Tony Attwood’s reflection on Bob Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody” from rental-server.net offers a personal perspective on a song that sharply deviates from Dylan’s signature metaphorical style. Attwood, a self-proclaimed Dylan enthusiast of 50 years, pinpoints metaphor as the core of Dylan’s appeal. However, in “Gotta Serve Somebody,” he finds a stark absence of it, replaced by direct, unambiguous pronouncements. This article will delve deeper into why this song, with its unwavering message, stands out in Dylan’s vast catalog and how it resonated, or didn’t, with audiences and critics alike.
Attwood’s initial point is crucial: Dylan is celebrated for his metaphorical richness. Lines like “The answer is blowing in the wind” or “All the world’s a stage” are hallmarks of his songwriting, inviting interpretation and contemplation. “Gotta Serve Somebody,” however, presents a different approach. The lyrics are direct and declarative, leaving little room for ambiguity. “You’re Gonna Have To Serve Somebody,” Dylan asserts, “It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” This is not the Dylan of veiled meanings; this is Dylan the preacher, delivering a sermon set to music.
This shift in style is what alienates Attwood. He values the metaphorical “fly” in Dylan’s language, the space for personal interpretation and intellectual engagement. “Gotta Serve Somebody,” with its lack of metaphor and overt religious message, feels to him like a departure from what makes Dylan, Dylan. He candidly admits his disagreement with the song’s sentiment, emphasizing his belief in personal autonomy and tolerance, contrasting it with the song’s seemingly prescriptive worldview. Living in a society influenced by religious institutions, Attwood’s perspective is understandable – he seeks freedom from imposed doctrines.
Musically, Attwood finds the song equally underwhelming. He describes the chord progression as “nothing there to grab the imagination” and the melody as repetitive and lacking in dynamism. He highlights the “horrible sameness” and suggests that the backing track, while pleasant, requires “really exciting lyrics” to justify its simplicity. For Attwood, the song’s musical structure mirrors its lyrical content: straightforward and repetitive, lacking the musical innovation and complexity often associated with Dylan’s work.
Despite Attwood’s reservations, “Gotta Serve Somebody” achieved significant commercial and critical success. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance in 1979 and became a hit single, achievements Attwood finds “incomprehensible.” This divergence in opinion underscores the song’s polarizing nature. While Attwood and presumably some Rolling Stone readers (who voted it the second worst Dylan song) found it lacking, others clearly connected with its message and musicality.
The song’s lyrical content draws heavily from biblical themes, specifically the verse “No man can serve two masters” from the Gospel of Matthew. Dylan’s deep dive into Christian themes during this period, marked by the “Slow Train Coming” album, was a significant artistic shift. He performed “Gotta Serve Somebody” as the opening song for over 100 shows, emphasizing its importance in his artistic and perhaps spiritual journey at the time. This commitment suggests a genuine conviction behind the song’s message, regardless of its reception among some long-time fans.
Attwood’s comparison to Talking Heads’ “Heaven” is insightful. He interprets David Byrne’s ironic portrayal of heaven as a place of unchanging perfection and boredom, and suggests Dylan might have inadvertently embraced this concept in “Gotta Serve Somebody.” The repetitive nature of both lyrics and music in Dylan’s song could be seen as mirroring this idea of static, unchanging dogma, inadvertently reinforcing the very critique Byrne was making of idealized perfection.
Ultimately, Attwood’s critique of “Gotta Serve Somebody” stems from his personal preference for metaphorical depth and lyrical complexity in Dylan’s music. He acknowledges his atheism but clarifies that his issue is not with religious music per se, but with the song’s perceived lack of artistic merit and its overtly didactic message. While “Gotta Serve Somebody” may not resonate with everyone, particularly those who appreciate Dylan’s more nuanced and poetic work, it remains a significant song in his discography. It represents a bold, albeit divisive, artistic choice, showcasing Dylan’s willingness to explore new thematic and musical territories, even if it meant alienating some of his long-standing admirers in his pursuit of a direct, unwavering message: “You’re gonna have to serve somebody.”
