Bob Dylan won his first Academy Award with this one (from the soundtrack to the The Wonder Boys), and the award was not only deserved, but it also served as a monument to his artistic resurgance over the past ten years, where his last three studio albums can be ranked near his mid '60s albums (Bringing It All Back Home, Hwy 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde were all recorded--or at least released--one after the other, a consecutive three-album tour-de-force that only the Beatles and the Stones have ever matched) in terms of consistent excellence.
On this track, Dylan gives us his best lyrics in over ten years. He sings from the p.o.v. of a man whose distance from the world--a world he might soon be leaving--gives him a fresh perspective on the ridiculous nature of vanity and pomposity of the self-important artist (where he sees himself as being one once), the banality of chic causes and those who espouse them, and the importance of finding joy where one can when one can, 'cause folks, we're all doomed to die.
David Byrne said that this ain't no party and this ain't no disco and that there wasn't time for fooling around; Prince said that foolin' around is all we have left because the party's already over. Dylan listens to both his peers, and takes a little advice from both. He's gonna go ahead and dance like it's the apocalpyse, but he's not quite given up hope yet. It's not exactly the end of the world as he knows it; it's just the realization that he's not going to change the outcome, so he might as well have a little fun while he can.
And he does. And we do, too.
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