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I recently linked to a 100 greatest Bob Dylan songs list. In perusing it, I noticed a favorite missing. I looked a second time, and sure enough, Black Diamond Bay, released in 1976, on Dylan’s “Desire", was indeed missing.
To be fair, Dylan has released 39 studio albums (plus live performances, compilations, and so on), meaning any one album would see an average of only 2-3 songs making any list of 100.
Even so, I feel compelled to make a case for “…Bay", since I did notice its absence, and upon further reflection, consider it a top-10 favorite.
First, it has a jaunty, fun, upbeat pace, despite the lyrics' storyline of seeming disfunction (which may account for some not taking it seriously). This divergence, though, should be our first clue that things are not as they seem.
Next, the symbolism is well crafted, as are the verse structure and rhymes. The desk clerk, for example, who’d be in charge of the room keys, is wearing a fez, something usually associated with Turkey. And “the Greek”, the main male character, has a second story room (symbolically, the human intellect, setting itself apart from, and above earth).
The main female character, meanwhile, turns down all offers, while focusing on the Greek, who is instead intent on his own hanging. Or so it would seem.
In reality, as the desk clerk says: “it happens every day.” Masculinity is rescued from its disjointed tendencies by the feminine—that is, by the beauty of earth. So, in the final verse, the items that remain after the fact are the woman’s hat and the man’s shoes—polar opposites finding redemption.
And hidden in the song’s serial frustrations are the evidence that a consummation has occurred: After the woman says: “Please open up the door.” the volcano erupts, and lava flows down "from the mountain high above”. So, high to low.
Many a critic has faulted Dylan for careless lyrics; but, are they really careless? Look how he sets up the high to low lava flow:
"I've got to talk to someone quick
But the Greek said, go away, and he kicked the chair to the floor
He hung there from the chandelier
She cried, help, there's danger near
Please open up the door
...."
With the rhyme of "quick" and "kicked", the emphasis is on "the chair to the floor",
which is itself a set-up for the final verse's "Panama hat and a pair of old Greek shoes."
Of course, what makes this all magical are the ‘one liners’. For example:
“The desk clerk heard the woman laugh
As he looked around the aftermath, and the soldier got tough
He tried to grab the woman’s hand
Said, here’s a ring, it cost a grand
She said, that ain’t enough
…."
Another great one-liner, this time from the desk clerk (to the Greek):
"As the morning light breaks open, the Greek comes down
According to the book, "Bob Dylan, All The Songs", Black Diamond Bay was a collaboration with Jacques Levy, and was recorded on July 30th, 1975. It features excellent back-up from Emmylou Harris (vocals), Scarlet Rivera (violin), Sheena Seidenberg (percussion), Howard Wyeth (drums) and Robert Stoner (bass).
And asks for a rope and a pen that will write
Pardon, monsieur, the desk clerk says
Carefully removing his fez
Am I hearing you right
..."
"Am I hearing you right" seems to draw our attention to the lyrics, so here they are in full.
(Note: "Pardon, monsieur" is the first of three French phrases in the song, suggesting a tropical island with a French history as the song's setting. Perhaps La Désirade, part of Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean, since the album's name was "Desire".)
According to the book, "Bob Dylan, All The Songs", Black Diamond Bay was a collaboration with Jacques Levy, and was recorded on July 30th, 1975. It features excellent back-up from Emmylou Harris (vocals), Scarlet Rivera (violin), Sheena Seidenberg (percussion), Howard Wyeth (drums) and Robert Stoner (bass).
