Changing of the Guards

"Changing of the Guards" is a song written by Bob Dylan, released in 1978 as a single and as the first track on his album Street-Legal. As a single it failed to reach the Billboard Top 100. However, the song has been included on compilation albums: Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3, released in 1994, and the Deluxe Edition of Dylan, released in 2007.

For other uses, see Changing of the Guard (disambiguation).
"Changing of the Guards"
Single by Bob Dylan
from the album Street-Legal
B-side"Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)"
Released24 October 1978
RecordedApril 1978
GenreRock, gospel
Length6:41 (1978 original); 7:04 (1999 remix)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)Don DeVito
Bob Dylan singles chronology
"Baby, Stop Crying"
(1978)		 "Changing of the Guards"
(1978)		 "Gotta Serve Somebody"
(1979)

A slightly longer version of "Changing of the Guards", including an extended ending, was included on remixed/remastered editions of Street-Legal released in 1999 and 2003.[1]

Critical reception

The song has prompted much criticism, both positive and negative. According to Oliver Trager author of Keys to the Rain: The Definitive Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, "Changing of the Guards" has been criticized as a "song in which Dylan unsuccessfully and cynically parodies his anthemic self".[2]

Dylan expert Michael Gray, author of The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, commented that "Changing of the Guards" is a thorough description of Dylan's personal journey, from the beginning of his musical career, about sixteen years prior (the opening line is "Sixteen years"), through his marriage to and divorce from Sara Dylan, up to his conversion to Christianity, which was announced soon after the song's release, although Gray also accused some passages of being "opaque".[3]

Critic Paul Williams praised both the music ("The rhythm and melody are original and powerful; and Dylan’s use of the back-up singers to echo his words at strategic moments throughout each verse is a marvelous device, effective and haunting") as well as the lyrics ("the storytelling structure of the song, mixing political and romantic intrigue, rich imagery, and fascinating setting, singer slipping neatly between first and third person narrative, seems more than adequate to deliver on the promise").[4]

Dylan acknowledged the lyrical ambiguity in a 1978 interview, commenting: "It means something different every time I sing it. 'Changing of the Guards' is a thousand years old'".[2]

Live performance history

Dylan performed "Changing of the Guards" 68 times in concert. All performances were in 1978.[5]

Covers

"Changing of the Guards" has been covered by:

References
  1. "Revisit: Bob Dylan: Street Legal". Spectrum Culture. 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  2. Trager, Oliver (2004). Keys to the Rain: The Definitive Bob Dylan Encyclopedia. Billboard Books. pp. 104. ISBN 978-0823079742.
  3. Gray, Michael (2006). The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia. Continuum Books. pp. 220–223. ISBN 0-8264-6933-7.
  4. Williams, Paul, 1948-2013. (1994). Bob Dylan : performing artist. [London]: Omnibus. ISBN 0-7119-3555-6. OCLC 30111642.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. "Setlists - The Official Bob Dylan Site". Bobdylan.com. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
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