Bob Dylan, like many of us, seems to be struggling to find ways to keep himself busy with the ongoing nationwide self-quarantine initiative of staying at home. So much so, in fact, that the veteran folk-rock singer/guitarist treated his fans to the surprise release of a new single on Friday, which somehow clocks in at an unmanageable 17-minutes in length and lyrically explores the country’s most popular assassination of the 20th century in the 1963 murder of President John F. Kennedy.
Entitled, “Murder Most Foul”, the lengthy recording hears very minimal instrumentation from mainly piano and violin to go with Dylan’s haunting vocals. The slowly-sung ballad explores Dylan’s take on the historical moment which shifted the fate of his generation and the rest of the world for decades to come.
Related: Listen To The Grateful Dead & Bob Dylan Perform Three Sets Together, On This Day In 1987
As Variety points out, the new single even manages to beat his 1997 song, “Highlands”, as the longest recorded track of an illustrious songwriting career.
“Greetings to my fans and followers with gratitude for all your support and loyalty across the years,” Dylan mentioned in a rare post shared to his Facebook late Thursday night. “This is an unreleased song we recorded a while back that you might find interesting. Stay safe, stay observant and may God be with you. Bob Dylan”
Clear the schedule and listen to Dylan’s new song below.
Bob Dylan – “Murder Most Foul”
[Video: Bob Dylan]
Dylan is scheduled to team up with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats for a run of summer performances beginning on June 4th Bend, OR. In all likelihood, however, the summer tour will likely be postponed as more festivals and concerts continue to get canceled or pushed back to the fall thanks to the ongoing industry shutdown from COVID-19.
Stay tuned to Dylan’s website for concert updates in the coming weeks.