"Isis" is a
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
written by
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
in collaboration with
Jacques Levy
Jacques Levy (July 29, 1935 – September 30, 2004) was an American songwriter, theatre director and clinical psychologist.
Early life and education
Levy was born in New York City in 1935 and graduated from the City College of New York in 19 ...
, in July 1975. The song is the second track on Dylan's 1976 album ''
Desire
Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...
''. The song, which features allusions to
ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...
, including sharing its title with
an Egyptian goddess, has been characterized by Dylan as a song "about marriage".
Description
This song is in a moderately fast
3/4 time
Triple metre (or Am. triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterized by a ''primary'' division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 (simple) or 9 ( compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with , a ...
, in the key of
B-flat major
B-flat major is a major scale based on B, with pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative minor is G minor and its parallel minor is B-flat minor.
The B-flat major scale is:
Changes needed for ...
. The arrangement is based on rhythm chords played on acoustic piano, accompanied by bass guitar, drums, and violin. The
harmonic progression consists of an
ostinato
In music, an ostinato (; derived from the Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces inc ...
using the following chords throughout:
I–VII♭–IV–I
B♭–A♭–E♭–B♭
The lyrics are all verses; there is no chorus. The melody is in the style of a
modal folk song, emphasizing the tonic and dominant notes in the scale, with leaps of a
fifth in between them. The mode is
Mixolydian
Mixolydian mode may refer to one of three things: the name applied to one of the ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' or ''tonoi'', based on a particular octave species or scale; one of the medieval church modes; or a modern musical mode or diatonic sca ...
with a
major third
In music theory, a third is a Interval (music), musical interval encompassing three staff positions (see Interval (music)#Number, Interval number for more details), and the major third () is a third spanning four Semitone, half steps or two ...
in the harmony, but Dylan's delivery of the melody and
Scarlet Rivera
Donna Shea, better known as Scarlet Rivera is an American violinist. She is best known for her work with Bob Dylan, in particular on his 1976 album ''Desire'' and as part of the Rolling Thunder Revue.
Life and career
Born Donna Shea in Joliet, ...
's violin accompaniment use a
flatted third as in the
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
. Dylan ends the performance with a brief upward
glissando
In music, a glissando (; plural: ''glissandi'', abbreviated ''gliss.'') is a wikt:glide, glide from one pitch (music), pitch to another (). It is an Italianized Musical terminology, musical term derived from the French ''glisser'', "to glide". In ...
on the piano.
Song narrative
"Isis" tells the tale of a man (the narrator) who married an enigmatic woman ("a mystical child") named
Isis
Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...
. The story covers his separation from her, his subsequent adventure and, ultimately, his return. The marriage took place "on the fifth day of May," (an allusion to
Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo (; ) is an annual celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. Zaragoza died months after the battle from an illness, ho ...
, one of several Mexican themes found in Dylan's songs during the 1970s). After the wedding, he "could not hold on to her very long", so he "cut off his hair and rode straight away for the wild unknown country..." He reaches a "high place" divided by a line "through the center of town" into "darkness and light." He hitches his pony and enters a laundry, as though to wash himself of his past. He meets and falls in with a shady character who promises "something easy to catch." The man suggests a search for a
body
Body may refer to:
In science
* Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space
* Body (biology), the physical material of an organism
* Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anim ...
and they ride "to the pyramids all embedded in ice". They carry on in freezing conditions until the bounty-hunting companion dies. The narrator breaks into the empty tomb ("the casket was empty"), finds no treasure, and realizes the adventure had been a fool's errand. He leaves his dead companion in the tomb, says a quick prayer, and rides back to Isis, whom he still loves. He sees Isis in a meadow and when she asks him if he is going to stay this time, he replies, "If you want me to, yes!".
Writing
It was the writing collaboration on "Isis" between Dylan and
Jacques Levy
Jacques Levy (July 29, 1935 – September 30, 2004) was an American songwriter, theatre director and clinical psychologist.
Early life and education
Levy was born in New York City in 1935 and graduated from the City College of New York in 19 ...
that eventually led to the full album ''Desire''. One night, Dylan met Levy at his loft and showed him an early draft of "Isis." According to Levy, "Isis" began life as a "slow dirge", unlike anything he had ever heard before, which he felt gave the appearance of setting the listener up "for a long story". When Dylan first played this embryonic version for him, the two of them started working together. According to Levy, it was an enjoyable song-writing partnership, with Levy writing words and Dylan contributing ideas. The session lasted until the early hours of the morning, after which Dylan and Levy went to a
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
music club,
The Other End
The Bitter End is a 230-person capacity nightclub, coffeehouse and folk music venue in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to ''The Ot ...
. Dylan read the lyrics to the gathered crowd, to favorable reactions. The partnership went on to pen "
Hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
" and other tracks later featured on ''Desire''.
"Isis" was written and recorded during a time of separation and reunion in Dylan's own marriage; consequently, for fans and critics the temptation to interpret it as an allegory of Dylan's own marital difficulties is irresistible, especially since the ''Desire'' album contains the song
"Sara" which is openly about their marriage and separation. Dylan was known to include autobiographical hints in his previous songs. "Isis" draws upon mythological themes of a male hero separating from his wife, going on adventures, and returning to the marriage, going back to the ''
Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...
''.
Personnel
*Bob Dylan – vocals, piano and harmonica
*
Scarlet Rivera
Donna Shea, better known as Scarlet Rivera is an American violinist. She is best known for her work with Bob Dylan, in particular on his 1976 album ''Desire'' and as part of the Rolling Thunder Revue.
Life and career
Born Donna Shea in Joliet, ...
– violin
*
Rob Stoner
Robert Rothstein (born April 20, 1948), known professionally as Rob Stoner, is an American singer and multi-instrumentalist known for his role as the musical director for three Bob Dylan tours and his contributions to hit albums, including Bob Dy ...
– bass guitar
*
Howie Wyeth
Howard Pyle Wyeth (April 22, 1944 – March 27, 1996), also known as Howie Wyeth, was an American drummer and pianist. Wyeth is remembered for work with the saxophonist James Moody, the rockabilly singer Robert Gordon, the electric guitarist Li ...
– drums
Live performances
Dylan did an up-tempo live version of the song with the
Rolling Thunder Revue
The Rolling Thunder Revue was a 1975–76 concert tour by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan with numerous musicians and collaborators. The purpose of the tour was to allow Dylan, who was a major recording artist and concert performer, to play ...
in 1975. A performance taped on this tour on December 4, 1975, was included in the 1978 film ''
Renaldo and Clara
''Renaldo and Clara'' is a 1978 American film directed by Bob Dylan and starring Bob Dylan, Sara Dylan and Joan Baez. Written by Dylan and Sam Shepard, the film incorporates three distinct film genres: concert footage, documentary interviews, a ...
'', and released in video form in 2002 on a bonus DVD accompanying the initial release of ''
The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue''. The audio recording of this performance had been released on the 1978 promotional EP ''
4 Songs from "Renaldo and Clara"'' and the 1985 compilation album
''Biograph''. Dylan is heard introducing the piece as "a song about marriage," and adds "This one's for Leonard, if you're still here!" referring to
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...
(the performance was recorded in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, Cohen's birthplace). Another live version of the song, recorded on a tour date the previous month, appeared in audio format only on ''The Bootleg Series Vol. 5''. In 2019, these two performances and four other live renditions of the song from the 1975 tour were released on the box set ''
The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings'', along with two full-length rehearsals.
According to Dylan's official website, as of August 2020 Dylan has played "Isis" live 46 times. All performances were in 1975 and 1976.
Influence
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She released five albums from 1996 to 2020, all of which reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart. As of 2021, she has sold over ...
, in a 2020 interview with
''Pitchfork'', cited
''Desire'' as her favorite Dylan album and credited "Isis" with giving her a "sexual awakening": "And on the song 'Isis', he sort of gave me my sexual awakening a little bit. When he goes, 'She said, 'You look different', I said, 'Well, I guess'/
..She said, ‘You going to stay?’ I said, ‘If you want me to, yes’'—when he says 'Well, I guess', I was like: ooooh".
Cover versions
The White Stripes
The White Stripes were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). They were a leading group of 2000s indi ...
covered it live many times during their career.
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American Rock music, rock and Country music, country singer-songwriter. He has released 30 studio albums and three as a former member of Whiskeytown.
In 2000, Adams left Whiskeytown and released ...
covered it live at a Dylan tribute concert in 2006.
References
External links
Lyricsat Bob Dylan's official site
Chordsat Dylanchords
*
Review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a content rating, ...
at Allmusic
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Songs written by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan songs
1976 songs
Songs written by Jacques Levy
Song recordings produced by Don DeVito
Songs about marriage