LogFAQs > #954670873

194. Bob Dylan Hurricane (1975)
from the album Desire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpZvg_FjL3Q

Key lyrics:
Put in a prison cell
But one time he could-a been
The champion of the world

Bob Dylan had been making expansive folk epics for well around a decade at this point the better parts of his late career are defined more by refinements than experimentation. Hurricane does, however, have one uncommon element for a Bob Dylan classic. The violin takes over as lead instrument here, the striking sound adding a melancholy edge to a song otherwise defined by fury. This is Dylan at his most impassioned. While plenty of Dylan songs are vitriolic, many are framed through cattiness but these eight and a half minutes fly by in righteous anger.

Bob Dylan is rightfully considered one of if not the greatest lyricists ever, and this is on full display here. Made in response to an unjust trial, Dylan runs us through the details of the investigation and questions every step. He never stumbles with this ambitious task, weaving a full narrative around the music. As a protest song, its among the most successful though Rubin Carters initial retrial did not work out, the attention brought by this song certainly impacted perception of the case. Decades later and well after the case was resolved, Hurricane sadly manages to hold up among Dylans most relevant songs. This is a damning portrait of racial injustice in America.

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