magazine 500 greatest songs of all time (All Aong the Watchtower , 2011). As the original version of the song is a slow folk feel, Hendrix amped it up making it heavier rock ‘n’ roll. Dylan was so impressed with the way Hendrix recorded it, Dylan then played the song Hendrix’s way. (Owinski, 2012)
All along the watchtower is made up of only three versus and instrumental solos with a repeating single set of chords, with a constant change of sound. The lyrics are said to be more like poetry set to music, fitting to Dylan’s style of music (All Along the Watchtower , 2000). …show more content…
The Joker starts off distressed, wanting to escape but doesn’t know where from. Jokers and Thieves are two types of people that have been around for many years, this could be representing a sense of timelessness. Today, they are still seen as outsiders, separated from the rest of society (Western Analysis , 2011 ). The rest of the verse goes on to tell us the reason the Joker wants to escape. People are enjoying his position in society, benefiting from his efforts and supporting him to make them, but none know the worth of his efforts. The Joker is confused about what is valuable and what is