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Max Dolan

Dr. Russel Thomas

English 1201

18 May 2020

Analyzing Visual Texts

In their music videos, Bob Dylan somberly walking down the street conversing with

strangers portrays a very different tone than Jimi Hendrix smashing a guitar on stage.

Surprisingly, both of these renowned artists are singing the same song. Oftentimes, when artists

with contrasting styles record the same song, the listener experiences two quite different

reactions. In the song, “All Along the Watch Tower,” performed by both Dylan and Hendrix,

while the lyrics are almost identical, the listener’s feelings and thoughts about the song are both

altered by pathos based on the visuals and of each artist’s respective style.

In Dylan’s version of the music video, the mood and tone of the song are very somber,

especially due to the lack of emotion from Dylan. As the video opens, it appears that Dylan is

sipping a glass of alcohol while a harmonica plays in the background. As the song progresses, an

acoustic guitar and drums emerge. As he finishes his drink, he is seen casually walking the

streets of an unknown city, passing store fronts and citizens of the city. At one point, the screen

blurs, suggesting that Dylan is intoxicated. Occasionally, Dylan stops to talk to everyday people.

In fact, some of these people are shown more than once talking to him. Whether he is talking to

people or strolling down the street alone, his facial expression does not seem to change: his face

seems emotionless. The meaningful lyrics are blanketed by the steady, laid back pace of the song

and Dylan’s calm facial expressions and demeanor. Because of the lack of color and the slow
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tempo of the song, the listener is able to attend to the lyrics. However, Dylan uses intricate words

and analogies that provide a deep, hidden meaning that makes the listener think.

On the other hand, Hendrix’s rendition of the video carries completely different imagery

and sound. The video is a live performance with colorful flashes of light with various images of

Hendrix fading in and out of the background of the performance. It opens with a montage of

colorful pictures of Hendrix in abstract, flashing neon lights, almost as though it has some sort of

psychedelic inspiration. Throughout the video, the viewer can see the energetic Hendrix wildly

parading around stage, writhing on the stage floor, and pushing over amplifiers, while

passionately playing his guitar and singing into the microphone. The video has an overlay of

multiple performances of the song, which captures Hendrix’s emotions and personality, but also

captures his skill and style with the guitar. All of the focus is on Hendrix, while in Dylan’s

rendition, many people are seen throughout the video. In addition, Dylan’s video is shot in a

grainy black-and-white, a polar opposite to the neon colors that bleed across the screen in the

Hendrix video. Hendrix appears much more emotionally attached to the song based on his

extreme facial expressions, the way he wildly handles his guitar, and his aggressive antics on

stage. Because of these, the listener focuses more on the upbeat music and Hendrix, himself,

than the lyrics of the song. As for the lyrics, a slight change in the words also reveals the artists’

differing views of the meaning of the song.

While the videos differ significantly, the lyrics are almost identical. The story in the song

focuses on the conversation between a joker and a thief who are on the outside of a kingdom that

represents society as a whole. In Dylan’s version, this kingdom is described by the joker as one

in which the people of the kingdom do not know the true value of life. In the first verse, his

lyrics read: “None of them along the line know what any of it is worth.” While Dylan was the
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original composer of the song, Hendrix made an adaptation to the words in Verse one. When

talking about the people of society, Hendrix states: “None were level on the mind, nobody up at

his word.” While Dylan believed that the kingdom (society) did not understand the true value of

life, Hendrix felt that society members were not true to themselves and others. This is the only

change in the lyrics, other than Hendrix’s ad-libs during his electric guitar solo. The significant

word change may not even be noticed by the listener due to the varying genres: Dylan’s is more

of a folk rock style, whereas Hendrix’s draws more from the psychedelic rock style.

Overall, both music videos are enjoyable based on the differences in their genres. While

Dylan’s is casual and Hendrix’s is more inclined for a party, both are unique in their creation. It

is amazing how two songs can have the same lyrics, but can affect the reader in such different

ways.

Works Cited

Dylan, Bob. “All Along the Watchtower.” YouTube, uploaded by Bob Dylan. March 11, 2019.
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT7Hj-ea0VE. Accessed May 18, 2020.

Hendrix, Jimi. “Jimi Hendrix Experience All Along the Watchtower.” YouTube, uploaded by

Shamb Hala, Sept. 29, 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmGFFJtkDXA. Accessed

May 18, 2020.