The musical mistakes that make Bob Dylan song ‘Visions of Johanna’ a triumph
In 1966, Bob Dylan released his seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde. The record cemented Dylan as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, featuring his unique combination of literary lyricism and folk instrumentals. One song, in particular, quickly joined the ranks of Dylan’s best work – the seven-minute-long ‘Visions of Johanna’.
It has been widely accepted as an example of Dylan at his best, with subtle, poetic lyrics and slightly off-kilter instrumentation. The likes of the Grateful Dead and Marianne Faithfull have covered the track over the years, and in the late 1990s, British Poet Laureate Andrew Motion even selected it as having the best lyrics ever written while talking to The Guardian.
Lyrically, the track is elusive and alluring, darting between two lovers with exquisite lines like, “Louise holds a handful of rain, tempting you to defy it” and “The ghost of electricity howls in the bones of her face, where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place”. Neither Louise nor Johanna have ever been identified, though some have speculated that Johanna might refer to Dylan’s lover and fellow songwriter Joan Baez. The two had broken up in the same year the song was written.
The uncertain and elusive nature of the lyricism is matched by Dylan’s instrumentals, which he began recording in New York in 1965. Dylan featured The Hawks as his backup band, and together they recorded 14 takes of the song, amending it in every way possible. From making it quieter to more uptempo, the band couldn’t quite get it right. It was only when Dylan and his band tried recording it in Nashville, Tennessee, that they finally got the take they were looking for.
Despite poring over so many takes of the track in order to get it perfect, there remained a few apparent musical mistakes in ‘Visions of Johanna’. These imperfections, owing to Dylan’s paradoxical perfectionism during the recording process, were presumably deliberate, as they seem to serve the piece’s narrative and feeling.
As he sings, “We can hear the night watchman click his flashlight”, in the second verse, he abandons the melodic instrumentation from the opening lines in favour of a disarmingly different, unchanging tone. It mirrors the jarring nature of the lyrics, as Dylan’s visions of his lovers are interrupted by the click of a flashlight, and the watchman asks if it’s “him or them that’s insane”. As he returns to visions of the delicate Louise, the guitar regains a more melodic tone.
Dylan misses notes later on in the song, too, including on the line, “The fiddler, he now steps to the road.” It’s a subtle change, but one which sonically mirrors the subtle disjointedness of its narrative. However, this isn’t quite classic syncopation that plays with our on-off beat expectations, but rather blatant mistiming that defies standard musicology. Likewise, Joe South’s bass seemingly misses notes throughout, even going up a step at 6:28 for no reason, as though trying to convey a disjoint.
‘Visions of Johanna’ is one of Dylan’s most ambiguous and unpredictable pieces, a fleeting look at his mysterious lovers who will never be awarded context. His recording perfectionism seemed to birth perfectly timed imperfections. The musical mistakes in the track only add to its status as a songwriting masterpiece, elevating its temperament and narrative.
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