Key West (Philosopher Pirate)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Key West (Philosopher Pirate)"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album Rough and Rowdy Ways
ReleasedJune 19, 2020
RecordedJanuary-February, 2020
StudioSound City Studios
GenreFolk
Length9:34
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)None listed
Rough and Rowdy Ways track listing
10 tracks

"Key West (Philosopher Pirate)" is a song written and performed by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and released as the ninth track on his 2020 album Rough and Rowdy Ways. It is a mid-tempo, accordion-driven ballad that has been cited as a high point of the album by many critics.[1][2][3][4]

It is the only song on the album to feature a traditional chorus and one of only two songs (the other being "I've Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You") to feature backing vocals.

Background and composition[]

A bar stool with Bob Dylan's name painted on it in Captain Tony's Saloon

An article in Keys Weekly remarked upon how the song appeared to be written with an "insider's knowledge" of Key West, Florida, as the lyrics reference "landmarks Mallory Square and Bayview Park as well as the island city's Amelia Street and storied history: 'Truman had his [winter] White House there'". The article also quotes Joe Faber, the owner of Captain Tony's Saloon, who said that Dylan used to "come in here, sit and hang out” when the venue was owned by the city's "colorful former mayor" Tony Tarracino. As a result, the bar contains a stool with Dylan's name painted on it.[5]

Historian Douglas Brinkley confirmed that Dylan, who was "very good friends" with Key West resident and fellow songwriter Shel Silverstein, has frequented Key West "off and on throughout his life".[6] Dylan has also expressed enthusiasm for the songwriting of Jimmy Buffett, one of Key West's most famous residents, covering "A Pirate Looks at Forty" in concert[7] and citing the songs "Death of an Unpopular Poet" and "He Went to Paris" as his favorite Buffett compositions in an interview.[8] It is possible that Buffett is the "Jimmy" referred to in the "Key West" lyric, "Like Louis and Jimmy and Buddy and all the rest".[9]

"Key West" is actually the second song Dylan has written about the Florida Keys. He wrote the lyrics to the first, "Florida Key", in 1967, although the words were not set to music and recorded until the song was completed by Taylor Goldsmith for The New Basement Tapes project in 2014. Both "Florida Key" and "Key West" contain a verbal play on "key", using the word to connote both the name of a geographical place as well as a device for unlocking something (e.g., "Nothing's locked, never will be"[10] in the earlier song and "Key West is the gateway key to innocence and purity"[11] in the later one).

Some critics have compared the music in "Key West" to Dylan's melancholy 1989 love song "Most of the Time".[12][13] The song is performed in the key of C major.[14]

Themes[]

One of the main ideas driving the song is the way Dylan posits Key West simultaneously as a concrete place on earth as well as a metaphor for some kind of heavenly afterlife ("Key West is the place to be / If you're looking for immortality").[15][16] Since it is about someone traveling to Key West (e.g., "Stay on the road, follow the highway sign"), the song has been interpreted by many critics as having a spiritual aspect, with the word "liminal" frequently being invoked to describe the sense that its narrator is transitioning from one place to another. An article in GQ by Charlie Burton and Bill Prince, for instance, notes that, "A sense of liminality, not quite being one place or another, pervades this work", and cites the line "Key West is on the horizon line" as an example.[17]

Dylan scholar Kevin Saylor elaborates on this conceit by comparing "Key West" to Dylan's 1997 song "Highlands", which he claims likewise takes place in a "liminal space" that the narrator calls "home even though he currently is far away...'Key West' plays a similar role. It is described as 'the place to be', 'fine and fair', 'on the horizon line', 'the place to go', 'the gateway key', 'the enchanted land', 'the land of light', and 'paradise divine'. Clearly, Key West is a place set apart from and superior to all other locales in which the rest of the songs on Rough and Rowdy Ways are set. The singer of 'Key West', released 23 years after 'Highlands', is closer to his final destination than the singer of the earlier song. 'Highlands' ends: 'Well, my heart’s in the Highlands at the break of day / Over the hills and far away / There’s a way to get there and I’ll figure it out somehow / But I’m already there in my mind / And that’s good enough for now'.[18] In the new song, he is already in Key West, the borderline city on the horizon, the place of passage to our ultimate goal".[19]

Critical reception[]

Rolling Stone ranked "Key West" the second best song of 2020 (behind only Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP")[20] and placed it seventh on a list of "The 25 Best Bob Dylan Songs of the 21st Century".[21] In an article accompanying the latter list, music journalist Rob Sheffied extrapolated from the impressionistic lyrics a narrative about "a grizzled outlaw, hiding out in Florida, hounded by his memories".[22] Hyperallergic's Lucas Fagen wrote that, "in a voice drunk on blood and sunshine, Dylan sings a rapturous, almost operatic ode to the island, going overboard in his praise" but notes that the song "resonates thanks to the specificity and absurdity of its conceit" and calls it "emotionally direct and weirdly moving".[23]

Among the reviewers who have cited it as the high point of Rough and Rowdy Ways are the New Yorker's Amanda Petrusich, who called it "Shakespearean" for its lyrical richness and complexity,[24] and Anne Margaret Daniel at Hot Press, who wrote that "'Key West (Philosopher Pirate)' is what I'd take to my desert island[.]"[25]

Authors Adam Selzer and Michael Glover Smith have drawn thematic parallels between "Key West" and Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg's "Over the Rainbow"[26] and Dylan's own "Murder Most Foul", respectively. Smith also praised Donnie Herron's accordion playing on the track, which he cites as "the aural personification of a gentle Florida breeze, warmly embodying the 'healing virtues of the wind' that Dylan so memorably sings about".[27] Historian Douglas Brinkley, who conducted the only interview with Dylan to coincide with the release of Rough and Rowdy Ways, described the song as "a beautiful piece of art", adding that "Dylan knows it's my favorite on the CD".[28]

Spectrum Culture included the song on a list of "Bob Dylan's 20 Best Songs of the '10s and Beyond". In an article accompanying the list, critic Kevin Korber praises the "dreamlike" lyrics, in which he sees Dylan looking "beyond the realm in which we currently live... As Dylan approaches his eighties, it’s only fair that he would start thinking of what comes next, and 'Key West' could be the great singer coming to grips with what a paradise in the afterlife could be with only his terrestrial experiences to interpret from. Even so, he seems far from confident in his projections, perhaps understanding that these good times in this Florida resort town could be the best that life has to offer".[29]

The Big Issue placed it at #8 on a 2021 list of the "80 best Bob Dylan songs - that aren't the greatest hits" and called it a "[g]loriously meandering masterpiece from his latest album".[30] A 2021 Guardian article included it on a list of "80 Bob Dylan songs everyone should know".[31]

Cultural references[]

The song's opening words, "McKinley hollered, McKinley squalled", refer to the opening of Charlie Poole's 1926 song "White House Blues", which describes the assassination of President William McKinley.[32] It is ambiguous as to whether Dylan means for the narrator of "Key West" to be listening to the song "White House Blues" or the actual assassination of McKinley via a magical radio. Dylan may have been aware that the first wireless radio transmission was sent across the Atlantic Ocean in 1901, the same year as McKinley's assassination.[33] McKinley also had a specific connection to Key West: His signature foreign policy achievement as President was victory in the Spanish–American War. When the United States became involved in that conflict, Key West was the embarkation point for U.S. troops (under the command of General William Rufus Shafter).[34]

In the second verse, the song's narrator identifies himself with a trio of famous Beat Generation writers: Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and Jack Kerouac. It is likely not a coincidence that Ginsberg, who was close friends with Dylan, once wrote a poem titled "Walking at Night in Key West".[35]

Given the references to classical antiquity elsewhere on Rough and Rowdy Ways, the line "Got my right hand high with the thumb down" is likely an allusion to the belief that a Roman emperor giving a thumbs-down signal at a gladiatorial fight meant "swords down" (i.e., that a losing fighter was to be spared, not killed).[36] This may even be a reference to Julius Caesar who is referred to more explicitly on two of the album's other tracks ("My Own Version of You" and "Crossing the Rubicon").

As with several other songs on Rough and Rowdy Ways (notably "I Contain Multitudes" and "Murder Most Foul"), Dylan seamlessly incorporates the titles of other popular songs into the lyrics of "Key West". Chief among them are "Down in the Boondocks", "Try a Little Tenderness", "I Don't Love Nobody" and "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss".

Accolades[]

Accolades for "Key West (Philosopher Pirate)"
Publication Accolade Rank
Rolling Stone The 50 Best Songs of 2020[37] 2
Rolling Stone The 25 Best Bob Dylan Songs of the 21st Century[38] 7
The Big Issue The 80 Best Bob Dylan Songs That Aren't Greatest Hits[39] 8
Spectrum Culture Bob Dylan's 20 Best Songs of the '10s and Beyond[40] N/A
The Guardian 80 Bob Dylan Songs Everyone Should Know[41] N/A

References[]

  1. ^ staff/ben-yakas (December 29, 2020). "The Best Albums Of 2020". Gothamist. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  2. ^ "Rough And Rowdy Ways is one of Bob Dylan's greatest albums". British GQ. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  3. ^ Sheffield, Rob (December 17, 2020). "Year in Review: Rob Sheffield's Top 25 Songs of 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  4. ^ "Danny McElhinney lists his artists of the year with his 2020 music review". Extra.ie. December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  5. ^ Contributed (July 13, 2020). "Bob Dylan Immortalizes Key West on Latest Release". Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  6. ^ "Bob Dylan Unveils Poetic Song About Key West | Florida Keys Newsroom". media.fla-keys.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  7. ^ Greene, Andy (July 5, 2016). "Flashback: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez Cover Jimmy Buffet in 1982". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  8. ^ "Dylan cites Buffett as one of his favorite songwriters | BuffettNews.com". www.buffettnews.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  9. ^ Mulshine, Paul (July 5, 2020). "Great minds like a think: Bob Dylan's and Jimmy Buffett's new CDs have a Key West connection | Mulshine". nj. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  10. ^ "Lost On The River – The New Basement Tapes: Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens, Taylor Goldsmith, Jim James, Marcus Mumford in collaboration with Bob Dylan". www.thenewbasementtapes.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  11. ^ "Key West (Philosopher Pirate) | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  12. ^ Fagen, Lucas (July 18, 2020). "Bob Dylan's Collage Artistry". Hyperallergic. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  13. ^ "Bob Dylan Contradicts Himself". glidemagazine.com. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  14. ^ "Bob Dylan - Key West (Philosopher Pirate) (Official Audio) Chords - Chordify". chordify.net. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  15. ^ Writer, Drew Warrick Daily Arts. "Bob Dylan in 2020: Love and violence in the end times". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  16. ^ Torres, Caesar (June 28, 2020). "Bob Dylan Faces His Mortality on 'Rough and Rowdy Ways'". Medium. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  17. ^ "Rough And Rowdy Ways is one of Bob Dylan's greatest albums". British GQ. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  18. ^ "Highlands | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  19. ^ "Dylan's Christian Anthology 5; Key West and that most foul murder | Untold Dylan". Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  20. ^ Sheffield, Jonathan Bernstein,Jon Blistein,Emily Blake,Jon Dolan,Brenna Ehrlich,Jon Freeman,Kory Grow,Christian Hoard,Elias Leight,Angie Martoccio,Claire Shaffer,Rob; Bernstein, Jonathan; Blistein, Jon; Blake, Emily; Dolan, Jon; Ehrlich, Brenna; Freeman, Jon; Grow, Kory; Hoard, Christian (December 7, 2020). "The 50 Best Songs of 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  21. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Jon Dolan,Patrick Doyle,Andy Greene,Brian Hiatt,Angie Martoccio,Rob Sheffield,Hank Shteamer,Simon; Dolan, Jon; Doyle, Patrick; Greene, Andy; Hiatt, Brian; Martoccio, Angie; Sheffield, Rob; Shteamer, Hank; Vozick-Levinson, Simon (June 18, 2020). "The 25 Best Bob Dylan Songs of the 21st Century". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  22. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Jon Dolan,Patrick Doyle,Andy Greene,Brian Hiatt,Angie Martoccio,Rob Sheffield,Hank Shteamer,Simon; Dolan, Jon; Doyle, Patrick; Greene, Andy; Hiatt, Brian; Martoccio, Angie; Sheffield, Rob; Shteamer, Hank; Vozick-Levinson, Simon (June 18, 2020). "The 25 Best Bob Dylan Songs of the 21st Century". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  23. ^ Fagen, Lucas (July 18, 2020). "Bob Dylan's Collage Artistry". Hyperallergic. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  24. ^ Petrusich, Amanda. "Bob Dylan's "Rough and Rowdy Ways" Hits Hard". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  25. ^ Daniel, Anne Margaret. "The Verdict on Rough and Rowdy Ways by Bob Dylan: A Record We Need Right Now". Hotpress. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  26. ^ "Adam Selzer.com: Dylan's "Key West (Philosopher Pirate):" The Last Stop Before Kokomo". Adam Selzer.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  27. ^ michaelgloversmith (December 1, 2020). "The Best of 2020: Dylan's "Key West (Philosopher Pirate)"". White City Cinema. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  28. ^ "New Bob Dylan Song is Ode to 'Enchanted' Key West". Keys Voices. July 8, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  29. ^ "Bob Dylan's 20 Best Songs of the '10s and Beyond". Spectrum Culture. February 19, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  30. ^ "The 80 best Bob Dylan songs – that aren't the greatest hits". The Big Issue. May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  31. ^ "Beyond Mr Tambourine Man: 80 Bob Dylan songs everyone should know". the Guardian. May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  32. ^ Charlie Poole – White House Blues, retrieved December 31, 2020
  33. ^ Editors, History com. "First radio transmission sent across the Atlantic Ocean". HISTORY. Retrieved January 11, 2021.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  34. ^ "William McKinley - Key Events | Miller Center". millercenter.org. October 7, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  35. ^ "Allen Ginsberg reads Walking at Night in Key West - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  36. ^ "Ancient Rome, thumbs up & thumbs down meant the opposite of what many think". The Vintage News. August 3, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  37. ^ Blake, Jonathan Bernstein,Jon Blistein,Jon Dolan,Brenna Ehrlich,Jon Freeman,Kory Grow,Christian Hoard,Elias Leight,Angie Martoccio,Claire Shaffer,Rob Sheffield,Emily; Bernstein, Jonathan; Blistein, Jon; Dolan, Jon; Ehrlich, Brenna; Freeman, Jon; Grow, Kory; Hoard, Christian; Leight, Elias (December 7, 2020). "Year in Review: The 50 Best Songs of 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  38. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Jon Dolan,Patrick Doyle,Andy Greene,Brian Hiatt,Angie Martoccio,Rob Sheffield,Hank Shteamer,Simon; Dolan, Jon; Doyle, Patrick; Greene, Andy; Hiatt, Brian; Martoccio, Angie; Sheffield, Rob; Shteamer, Hank; Vozick-Levinson, Simon (June 18, 2020). "The 25 Best Bob Dylan Songs of the 21st Century". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  39. ^ "The 80 best Bob Dylan songs – that aren't the greatest hits". The Big Issue. May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  40. ^ "Bob Dylan's 20 Best Songs of the '10s and Beyond". Spectrum Culture. February 19, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  41. ^ "Beyond Mr. Tambourine Man". The Guardian. May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""