It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
Encyclopedia
"It's Alright, Ma" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan
and first released on his 1965 album, Bringing It All Back Home
. It was written in the summer of 1964, first performed live on October 10, 1964, and recorded on January 15, 1965. Described by Dylan biographer Howard Sounes
as a "grim masterpiece," the song features some of Dylan's most memorable lyrical images. Among the well-known lines sung in the song are "Money doesn't talk, it swears," "Although the masters make the rules, for the wisemen and the fools" and "But even the president of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked." The lyrics express Dylan's anger at hypocrisy, commercialism, consumerism, warmongers and contemporary American culture, but unlike his earlier protest songs, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" does not express optimism in the possibility of political solutions.
Dylan has stated that "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is one of his songs that means the most to him, and he has played the song often in live concerts. Since its original release on Bringing It All Back Home, live versions of the song have been issued on The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall
, Before the Flood
and Bob Dylan at Budokan
. Dylan can also be seen performing the song in the film Dont Look Back
and the video of the HBO special Hard to Handle. The song has been covered by a number of other artists, including Roger McGuinn
, The Byrds
, Billy Preston
, Hugo Race
, Terence Trent D'Arby, Mick Farren
, Caetano Veloso
, Marilyn Scott
, and The Duhks
.
", he finished it in time for inclusion on the Bringing It All Back Home
album, which was recorded in January 1965. Dylan first performed "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" live on October 10, 1964 at Philadelphia Town Hall. The version included on Bringing It All Back Home was recorded on January 15, 1965, the same day that the other three songs on side 2 of the album ("Mr. Tambourine Man", "Gates of Eden
" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
") were recorded, with Tom Wilson in the role of producer
. It was long thought that each of the four songs that make up side 2 of Bringing It All Back Home were recorded in one long take
. However, there was actually one false take of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)".
Dylan biographer Howard Sounes described "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" as a "grim masterpiece." The only accompaniment is Dylan's guitar, playing folk-blues riffs and up and down chord
progressions. Authour Sean Wilentz has noted that the song's chord
structure is similar to that used by the Everly Brothers' in their hit
recording of "Wake Up Little Susie
". The lyrics of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" express Dylan's anger at hypocrisy, commercialism, consumerism, warmongers and contemporary American culture. In his book Bob Dylan, Performing Artist
, author Paul Williams
has suggested that the song addresses "the possibility that the most important (and least articulated) political issue of our times is that we are all being fed a false picture of reality, and it's coming at us from every direction." Williams goes on to say that the song successfully paints a portrait of an "alienated individual identifying the characteristics of the world around him and thus declaring his freedom from its 'rules'." As such, a major target in the song is the old, established concepts which give a false picture of reality and hinder new worldviews from being accepted.
While it shares a sense of prevailing entropy with the previous song on the album, "Gates of Eden", the critique in "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is more direct and less allusive. Author Michael Gray has commented that although the vitriol Dylan unleashes towards his targets is similar to his earlier political protest songs, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is a transitionary song in that it does not express optimism in the possibility of political solutions. Instead, Dylan sings in a new prophetic voice that would later become his trademark. However, with the political pessimism comes a more poetic vision than in his earlier protest songs, along with a more complex figurative language. Howard Sounes notes that the song features some of Dylan's most memorable images. The opening lines begin the song's torrent of apocalyptic
images:
According to Seth Rogovoy, this opening echoes the Book of Ecclesiastes
, where the author states (1:17) "I observed all deeds beneath the sun, and behold all is futile. There are echoes of Ecclesiastes throughout the song. Another example is:
The author of Ecclesiastes laments (2:15–16) "The fate of the fool will befall me also; to what advantage, then, have I become wise? But I come to the conclusion that this, too, was futility, because the wise man and the fool are both forgotten. The wise man dies, just like the fool."
One of the most famous lines from the song reminds listeners that even the most powerful people will ultimately be judged:
These lines seemed particularly prescient when Dylan performed the song on his 1974 tour
with The Band
, a few months before Richard Nixon
resigned as President of the United States as a result of the Watergate crisis. After the song has confronted sex, religion and politics, it ends with the lines:
Throughout the song, the words pour out quickly, with Dylan barely taking a breath between lines, so that the intricate rhyming structure is often missed: AAAAAB CCCCCB DDDDDB in the verses and AAB in the chorus.
Dylan has cited "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" as one of his songs that means the most to him. In 1980 he stated that "I don't think I could sit down now and write 'It's Alright, Ma' again. I wouldn't even know where to begin, but I can still sing it." The song has featured often in Dylan's live concerts, and concert performances of it have been released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall
(recorded on October 31, 1964), Before the Flood
(recorded in 1974) and Bob Dylan at Budokan
(recorded in 1978). Dylan also played the song on his Rolling Thunder Revue
Tour in 1975 and 1976, as well as on his 1978 tour and his Never Ending Tour
from the late 1980s up to the present. Footage of Dylan playing "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is included in the film Dont Look Back
, and a live performance of Dylan playing the song with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
is included in the video of the HBO special Hard to Handle. Dylan also sang this song at his 1993 30th anniversary celebration concert at Madison Square Garden
, which was released on The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
album. The studio recording was re-released on the 2008 compilation album Playlist: The Very Best of Bob Dylan '60s.
of the song is that performed by Roger McGuinn
for the soundtrack of the 1969 film, Easy Rider
. The film's scriptwriter and star, Peter Fonda
, had originally intended to use Dylan's version of the song in the film but after failing to secure the appropriate licensing he asked McGuinn to record a cover of it instead. Although McGuinn's version of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" was listed as a solo performance on the Easy Rider soundtrack album, it actually features McGuinn on guitar and vocals, accompanied by his bandmate from The Byrds
, Gene Parsons
, on harmonica
.
The Byrds themselves, also recorded a version of the song during the 1970 recording sessions
for their album (Untitled) but it was not included in the final track listing. The Byrds occasionally performed the song in concert
during 1970 and a live recording of it, from a March 1, 1970 appearance at the Felt Forum
, was included on the 2000 remaster of the (Untitled) album, which was re-titled as (Untitled)/(Unissued). This version also appears as a bonus track on the 2002 remastered version of the compilation album, The Byrds Play Dylan
, and on the 2006 4-disc box set There Is a Season
.
In 1971, Nannie Parres included "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" on her album I Thought About You and in 1973 Billy Preston
included the song on Everybody Likes Some Kind Of Music
. Bettina Jonic
included a cover of the song on her 1975 album The Bitter Mirror. Artists who have covered the song since then include Hugo Race
, Terence Trent D'Arby, Mick Farren
, Caetano Veloso
, Marilyn Scott
, The Duhks
, and Ground Components
.
, in his biography Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited, wrote that the recording "opened up a whole new genre of finger-pointing song, not just for Dylan but for the entire panoply of pop." To this, Heylin adds that "It's Alright, Ma" probably contained more "memorable aphorisms" than any of Dylan's songs. One of these lines is "he not busy being born is busy dying," from the song's second verse, which was used by Jimmy Carter
in his Presidential nomination acceptance speech at the 1976 Democratic National Convention
. During his campaign for President in 2000, Al Gore
told talk show host Oprah Winfrey
that this was his favorite quotation.
Another example is the line "Money doesn't talk, it swears," which appears in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
. In addition, the Columbia Dictionary of Quotations lists this as well as three other lines from the song: "Although the masters make the rules, for the wisemen and the fools," "But even the president of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked" and "Everything from toy guns that spark to flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark, it's easy to see without looking too far that not much is really sacred." Other well-known lines include "Propaganda, all is phony" and "Advertising signs they con you into thinking you're the one."
In a 2005 reader's poll reported in Mojo
magazine, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" was listed as the #8 all-time greatest Bob Dylan song, and a similar poll of artists ranked the song at #21. In 2002, Uncut
magazine listed it as the #5 all-time Dylan song. The song was featured in the final episode
of The Sopranos
. It has also been referenced by other songwriters. For instance, the indie-rocker Stephen Malkmus
quotes "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" at the end of his song "Jo-Jo's Jacket" from Malkmus' debut solo album.
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and first released on his 1965 album, Bringing It All Back Home
Bringing It All Back Home
Bringing It All Back Home is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's fifth studio album, released in March 1965 by Columbia Records. The album is divided into an electric and an acoustic side. On side one of the original LP, Dylan is backed by an electric rock and roll band - a move that further alienated...
. It was written in the summer of 1964, first performed live on October 10, 1964, and recorded on January 15, 1965. Described by Dylan biographer Howard Sounes
Howard Sounes
Howard Sounes is a British author, journalist and biographer.Howard Sounes began his career as a newspaper journalist as a staff reporter for the Sunday Mirror. He broke major stories concerning one of the most notorious murder cases in British criminal history, that of Fred West and Rosemary West...
as a "grim masterpiece," the song features some of Dylan's most memorable lyrical images. Among the well-known lines sung in the song are "Money doesn't talk, it swears," "Although the masters make the rules, for the wisemen and the fools" and "But even the president of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked." The lyrics express Dylan's anger at hypocrisy, commercialism, consumerism, warmongers and contemporary American culture, but unlike his earlier protest songs, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" does not express optimism in the possibility of political solutions.
Dylan has stated that "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is one of his songs that means the most to him, and he has played the song often in live concerts. Since its original release on Bringing It All Back Home, live versions of the song have been issued on The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall
The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall
The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall is a complete recording of Bob Dylan's October 31, 1964 "Halloween" show at New York's Philharmonic Hall. It was released in 2004....
, Before the Flood
Before the Flood
Side threeSide four-Personnel:* Bob Dylan – vocal, guitars, harmonica, piano* Robbie Robertson – electric guitar, backing vocal* Richard Manuel – vocal, piano, electric piano, organ, drums* Garth Hudson – Lowrey organ, clavinet, piano, synthesizer, saxophone...
and Bob Dylan at Budokan
Bob Dylan at Budokan
Bob Dylan at Budokan is a live album by Bob Dylan, released in 1979 by Columbia Records. It was recorded during his 1978 world tour and is composed mostly of the artist's "greatest hits"...
. Dylan can also be seen performing the song in the film Dont Look Back
Dont Look Back
Dont Look Back is a 1967 documentary film by D.A. Pennebaker that covers Bob Dylan's 1965 concert tour in the United Kingdom.In 1998, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically...
and the video of the HBO special Hard to Handle. The song has been covered by a number of other artists, including Roger McGuinn
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
, The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
, Hugo Race
Hugo Race
Hugo Race is an Australian rock musician and record producer who has been based in Europe since 1989. He was a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, before forming The Wreckery with Nick Barker and Robin Casinader in the 1980s. He is currently a member of Hugo Race and the True Spirit.Race is...
, Terence Trent D'Arby, Mick Farren
Mick Farren
Michael Anthony 'Mick' Farren is an English journalist, author and singer associated with counterculture and the UK Underground.-Music:...
, Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
, Marilyn Scott
Marilyn Scott
Marilyn Scott is an American jazz vocalist.Scott got her start performing locally at age 15. She went to college in San Francisco, singing in both jazz and pop ensembles there. She was noticed by Emilio Castillo, a member of Tower of Power, who hired her to do backing vocals for the group...
, and The Duhks
The Duhks
The Duhks is a band from Winnipeg, Canada.The members play a blend of Canadian soul, gospel, North American folk, Brazilian samba, old time country string band, zydeco, and Irish dance music. Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, their music draws heavily on all of the North American musical traditions,...
.
Bob Dylan's version
Dylan wrote "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" in the summer of 1964. Although he was prepared to take his time developing the song, as he did with "Mr. Tambourine ManMr. Tambourine Man
"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, which was released on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that was released as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and...
", he finished it in time for inclusion on the Bringing It All Back Home
Bringing It All Back Home
Bringing It All Back Home is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's fifth studio album, released in March 1965 by Columbia Records. The album is divided into an electric and an acoustic side. On side one of the original LP, Dylan is backed by an electric rock and roll band - a move that further alienated...
album, which was recorded in January 1965. Dylan first performed "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" live on October 10, 1964 at Philadelphia Town Hall. The version included on Bringing It All Back Home was recorded on January 15, 1965, the same day that the other three songs on side 2 of the album ("Mr. Tambourine Man", "Gates of Eden
Gates of Eden
Gates of Eden is a collection of short stories written by Ethan Coen, first published in November 1998. The title comes from one of the stories in the book with reference to the biblical Garden of Eden...
" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his Bringing It All Back Home album, released on March 22, 1965 by Columbia Records . The song was originally recorded on January 15, 1965 with Dylan's acoustic guitar and harmonica and William E. Lee's bass...
") were recorded, with Tom Wilson in the role of producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. It was long thought that each of the four songs that make up side 2 of Bringing It All Back Home were recorded in one long take
Take
A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production.-Film:In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup"...
. However, there was actually one false take of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)".
Dylan biographer Howard Sounes described "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" as a "grim masterpiece." The only accompaniment is Dylan's guitar, playing folk-blues riffs and up and down chord
Guitar chord
In music, a guitar chord is a chord, or collection of tones usually sounded together at once, played on a guitar. It can be composed of notes played on adjacent or separate strings or all the strings together...
progressions. Authour Sean Wilentz has noted that the song's chord
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
structure is similar to that used by the Everly Brothers' in their hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
recording of "Wake Up Little Susie
Wake Up Little Susie
"Wake Up Little Susie" is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957.The song is best known in a recording by The Everly Brothers, issued by Cadence Records as catalog number 1337...
". The lyrics of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" express Dylan's anger at hypocrisy, commercialism, consumerism, warmongers and contemporary American culture. In his book Bob Dylan, Performing Artist
Bob Dylan, Performing Artist
Bob Dylan, Performing Artist is a series of three books written by music critic Paul Williams concerning the music of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Unlike many other books about Dylan, these are not biographical but focus primarily on the performances delivered at various concerts over a...
, author Paul Williams
Paul Williams (Crawdaddy! creator)
Paul Williams is an American music journalist and writer. Williams created the first national US magazine of rock music criticism :Crawdaddy! in January 1966 on the campus of Swarthmore College with the help of some of his fellow science fiction fans...
has suggested that the song addresses "the possibility that the most important (and least articulated) political issue of our times is that we are all being fed a false picture of reality, and it's coming at us from every direction." Williams goes on to say that the song successfully paints a portrait of an "alienated individual identifying the characteristics of the world around him and thus declaring his freedom from its 'rules'." As such, a major target in the song is the old, established concepts which give a false picture of reality and hinder new worldviews from being accepted.
While it shares a sense of prevailing entropy with the previous song on the album, "Gates of Eden", the critique in "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is more direct and less allusive. Author Michael Gray has commented that although the vitriol Dylan unleashes towards his targets is similar to his earlier political protest songs, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is a transitionary song in that it does not express optimism in the possibility of political solutions. Instead, Dylan sings in a new prophetic voice that would later become his trademark. However, with the political pessimism comes a more poetic vision than in his earlier protest songs, along with a more complex figurative language. Howard Sounes notes that the song features some of Dylan's most memorable images. The opening lines begin the song's torrent of apocalyptic
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
images:
- Darkness at the break of noon
- Shadows even the silver spoon
- The handmade blade, the child's balloon
- Eclipses both the sun and moon
- To understand you know too soon
- There is no sense in trying
According to Seth Rogovoy, this opening echoes the Book of Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes
The Book of Ecclesiastes, called , is a book of the Hebrew Bible. The English name derives from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title.The main speaker in the book, identified by the name or title Qoheleth , introduces himself as "son of David, king in Jerusalem." The work consists of personal...
, where the author states (1:17) "I observed all deeds beneath the sun, and behold all is futile. There are echoes of Ecclesiastes throughout the song. Another example is:
- The masters make the rules
- For the wise man and the fools.
The author of Ecclesiastes laments (2:15–16) "The fate of the fool will befall me also; to what advantage, then, have I become wise? But I come to the conclusion that this, too, was futility, because the wise man and the fool are both forgotten. The wise man dies, just like the fool."
One of the most famous lines from the song reminds listeners that even the most powerful people will ultimately be judged:
- But even the president of the United States
- Sometimes must have to stand naked
These lines seemed particularly prescient when Dylan performed the song on his 1974 tour
Bob Dylan and The Band 1974 Tour
The Bob Dylan and The Band 1974 Tour was a two-month concert tour in early 1974 that featured Bob Dylan, in his first real tour in eight years, performing with The Band, who as The Hawks had once been his little-known backing band...
with The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
, a few months before Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
resigned as President of the United States as a result of the Watergate crisis. After the song has confronted sex, religion and politics, it ends with the lines:
- And if my thought-dreams could be seen
- They'd probably put my head in a guillotine
- But it's alright, Ma, it's life and life only
Throughout the song, the words pour out quickly, with Dylan barely taking a breath between lines, so that the intricate rhyming structure is often missed: AAAAAB CCCCCB DDDDDB in the verses and AAB in the chorus.
Dylan has cited "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" as one of his songs that means the most to him. In 1980 he stated that "I don't think I could sit down now and write 'It's Alright, Ma' again. I wouldn't even know where to begin, but I can still sing it." The song has featured often in Dylan's live concerts, and concert performances of it have been released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall
The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall
The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall is a complete recording of Bob Dylan's October 31, 1964 "Halloween" show at New York's Philharmonic Hall. It was released in 2004....
(recorded on October 31, 1964), Before the Flood
Before the Flood
Side threeSide four-Personnel:* Bob Dylan – vocal, guitars, harmonica, piano* Robbie Robertson – electric guitar, backing vocal* Richard Manuel – vocal, piano, electric piano, organ, drums* Garth Hudson – Lowrey organ, clavinet, piano, synthesizer, saxophone...
(recorded in 1974) and Bob Dylan at Budokan
Bob Dylan at Budokan
Bob Dylan at Budokan is a live album by Bob Dylan, released in 1979 by Columbia Records. It was recorded during his 1978 world tour and is composed mostly of the artist's "greatest hits"...
(recorded in 1978). Dylan also played the song on his Rolling Thunder Revue
Rolling Thunder Revue
The Rolling Thunder Revue was a famed U.S. concert tour consisting of a traveling caravan of musicians, headed by Bob Dylan, that took place in late 1975 and early 1976; the prevailing theory was that the tour was named after the Native American shaman Rolling Thunder. Others maintained that tour...
Tour in 1975 and 1976, as well as on his 1978 tour and his Never Ending Tour
Never Ending Tour
The Never Ending Tour is the popular name for Bob Dylan’s endless touring schedule since June 7, 1988. During the past 23+ years, musicians have come and gone and the band has continued to evolve...
from the late 1980s up to the present. Footage of Dylan playing "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is included in the film Dont Look Back
Dont Look Back
Dont Look Back is a 1967 documentary film by D.A. Pennebaker that covers Bob Dylan's 1965 concert tour in the United Kingdom.In 1998, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically...
, and a live performance of Dylan playing the song with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers are an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. They were formed in 1976 by Tom Petty , Mike Campbell , Benmont Tench , , Ron Blair and Stan Lynch...
is included in the video of the HBO special Hard to Handle. Dylan also sang this song at his 1993 30th anniversary celebration concert at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, which was released on The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration is a live double-album release in recognition of Bob Dylan's 30 years as a recording artist. Recorded on October 16, 1992 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, it captures most of the concert, which featured many artists performing classic Dylan songs,...
album. The studio recording was re-released on the 2008 compilation album Playlist: The Very Best of Bob Dylan '60s.
Cover versions
Arguably the most widely known coverCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the song is that performed by Roger McGuinn
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
for the soundtrack of the 1969 film, Easy Rider
Easy Rider
Easy Rider is a 1969 American road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. It tells the story of two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South with the aim of achieving freedom...
. The film's scriptwriter and star, Peter Fonda
Peter Fonda
Peter Henry Fonda is an American actor. He is the son of Henry Fonda, brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget and Justin Fonda...
, had originally intended to use Dylan's version of the song in the film but after failing to secure the appropriate licensing he asked McGuinn to record a cover of it instead. Although McGuinn's version of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" was listed as a solo performance on the Easy Rider soundtrack album, it actually features McGuinn on guitar and vocals, accompanied by his bandmate from The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, Gene Parsons
Gene Parsons
Gene Victor Parsons is an American drummer, banjo player, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and innovative engineer, best known for his work with The Byrds from 1968 to 1972. Parsons has also released solo albums and played in bands including Nashville West, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Parsons Green...
, on harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
.
The Byrds themselves, also recorded a version of the song during the 1970 recording sessions
Studio recording
The term studio recording means any recording made in a studio, as opposed to a live recording, which is usually made in a concert venue or a theatre, with an audience attending the performance.-Studio cast recordings:...
for their album (Untitled) but it was not included in the final track listing. The Byrds occasionally performed the song in concert
Rock concert
The term rock concert refers to a musical performance in the style of any one of many genres inspired by "rock and roll" music. While a variety of vocal and instrumental styles can constitute a rock concert, this phenomenon is typically characterized by bands playing at least one electric guitar,...
during 1970 and a live recording of it, from a March 1, 1970 appearance at the Felt Forum
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, was included on the 2000 remaster of the (Untitled) album, which was re-titled as (Untitled)/(Unissued). This version also appears as a bonus track on the 2002 remastered version of the compilation album, The Byrds Play Dylan
The Byrds Play Dylan
The Byrds Play Dylan is the name of two compilation albums by the American rock band The Byrds, one released in 1979 and the other issued in 2002. As their titles suggest, each compilation consists of interpretations of Bob Dylan penned songs, which The Byrds recorded at different stages of their...
, and on the 2006 4-disc box set There Is a Season
There Is a Season
There Is a Season is a four-CD box set by the American rock band The Byrds that was released on September 26, 2006 by Columbia/Legacy. It comprises 99 tracks and includes material from every one of the band's twelve studio albums, presented in roughly chronological order...
.
In 1971, Nannie Parres included "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" on her album I Thought About You and in 1973 Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
included the song on Everybody Likes Some Kind Of Music
Everybody Likes Some Kind of Music
The album includes the instrumental "Space Race", which was released as a single and was a sequel of sorts to Preston's 1971 hit "Outa-Space". The instrumental proved popular enough that the musical variety show American Bandstand used it as the song for its mid-broadcast break from the mid 1970s...
. Bettina Jonic
Bettina Jonic
Bettina Jonic is a theatre artist, singer, dancer, writer, poet, director, and the founder of London's Actors Work Group.-History:Jonic was raised in Los Angeles, California to Croatian parents. She studied ballet for ten years with Theodore Kosloff and Bronislava Nijenska, then studied music and...
included a cover of the song on her 1975 album The Bitter Mirror. Artists who have covered the song since then include Hugo Race
Hugo Race
Hugo Race is an Australian rock musician and record producer who has been based in Europe since 1989. He was a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, before forming The Wreckery with Nick Barker and Robin Casinader in the 1980s. He is currently a member of Hugo Race and the True Spirit.Race is...
, Terence Trent D'Arby, Mick Farren
Mick Farren
Michael Anthony 'Mick' Farren is an English journalist, author and singer associated with counterculture and the UK Underground.-Music:...
, Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
, Marilyn Scott
Marilyn Scott
Marilyn Scott is an American jazz vocalist.Scott got her start performing locally at age 15. She went to college in San Francisco, singing in both jazz and pop ensembles there. She was noticed by Emilio Castillo, a member of Tower of Power, who hired her to do backing vocals for the group...
, The Duhks
The Duhks
The Duhks is a band from Winnipeg, Canada.The members play a blend of Canadian soul, gospel, North American folk, Brazilian samba, old time country string band, zydeco, and Irish dance music. Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, their music draws heavily on all of the North American musical traditions,...
, and Ground Components
Ground Components
Ground Components are an angular soul-punk-rock band formed and based in Melbourne, Australia. Formed December 2002, in East Brunswick, a suburb of Melbourne.Their first public performance were in 2002, playing with friends bands and at small house parties...
.
Influence
Clinton HeylinClinton Heylin
Clinton Heylin is an English author who has written extensively about popular music and the work of Bob Dylan.- Education :...
, in his biography Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited, wrote that the recording "opened up a whole new genre of finger-pointing song, not just for Dylan but for the entire panoply of pop." To this, Heylin adds that "It's Alright, Ma" probably contained more "memorable aphorisms" than any of Dylan's songs. One of these lines is "he not busy being born is busy dying," from the song's second verse, which was used by Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
in his Presidential nomination acceptance speech at the 1976 Democratic National Convention
1976 Democratic National Convention
The 1976 Democratic National Convention met at Madison Square Garden in New York City, from July 12 to July 15, 1976. The assembled United States Democratic Party delegates at the convention nominated Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia for President and Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota for Vice...
. During his campaign for President in 2000, Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
told talk show host Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
that this was his favorite quotation.
Another example is the line "Money doesn't talk, it swears," which appears in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, first published by the Oxford University Press in 1941, is an 1100-page book listing short quotations that are common in English language and culture....
. In addition, the Columbia Dictionary of Quotations lists this as well as three other lines from the song: "Although the masters make the rules, for the wisemen and the fools," "But even the president of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked" and "Everything from toy guns that spark to flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark, it's easy to see without looking too far that not much is really sacred." Other well-known lines include "Propaganda, all is phony" and "Advertising signs they con you into thinking you're the one."
In a 2005 reader's poll reported in Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
magazine, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" was listed as the #8 all-time greatest Bob Dylan song, and a similar poll of artists ranked the song at #21. In 2002, Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
magazine listed it as the #5 all-time Dylan song. The song was featured in the final episode
Made in America (The Sopranos)
"Made in America" is the twenty-first episode of the sixth season of the HBO television drama series The Sopranos and the series finale. It is the eighty-sixth overall episode of the series and the ninth episode of the second part of the sixth season, which was broadcast in two batches with a break...
of The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
. It has also been referenced by other songwriters. For instance, the indie-rocker Stephen Malkmus
Stephen Malkmus
Stephen Joseph Malkmus is an indie rock musician and icon, and a member of the band Pavement. He currently performs with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks.-Early years:...
quotes "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" at the end of his song "Jo-Jo's Jacket" from Malkmus' debut solo album.
External links
- Lyrics to the song at bobdylan.com