Chimes of Freedom

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“Chimes of Freedom”
Album cover
Song by Bob Dylan
Album Another Side of Bob Dylan
Released 1964
Label Columbia Records
Writer Bob Dylan
Composer Bob Dylan
Producer Tom Wilson
Cover versions

Joan Baez, Hanne Boel, The Byrds, Roger McGuinn, Martyn Joseph, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Bruce Springsteen, James Luchak

Another Side of Bob Dylan track listing
  1. "All I Really Want to Do"
  2. "Black Crow Blues"
  3. "Spanish Harlem Incident"
  4. "Chimes of Freedom"
  5. "I Shall Be Free No. 10"
  6. "To Ramona"
  7. "Motorpsycho Nitemare"
  8. "My Back Pages"
  9. "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)"
  10. "Ballad in Plain D"
  11. "It Ain't Me Babe"

"Chimes of Freedom" is a song by Bob Dylan. It has been covered many times by various artists including Joan Baez, The Byrds, Roger McGuinn, Martyn Joseph, The Axis of Justice, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, X, Bruce Springsteen, and James Luchak. Dylan reportedly based the song on "Chimes Of Trinity", a song passed along by Dave Van Ronk from his grandmother. An unusual cover version was created by Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour.

In Chimes of Freedom: The Politics of Bob Dylan's Art, author Mike Marqusee notes that the song marks a transition between Dylan's earlier "protest song" style (a litany of the down-trodden and oppressed, in the second half of each verse) and his later more free-flowing poetic style (the fusion of images of lightning, storm and bells in the first half).

The song has often been used as a template as a near-perfect protest song. It formed a strong influence for Billy Bragg's song "ideology".[citation needed]

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan considered using it on the end credits of Lady in the Water, echoeing the Dylan theme running through the movie, but opted for "The Times They Are a-Changin'" instead.

The song was played by Dylan for Bill Clinton at his first inauguration.

The Bon Jovi song Bells of Freedom on Have a Nice Day is a variation of Chimes of Freedom,[1] as is Billy Bragg's song Ideology on Talking with the Taxman about Poetry.

[edit] External links

  1. ^ Have a Nice Day at allmusic.com