Lucinda Williams vividly recalls the moment Bob Dylan’s music entered her life, a pivotal experience that shaped her artistic journey. This connection is central to her contribution to the expansive tribute album, “Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International.” The album features 80 artists reinterpreting Dylan’s iconic songs, with proceeds benefiting the human rights organization.
The Genesis of Influence: A 1965 Encounter
“It was 1965,” Williams stated without hesitation, marking the year she began playing guitar. Residing in Baton Rouge, where her father, poet Miller Williams, was teaching at LSU, she recounts a memorable visit from one of her father’s creative writing students. This student, eager to share a new musical discovery, brought along a copy of Bob Dylan’s latest album, “Highway 61 Revisited.” In an era where new album releases were significant cultural events, sparking widespread discussion and communal listening sessions, this was a moment of musical revelation.
While her father, a devotee of jazz and blues artists like John Coltrane and Lightnin’ Hopkins, wasn’t particularly impressed by Dylan, the contemporary folk-rock scene resonated deeply with Williams’ generation and her father’s students. “The advantage was that I was turned on to quite a bit of music from these people who were in their 20s, turning me on to Dylan and the Doors,” she explained. The student left the album, and a young Williams, just 12 and a half years old, placed it on the turntable.
A Folk-Rock Revelation
Despite her youth and not fully comprehending all the lyrics, the fusion of traditional folk music with lyrics drawn from both creative writing and the folk traditions she knew – influenced by artists like Peter, Paul & Mary, Gordon Lightfoot, and the archival recordings of John and Alan Lomax, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Joan Baez – struck a profound chord. “This was completely different, yet it was still coming from that folk thing,” she reflected. This encounter ignited a powerful aspiration: “I thought, ‘OK, this is what I want to do.’ He was my hero. I’m not embarrassed to say it. That became the challenge for me, to try to be able to write like that.”
Crafting a Tribute: “Tryin’ To Get to Heaven”
For her contribution to “Chimes of Freedom,” Williams ultimately chose to record “Tryin’ To Get to Heaven,” a track from Dylan’s 1997 album, “Time Out of Mind.” Her meticulous approach to recording involved immersing herself in Dylan’s entire catalog. “I must have spent, God, a couple of weeks just listening to nothing but Bob Dylan. I’m so thorough in everything, so of course I’ve got to go through every single thing, and then listen to bootleg versions of songs as well as the album version to see which lyrics are the best ones,” she detailed.
The selection process for the tribute album, managed by a team including veteran executive Jeff Ayeroff and Amnesty International’s Karen Scott, involved a first-come, first-served system that somewhat limited the available song choices. “Some of the songs I immediately went to, like ‘Masters of War,’ were already taken,” Williams chuckled. She had also considered other powerful tracks like “Tears of Rage” and “It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding.”
The final decision came down to “Buckets of Rain” and “Tryin’ To Get to Heaven.” “Time Out of Mind” was an album she had loved upon its release, appreciating its innovative production for Dylan. Her husband and manager, Tom Overby, a historian of record collections, provided access to numerous bootleg recordings. “There was an outtake version with some of the lyrics he left off the album version, and I have no idea why,” she noted. The refrain, “I’m tryin’ to get to heaven before they close the door,” proved to be the clincher, resonating deeply with her. She expressed that the song might even be featured in her upcoming performance at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Reflecting on her rendition, Williams stated, “Doing these tribute albums can be a challenging thing… But you’ve got to put something of your own into it. I was just thrilled with the way it came out.”
References:
- Lewis, Randy. (2012, January 22). Lucinda Williams had no trouble pinpointing when and where Bob Dylan’s music came into her life. Los Angeles Times.