Artwork of Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan Released a 17-Minute Song About the Kennedy Assassination for … Me Personally, I Guess?

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At midnight last night, Bob Dylan’s official Twitter account released a new original song from the artist. The song in question? A nearly 17-minute song about the Kennedy assassination. Some write King Lear while stuck inside (looking at you, Billy Shakes), some watch the entirety of Tiger King in one afternoon (look in a mirror), and some dedicate an entire song to the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22rd, 1963.

Some might ask why Bob Dylan decided to release a new song while we’re all social distancing and make it about John F. Kennedy, but those asking should not do so. Just embrace the eccentric nature of the career of Robert Zimmerman.

One of my favorite movies, one that pinpoints just how out there Dylan’s entire career is, is I’m Not There. With multiple actors playing different aspects of Bob Dylan’s career, the movie shows the iconic Dylan/The Beatles era of his career (played by Cate Blanchett) and goes into his acting career (Heath Ledger) and to his religious phase (Christian Bale). His religious phase provided me with my favorite song, “Pressing On,” so I can’t be too mad about it.

All this is just to say that Bob Dylan has never been known for just one thing. So the fact that he decided to take the quarantine to write and release a song about Kennedy’s death? Truly the most Bob Dylan of movies.

Take a break, stop and reflect, and listen to all 16 minutes and 54 seconds of Bob Dylan’s “Murder Most Foul” in the middle of your quarantine. What else do you have to do?

(image: STEPHEN MATUREN/AFP via Getty Images)

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Rachel Leishman
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.