Althouse: Bob Dylan at the White House: "The Times They Are A-Changin'."

February 10, 2010

Bob Dylan at the White House: "The Times They Are A-Changin'."

Listen.

The song choice was all but dictated by the theme of the event: Music from the Civil Rights Movement. The event will be on PBS tomorrow night, February 11 at 8 p.m. ET.

25 comments:

Meade said...: "The song choice was all but dictated by the theme of the event: Music from the Civil Rights Movement"

In that case, he could've done "Masters of War." It has the added bonus of having the word "hope" in it.

And "Seeing The Real You At Last" has the word "change."; 2/10/10, 8:35 PM
Henry said...: Thank goodness we have PBS to broadcast folk music from the White House. It's a hat trick for the binkie state.; 2/10/10, 8:54 PM
Palladian said...: Bob didn't get interesting until he dropped the protest crap and started getting seriously into drugs.; 2/10/10, 8:56 PM
Chef Mojo said...: I love me some Bob, but that was a pretty painful listen. His voice is shot. He can barely play a guitar - note that the piano and bass were far more prominent. He would have been better just calling it in. Maybe he was.

As far as the song? It had its time and place, but it's not now. A cover of Won't Get Fooled Again would have been more appropriate in this White House.

@Henry:

It's a hat trick for the binkie state.

I am so stealing that.; 2/10/10, 9:18 PM
Wince said...: Fine, a feel good look-back for liberals reclaiming the glory days.

But when played at a Scott Brown rally in a packed Tommy Doyle's bar in Hyannis the Saturday before the election, the lyrics sounded forward-looking.; 2/10/10, 9:33 PM
Peano said...: The times are indeed a-changing. We saw a preview in Massachusetts and will see a full production next November.

By the way, could The One look sillier than standing behind his dinky little lectern with the presidential seal -- at a Dylan concert??? That's as pitiful as Dukakis in the army tank. All Bambi needed was his teleprompter to complete the image of a feckless naif.

Three more years of Amateur Hour ...; 2/10/10, 9:39 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: They asked Bob Dylan to sing at the WH so they could claim him as a stimulus save.

This WH has no shame ;); 2/10/10, 9:49 PM
Balfegor said...: By the way, could The One look sillier than standing behind his dinky little lectern with the presidential seal -- at a Dylan concert??? That's as pitiful as Dukakis in the army tank. All Bambi needed was his teleprompter to complete the image of a feckless naif.

He needs a complement of 24 lictors, a punkah-wallah, and a standard bearer bearing his personal O emblem. If we're going to do this aestheticisation of politics thing, let's do it right.

Back on topic -- that song . . . I don't know pop music at all. That's the one they played in the Watchmen opening credits, right?; 2/10/10, 9:54 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Chris Matthews got a tingle up his leg and forgot Dylan was Jewish.; 2/10/10, 10:03 PM
LonewackoDotCom said...: 1. That was indeed a bit painful to listen to.

2. Is this event yet another example of BHO playing the race card?

3. For those with ears, here are versions by Peter Paul & Mary and by Joan Baez. The second isn't one of her best, and the first doesn't have enough Mary. But, both are lightyears ahead of the version in the post.

4. The idea that there's something wrong with folk music per se is idiotic, considering how broad the term is.; 2/10/10, 10:10 PM
Mark O said...: PP&M are so elegant. I wonder what would have become of Bob Dylan in the early '60's without them. Two guitars; a standup bass and three voices. No engineer.

The song is perfect but Dylan is the wrong artist. His version was never famous or even useful.

It is a lovely waltz.; 2/10/10, 10:24 PM
Revenant said...: the theme of the event: Music from the Civil Rights Movement

Subtitled "Music Obama is Too Young to Remember". :); 2/10/10, 10:27 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Rev,

Didn't Obama say he marched with King?; 2/10/10, 10:36 PM
LonewackoDotCom said...: OTOH, here's Pete Seeger, Buffy Ste. Marie, and a mouth bow.

Maybe there is something wrong with folk per se.; 2/10/10, 10:44 PM
rhhardin said...: Imus's Rob Bartlett does the same song as Dylan, when Dylan very sick in the hospital was the news, real audio, Aug 30, 1999; 2/11/10, 12:04 AM
Mark Daniels said...: It's a nice version of the song. But I disagreed with the disparaging comment on Dylan's more recent material by the person who posted the song over on YouTube. I still think Dylan composes phenomenal material. 'Together Forever' is, I think, a great CD, for example.; 2/11/10, 12:32 AM
Penny said...: Here's the sad thing about this. Washington DC and the government are essentially shut down because of the blizzard. Except for at least two things that I am aware of...this event, marking the celebration of music from the civil rights era, and a meeting held yesterday with civil rights leaders over their concern about African American unemployment statistics.

OHHHH the irony...in a white out, it can finally be about the black.; 2/11/10, 1:49 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: What are you talking about Penny?; 2/11/10, 6:43 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: I love me some Bob, but that was a pretty painful listen. His voice is shot

His voice was alwayspainful to listen to. Honestly how can anyone not want to blow their brains out after listening to him for 10 seconds?; 2/11/10, 6:57 AM
Unknown said...: Maybe it should be updated, "The Times They Are A-Metamorphisin'".

Do any of these over-the-hill small c communists realize how silly this all is? Today, they are The Man.

In any case, "Times" always seemed to me more about the students revolting (again, insert punchline) than civil rights.

Moreover, if anybody should be singing it these days, it should be the Tea Partiers (sorry, Lone).; 2/11/10, 7:22 AM
The Dude said...: He should sing "I Pity the Poor Immigrant".; 2/11/10, 7:49 AM
Fred4Pres said...: I liked the use of that song in Watchmen.; 2/11/10, 8:42 AM
Penny said...: "What are you talking about Penny?"

Lem, I'm talking about this...

"President Obama and Civil Rights Leaders Discuss Economy and Black Americans"

By Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 11, 2010

"President Obama hosted a rare Oval Office meeting with civil rights leaders Wednesday to discuss his plans for improving the dire economic conditions gripping much of black America.

Obama had not met exclusively with civil rights leaders since he took office, and he used the occasion to signal his concern about mounting black joblessness while enlisting his guests' support for his proposals.

Despite a paralyzing blizzard in Washington, Obama brought together the Rev. Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network, NAACP President Benjamin T. Jealous and Marc H. Morial, president of the National Urban League, for a conversation that lasted nearly an hour. Dorothy I. Height, the 97-year-old chair of the National Council of Negro Women, was prevented from attending by the severe weather."; 2/11/10, 8:57 AM
paul a'barge said...: So, at first my mind didn't like it but my heart was listening. Then, my heart reminded my mind that this is precisely the Dylan conundrum and my mind shut up and listened more closely.

I like it. As much as I've always loved Dylan, his songs and his renditions of his songs, I like it.

Come on folks. The world turns upside down, Democrats become the enemies of Life and Dylan's music still applies.

It's hard to beat on that.th; 2/11/10, 9:55 AM
comatus said...: Among Bob Dylan's many civil rights causes was excessive sentences for drunk driving.

Just sayin' in the wind, here, and it's great to see Hattie Carroll finally get her some justice.

Butterfield's dead, man. So's Jim Croce.; 2/11/10, 10:56 AM