Who was "Mr. Tambourine Man"? (Don't miss today's Weekly Blast!)Multiple interpretations of Bob Dylan's classic song
Shalom!This week, The Broadway Maven looks at Broadway’s singer-songwriters.• On Sunday, January 15 at Noon ET and Monday, January 16 at Noon and 7 pm ET we’ll have a FREE class exploring the music of four singer-songwriters who have had shows on Broadway: Carole King, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, and Paul Simon. Register here.• This Weekly Blast includes:A) an ESSAY about possible interpretations of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” (included here FREE in this preview issue);B) a REFLECTION about the second anniversary of The Weekly Blast;C) a Broadway Maven YouTube GEM about what ChatGPT knows about Sondheim;D) a SURVEY about The Broadway Maven’s YouTube channel;E) a Broadway Maven YouTube GEM about interpreting the Sondheim show Company; andF) LAST BLASTs about Kiss Me, Kate and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Who was Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”? The singer-songwriter is famously reticent about the meanings of his songs; he once told an interviewer that he does know what some of his songs are about: “some are about four minutes, some are about five…” And indeed, his suggestions about the identity of the “Tambourine Man” are unsatisfying. It’s the guitar player and accompanist Bruce Langhorne, who carried a large instrument that looked like a tambourine. Or it’s the tambourine-playing street performer in Fellini’s 1954 film La Strada. Could be. But there are far more interesting theories about the identity of the tambourine man: • He’s a drug dealer (“take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind”; “take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin’ ship”). Now, rock musicians are famous for denying their songs have anything to do with drugs – sometimes credibly (Peter, Paul, & Mary’s “Puff, the Magic Dragon”) and sometimes less so (The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”). And Dylan says drugs had nothing to do with “Tambourine Man.” Still, under this theory, the singer of the song is looking for a fix of sorts. He’s been up all night and is somewhat deliriously hoping to keep his trip going. • He’s the singer’s muse (“play a song for me”; “my own parade”). He’s trying to write a song but needs inspiration. Ironically, the song itself is proof the muse is doing its job. • It’s about heightened religious experience (“let me forget about today until tomorrow”). The song is filled with mystical imagery and is open to interpretations about the ineffability of human existence and the significance of spiritual elevation. REFLECTION: Today marks the second anniversary of the Weekly Blast, which started as an experiment in early 2021 to supplement the Broadway content offered by my course, then called “Jewish Culture 101.” The old issues now look rather clunky to me, as the Weekly Blast has now found its rhythm and the issues are more uniform and predictable. One change: I no longer write all the articles, with contributions from people like adjunct faculty members Gail Leondar-Wright and Peter Filichia as well as co-hosts Mateo Chavez Lewis and Mickey Jo Boucher. (Don’t worry, every issue will always have something by me, too.) For several months now, my favorite part of creating the Weekly Blasts has been writing the Last Blasts that appear at the end of the newsletter, with witty, original, or thought-provoking comments about major Broadway shows past and present. What’s your favorite part of the Weekly Blast? Comment below.
The music of American singer-songwriters has formed the basis for several Broadway shows, including Beautiful (Carole King); Girl From the North Country (Bob Dylan); The Capeman (Paul Simon); and Movin' Out (Billy Joel). This challenging and fascinating class looks at the music and lyrics from several of the songs from these multi-talented individuals. What's remarkable about songs like "Piano Man" and "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" The answers are unforgettable.
For your singer-songwriters homework, watch the video below. Are Carole King’s lyrics feminist? Why or why not? Explain your answers in the comments. 
Note: links to register for ALL classes are ALWAYS available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.• Sunday, January 15 Broadway’s singer-songwriters (Noon ET, FREE) • Monday, January 16 Broadway’s singer-songwriters (Noon and 7 pm ET, FREE) • Tuesday, January 17 Guest Speaker: Producer Ken Davenport (Noon ET, ALL-ACCESS Only) • Sunday, January 22 Mel Brooks musicals (Noon ET, FREE) • Sunday, January 22 Introductory Sondheim Boot Camp (1:30 pm to 4:30 pm ET, $12) • Monday, January 23 Mel Brooks musicals (Noon and 7 pm ET, FREE) • Tuesday, January 24 The Little Mermaid (Noon ET, $5) • Sunday, January 29 The Rocky Horror Show (Noon ET, FREE, registration opens soon) • Sunday, January 29 Intermediate Sondheim Boot Camp (1:30 pm to 4:30 pm ET, $12) • Monday, January 30 The Rocky Horror Show (Noon and 7 pm ET, FREE, registration opens soon) • Tuesday, January 31 Dear Evan Hansen (Noon ET, FREE, registration opens soon) Note: Students may attend up to 12 FREE classes a year. After that it’s $5 a class.Reminder: ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not need to sign up or pay for anything. Just show up!
LAST BLAST: Two songs with some of the most reprises (essentially) in musical theater are “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” from Kiss Me, Kate and “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid” from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. In the former, the gangsters humorously singing about the attitudes of their girlfriends toward Shakespeare plays (“Just declaim a few lines from Othella, and they'll think you're a hell of a fella“), coming out for encore after encore with further puns. And in “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid,” the initial two characters are joined by a third (for another chorus) and then a fourth (for yet another chorus) singing about the joys of having a young woman “puttering around the house.” The Broadway Maven, David Benkof, helps students further their appreciation of musical theater through his classes, his YouTube Channel, and his Weekly Blast. Contact him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com.
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