Music Blogs

In mid-summer 1967 it was recorded in the garage at Big Pink as "I'm Not There, I'm Gone" and Garth Hudson quite clearly wrote those very words on the tape box. In 1970 Bob Dylan instructed his office to copyright it as "I'm Not There (1956)" and 40 years after its artistic birth it is listed as simply "I'm Not There" on the soundtrack to the Todd Haynes movie of the same name where, minus some tape hiss and a few seconds in length, it finally sees the light of day.

Two years ago it was the only unreleased cut included in MOJO's 100 Best Dylan Songs and the magazine demanded its release. Did Dylan read the piece and take heed? Dylan is way more aware of his public image (he discussed, at length, my Million Dollar Bash book with singer-songwriter Eric Andersen long before I had completed it) and way more interested in maintaining the façade of mystery that surrounds it than His Bobness's most loyal court jesters could dare admit. Meaning, who knows? But Dylan has turned down biographical script after script, taken umbrage at any film which uses a Dylanesque character (viz, the Hayden Christensen character in last year's lame Edie Sedgwick biopic, Factory Girl) and yet gave a thumbs up to Todd Haynes making his film and using "I'm Not There" on the soundtrack.

The late John Bauldie wrote this was "Dylan's saddest song" and I agree. Yet the lyrics are not yet formed, are at least partly gibberish, a series of sounded-out consonants, with the ensemble performance and Dylan's vocal doing all the heavy lifting. Several things astonish here: Robbie Robertson is absent from the track, nowhere to be heard. All we have instrumentally are Dylan's vocal, his out of tune acoustic, Rick Danko's warm bass, Hudson's ethereal organ and Richard Manuel's piano... this last not appearing till the song is two-thirds done. Yes, these Hawks, not yet the Band, are Dylan's greatest support team but note their skilful playing is improvised. Hudson has commented many times on Dylan briefly giving them only the key of the song and a few chords to go by. What we're hearing in "I'm Not There" is serendipity in action.

Somehow the nonsensical lyrics carry emotive power. One particular fave: "I believe that's she's stopping... but she once styled to care". Here's another gem: "She's a long hearted mystic and she cain't carry on". Say what, brother? But like Otis Redding getting miles of meaning out of "gotta git-ta, git-ta, git-ta... gotta, gotta, gotta, git git" this is the pop version of speaking in tongues and, as such, we are now audibly in the temple while the ceremony is on. But Bob, like the female protagonist he is (somewhat) singing about herein, is not there. He's gone.

Sid Griffin is the author of Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, The Band & The Basement Tapes, Jawbone Press UK/USA)

For daily MOJOness, visit www.mojo4music.com