View source for My Back Pages

{{Short description|1964 song by Bob Dylan}}
{{for2|the album by The Tambourines|My Back Pages (album)|the collection of book reviews by Steven Moore|My Back Pages: Reviews and Essays}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox song
| name     = My Back Pages
| cover    =
| alt      =
| caption  = Album cover
| type     = song
| artist   = [[Bob Dylan]]
| album    = [[Another Side of Bob Dylan]]
| released = August 8, 1964
| recorded = June 9, 1964
| studio   =
| venue    =
| genre    = [[Folk music|Folk]]
| length   = 4:22
| label    = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| writer   = [[Bob Dylan]]
| producer = [[Tom Wilson (producer)|Tom Wilson]]
| misc     = {{Audio sample|file=Bob_Dylan_-_My_Back_Pages.ogg|type=song}}
}}
"'''My Back Pages'''" is a song written by [[Bob Dylan]] and included on his 1964 album ''[[Another Side of Bob Dylan]]''. It is stylistically similar to his earlier [[Folk music|folk]] [[protest song]]s and features Dylan's voice with an acoustic guitar accompaniment.  However, its lyrics—in particular the refrain "Ah, but I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now"—have been interpreted as a rejection of Dylan's earlier personal and political idealism, illustrating his growing disillusionment with the [[American folk music revival|1960s folk protest movement]] with which he was associated, and his desire to move in a new direction. While Dylan wrote the song in 1964, he did not perform it live until 1988, though his band played a brief instrumental version of it as Dylan took the stage during his 1978 tour.

"My Back Pages" has been covered by artists as diverse as [[Keith Jarrett]], [[the Byrds]], the [[Ramones]], [[the Nice]], [[Steve Earle]], [[Eric Johnson (guitarist)|Eric Johnson]], and [[the Hollies]]. The Byrds' version, initially released on their 1967 album ''[[Younger Than Yesterday]]'', was also issued as a single in 1967 and proved to be the band's last Top 40 hit in the U.S.

==Writing, recording and performance==
Bob Dylan wrote "My Back Pages" in 1964 as one of the last songs—perhaps the last song—composed for his ''Another Side of Bob Dylan'' album.<ref name=heylin>{{cite book|title=Revolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan 1957–1973|author=Heylin, Clinton|pages=206–208|year=2009|publisher=Chicago Review Press|isbn=978-1-55652-843-9}}</ref> He recorded it on June 9, 1964, under the working title of "Ancient Memories", the last song committed to tape for the album.<ref name=heylin/> The song was partly based on the traditional folk song "[[The Trees They Grow So High|Young But Growing]]"<ref name=heylin/> and has a mournful melody similar to that of "[[The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll]]" from Dylan's previous album, ''[[The Times They Are a-Changin' (album)|The Times They Are a-Changin']]''.<ref name=shelton>{{cite book|title=No Direction Home|author=Shelton, Robert|page=221|year=1986|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=0-306-80782-3}}</ref> As with the other songs on ''Another Side'', Dylan is the sole musician on "My Back Pages" and plays in a style similar to his previous protest songs, with a sneering, rough-edged voice and a hard-strumming acoustic guitar accompaniment.<ref>{{cite book|title=Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions 1960–1994|url=https://archive.org/details/bobdylanrecordin00heyl|url-access=registration|author=Heylin, Clinton|pages=28–32|year=1995|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|isbn=0-312-15067-9}}</ref><ref name=prophet>{{cite book|title=Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet|author=Rogovoy, S.|page=70|year=2009|publisher=Scribner|isbn=978-1-4165-5915-3}}</ref>

In the song's lyrics, Dylan criticizes himself for having been certain that he knew everything and apologizes for his previous political preaching, noting that he has become his own enemy "in the instant that I preach."<ref name=shelton/><ref name=keys/><ref name=rough/> Dylan questions whether one can really distinguish between right and wrong, and even questions the desirability of the principle of equality.<ref>{{cite book|chapter="Far Between Sundown's Finish and Midnight's Broken Toll": Enlightenment and Postmodernism in Dylan's Social Criticism|title=Bob Dylan and Philosophy|editor=Vernezze, P. |editor2=Porter, C.|author=Rocheleau, J.|pages=69–70|year=2006|publisher=Open Court|isbn=0-8126-9592-5}}</ref> The lyrics also signal Dylan's disillusionment with the 1960s protest movement and his intention to abandon protest songwriting.<ref name=keys/><ref name=rough>{{cite book|title=The Rough Guide to Bob Dylan|author=Williamson, Nigel|edition=2nd|pages=39, 171, 220|year=2006|publisher=Rough Guides, Ltd|isbn=1-84353-718-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Song & Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan|author=Gray, Michael|pages=4, 119|year=2000|publisher=Continuum|isbn=0-8264-5150-0}}</ref> The song effectively analogizes the protest movement to the establishment it is trying to overturn,<ref name=prophet/> concluding with the refrain:

{{poem quote|Ah, but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now}}

Music critic [[Robert Shelton (critic)|Robert Shelton]] has interpreted this refrain as "an internal dialogue between what he [Dylan] once accepted and now doubts."<ref name=shelton/> Shelton also notes that the refrain maps a path from [[William Blake|Blakean]] experience to the innocence of [[William Wordsworth]].<ref name=shelton/> The refrain has also been interpreted as Dylan celebrating his "bright, new post-protest future."<ref name=rough/>

Dylan's disenchantment with the protest movement had previously surfaced in a speech he had given in December 1963 when accepting an award from the [[Emergency Civil Liberties Committee]] (ECLC) in New York.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bob Dylan and the NECLC|publisher=Corliss Lamont Website|url=http://www.corliss-lamont.org/dylan.htm|access-date=December 29, 2009|archive-date=September 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911091238/http://www.corliss-lamont.org/dylan.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Author [[Mike Marqusee]] has commented that "No song on ''Another Side'' distressed Dylan's friends in the movement more than 'My Back Pages' in which he transmutes the rude incoherence of his ECLC rant into the organized density of art. The lilting refrain ... must be one of the most lyrical expressions of political apostasy ever penned. It is a recantation, in every sense of the word."<ref>{{cite book|author=Marquesee, Mike|pages=105–106|year=2003|title=Chimes of Freedom: The Politics of Bob Dylan's Art|publisher=New Press|isbn=1-56584-825-X}}</ref>

In an interview with the ''Sheffield University Paper'' in May 1965, Dylan explained the change that had occurred in his songwriting over the previous twelve months, noting "The big difference is that the songs I was writing last year ... they were what I call one-dimensional songs, but my new songs I'm trying to make more three-dimensional, you know, there's more symbolism, they're written on more than one level."<ref>{{cite news|author=De Yong, Jenny|author2=Roche, Peter|title=Bob Dylan|newspaper=Sheffield University Paper|location=Sheffield|date=May 1965|url=http://www.interferenza.com/bcs/interw/65-apr30.htm|access-date=December 29, 2009|archive-date=April 16, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416085646/http://www.interferenza.com/bcs/interw/65-apr30.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> In late 1965, Dylan commented on the writing of "My Back Pages" specifically during an interview with Margaret Steen for ''The Toronto Star'': "I was in my New York phase then, or at least, I was just coming out of it. I was still keeping the things that are really really real out of my songs, for fear they'd be misunderstood. Now I don't care if they are."<ref name=heylin/> As Dylan stated to [[Nat Hentoff]] at the time that "My Back Pages" and the other songs on ''Another Side of Bob Dylan'' were written, "There aren't any finger pointing songs [here] ... Now a lot of people are doing finger pointing songs.  You know, pointing to all the things that are wrong.  Me, I don't want to write for people anymore. You know, be a spokesman."<ref name=heylin/>

Dylan did not play "My Back Pages" in concert until June 11, 1988, during a performance at the [[Shoreline Amphitheatre]] in [[Mountain View, California]],<ref name=heylin/> the fourth concert of his ''[[Never Ending Tour]]'' which had started [[Never Ending Tour 1988|four days earlier]]. The arrangement he used eliminated some of the song's verses and included an electric guitar part performed by [[G. E. Smith]] as a member of his newly formed band.<ref name=heylin/> Since 1988, Dylan has played the song in concert many times in both electric and semi-acoustic versions, and sometimes as an acoustic [[Encore (concert)|encore]].<ref name=heylin/><ref name=keys>{{cite book|title=Keys to the Rain|author=Trager, Oliver|pages=444–445|year=2004|publisher=Billboard Books|isbn=0-8230-7974-0}}</ref>

At the 30th Anniversary Tribute Concert to Dylan at [[Madison Square Garden]] in 1992, "My Back Pages" was performed in the Byrds' arrangement, with [[Roger McGuinn]], [[Tom Petty]], [[Neil Young]], [[Eric Clapton]], Dylan himself,  and [[George Harrison]], each singing one verse in that order.<ref name=prophet/> This performance, which included guitar solos from Clapton and Young, also featured [[Jim Keltner]], G. E. Smith, and the three surviving members of [[Booker T. & the M.G.'s]] ([[Steve Cropper]], [[Booker T. Jones]], and [[Donald "Duck" Dunn]]) as sidemen.<ref name="30th">{{cite web|title=The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r184195|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|access-date=March 14, 2010|archive-date=February 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218084111/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r184195|url-status=live}}</ref> It was released on ''[[The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration]]'' album in 1993.<ref name="30th"/>

In addition to its initial appearance on ''Another Side of Bob Dylan'', "My Back Pages" has appeared on a number of Dylan compilation albums.  In the United States and Europe, it appeared on the 1971 album ''[[Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II]]'' (a.k.a. ''More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits'') and on the 2007 album ''[[Dylan (2007 album)|Dylan]]''.<ref name=covers>{{cite web|title=My Back Pages cover versions |publisher=[[Allmusic]] |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=17:2952412~2~T000 |access-date=August 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090907161742/http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg |archive-date=September 7, 2009 }}</ref> In Australia, the song was included on the 1994 compilation album ''Greatest Hits Vol. 3''.<ref name=covers/>

==Cover versions==

==={{Anchor|The Byrds}} The Byrds' version===
{{Infobox song
| name       = My Back Pages
| cover      = TheByrdsMyBackPages.jpg
| alt        =
| caption    = Dutch picture sleeve
| type       = single
| artist     = [[the Byrds]]
| album      = [[Younger Than Yesterday]]
| B-side     = Renaissance Fair
| released   = March 13, 1967
| recorded   = December 5–8, 1966
| studio     = [[CBS Columbia Square|Columbia]], Hollywood, California
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Folk rock]]
| length     = *3:08 (album)
*{{duration|2:31}} (single)
| label      = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| writer     = Bob Dylan
| producer   = [[Gary Usher]]
| chronology = [[The Byrds]] US
| prev_title = [[So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star]]
| prev_year  = 1967
| next_title = [[Have You Seen Her Face]]
| next_year  = 1967
| misc       = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[The Byrds]] UK
 | type       = single
 | prev_title = [[So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star]]
 | prev_year  = 1967
 | title      = My Back Pages
 | year       = 1967
 | next_title = [[Lady Friend]]
 | next_year  = 1967
 }}
{{Audio sample|file=Byrds_-_My_Back_Pages.ogg|type=single}}
}}
The American rock band [[the Byrds]] released a recording of "My Back Pages" on February 6, 1967, as part of their fourth album, ''[[Younger Than Yesterday]]''.<ref name="timeless">{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny|pages=544–546|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref> The title of ''Younger Than Yesterday'' was directly inspired by the song's refrain of "Ah, but I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now."<ref>{{cite book|author=Hjort, Christopher|page=119|year=2008|title=So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973)|publisher=Jawbone Press|isbn=978-1-906002-15-2}}</ref> "My Back Pages" was subsequently issued as a single by the Byrds on March 13, 1967, with the version included on the single being a radio edit that omitted the song's second verse, to reduce the playing time from 3:08 to 2:31.<ref name="timeless"/><ref name="timeless2">{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny|page=207|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref> The single reached number 30 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and number 18 in Canada, but failed to chart in the United Kingdom.<ref name="whitburn">{{cite book|author=Whitburn, Joel|page=130|year=2008|title=Top Pop Singles 1955–2006|publisher=Record Research Inc|isbn=978-0-89820-172-7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.10063.pdf|title=Canadian charts listing|website=Library and Archives Canada|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-date=February 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226212343/https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.10063.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Brown, Tony|page=130|year=2000|title=The Complete Book of the British Charts|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=0-7119-7670-8}}</ref> "My Back Pages" was the last single by the Byrds to reach the Top 40 of the U.S. charts.<ref name="whitburn"/>

The song was initially suggested as a suitable vehicle for the band by their manager Jim Dickson.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hjort, Christopher|page=125|year=2008|title=So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973)|publisher=Jawbone Press|isbn=978-1-906002-15-2}}</ref> Lead guitarist [[Roger McGuinn|Jim McGuinn]] felt that it would make an effective cover version, but [[David Crosby]], the band's rhythm guitarist, felt that covering another Dylan song was formulaic.<ref name="byrdwatcher">{{cite web|title=Younger Than Yesterday|publisher=ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles|url=http://ebni.com/byrds/lpyty.html|access-date=August 9, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428180437/http://ebni.com/byrds/lpyty.html|archive-date=April 28, 2009}}</ref> The Byrds had already released a total of six Dylan covers on their first two albums, ''[[Mr. Tambourine Man (album)|Mr. Tambourine Man]]'' and ''[[Turn! Turn! Turn! (album)|Turn! Turn! Turn!]]'', enjoying particular success with their recordings of "[[Mr. Tambourine Man]]" and "[[All I Really Want to Do]]".<ref name="whitburn"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Mr. Tambourine Man album review|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r3060|access-date=December 30, 2009|archive-date=July 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721001121/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r3060|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Turn! Turn! Turn! album review|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r3061|access-date=December 30, 2009|archive-date=July 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721013404/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r3061|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite Crosby's objections, the band recorded "My Back Pages" between December 5 and 8, 1966, during the [[Studio recording|recording sessions]] for their fourth album.<ref name="timeless3">{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny|pages=622–626|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref> Upon its release, this cover was received well by the critics and is today regarded as one of the Byrds' strongest Dylan interpretations.<ref>{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny|page=201|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Younger Than Yesterday album review|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r3063|access-date=December 30, 2009|archive-date=December 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231050814/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r3063|url-status=live}}</ref> Following its release on ''Younger Than Yesterday'', the song would go on to become a staple of the Byrds' [[Rock concert|live concert]] repertoire, until their final disbandment in 1973.<ref name="timeless4">{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny|pages=591–615|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref> On December 4, 1968, a later line-up of the Byrds re-recorded an excerpt of "My Back Pages" as part of a medley that was included on their 1969 album, ''[[Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde]]''.<ref name="timeless3"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde|publisher=ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles|url=http://ebni.com/byrds/lpdbmh.html|access-date=September 15, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028054650/http://ebni.com/byrds/lpdbmh.html|archive-date=October 28, 2010}}</ref> The song was performed live extensively during the band's later [[country rock]] period, often segueing into [[Jimmy Reed]]'s "[[Baby What You Want Me to Do]]". Live versions from this time can be found on ''[[Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971]]'' and as a bonus track on the reissue of ''[[Untitled (The Byrds album)|(Untitled)]]''. The song was also performed live by a reformed line-up of the Byrds featuring [[Roger McGuinn]], David Crosby, and [[Chris Hillman]] in January 1989.<ref name="timeless4"/>

In addition to its appearance on the ''Younger Than Yesterday'' album, the Byrds' original version of "My Back Pages" appears on several of the band's compilations, including ''[[The Byrds' Greatest Hits]]'', ''[[History of The Byrds]]'', ''[[The Byrds Play Dylan]]'', ''[[The Original Singles: 1967–1969, Volume 2]]'', ''[[The Byrds (box set)|The Byrds]]'', ''[[The Very Best of The Byrds]]'', ''[[The Essential Byrds]]'', and ''[[There Is a Season]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=My Back Pages album appearances|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/t9896859|access-date=August 9, 2009|archive-date=July 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720221440/https://www.allmusic.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1996, a previously unreleased alternate version of "My Back Pages" (which had been considered for release as a single in 1967) was included as a bonus track on the [[Legacy Recordings|Columbia/Legacy]] reissue of ''Younger Than Yesterday''.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|last=Rogan|first= Johnny|year=1996|title=Younger Than Yesterday|type=booklet|others=The Byrds|publisher=Legacy Recordings}}</ref>

===Other covers===
The song has been covered by numerous artists, including the [[Ramones]], [[Po!]], [[America (band)|America]], [[the Hollies]], [[the Nice]], [[Eric Johnson (guitarist)|Eric Johnson]], [[the Box Tops]], [[Carl Verheyen]], [[Jackson Browne]] & [[Joan Osborne]], [[Marshall Crenshaw]], [[Keith Jarrett]], [[Steve Earle]], La Mancha de Rolando, [[Dick Gaughan]], and [[Anna Nalick]].<ref name=covers/> Austrian singer-songwriter [[Wolfgang Ambros]] recorded a version of the song named "Alt und Jung" ("Old and Young").  In 1995, the German rock musician [[Wolfgang Niedecken]] recorded a German-language ([[Colognian dialect|Kölsch language]]) cover of the song with the title "Vill Passiert Sickher" for his album ''Leopardefell''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Leopardefell|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r810604|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|access-date=March 14, 2010|archive-date=July 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720221441/https://www.allmusic.com/album/leopardefell-mw0000473403|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, a Japanese-language cover by the Magokoro Brothers is included in the soundtrack of the Dylan film ''[[Masked and Anonymous]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Soundtracks for Masked and Anonymous|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319829/soundtrack|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]]|access-date=March 14, 2010|archive-date=February 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223023804/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319829/soundtrack|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs/my-back-pages ''My Back Pages'' lyrics] from Dylan's website

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[[Category:Songs written by Bob Dylan]]
[[Category:Bob Dylan songs]]
[[Category:1964 songs]]
[[Category:1967 singles]]
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