Beyond the Horizon


"Beyond the Horizon" is the 7th track off of Bob Dylan's 2006 masterpiece Modern Times. The song is anything but modern. Embedded in it is a melody from the 30's, as the song "Red Snails in the Sunset" serves provides the melodic framework for Bob to explore his own wistful, blissful, and melancholy hope. The music, here, is a pure joy to the ears. Bob's vocals are focused, and fit the song like an easy glove. The woozy chord change right after Bobby sings "beyond the horizon. . ." is irresistible. I was slow to jump into Modern Times. . but it seems to be coming at just the right time! At the end of the day. . .


Comments

  1. Thanks for posting this link. I did not know of the connection between this song and "Red Sails in the Sunset." On another note, I am enjoying my reading of Richard F. Thomas' "Why Dylan Matters." It is an intriguing look into Dylan's lyrics by a classics professor from Harvard. I wrote the following in my blog recently for Why Dylan Matters to Me:

    Many of his songs have a nice, easy beat to walk to during my daily exercise on the treadmill;
    I like using his tunes to write alternative lyrics to convey thoughts and events that are on my mind;
    The cover songs by other artists allow me to appreciate his lyrics in new ways;
    I can share my interest with Dylan's work with friends;
    Individual segments of prose, to me, are worth more than the composite whole of the entire set of lyrics;
    He brings out my creativity in expressing myself using some of his songs / lyrics;
    He has influenced many other musicians whose work is of greater excellence because of that influence;
    I don't want to know what any of his songs are about or mean ... they are what they are and not more or less;
    I appreciate knowing where he's going next;
    He has enriched my life by his presence.

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  2. I heard Richard Thomas discussing his Dylan book on NPR the other day. Haven't read it yet though. I like the idea of individualizing why Dylan matters!

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