All Along the Watchtower
Intro: So far in this series I’ve looked at songs that can be put in the camp of interpretations. There was just a different vision of the song This is the first time I will look at a song in which the version was more successful and considered better than the original (even by the song writer himself). This is a case of the version taking on a life and trajectory of its own. The Scene: It’s 1967/1968, and America’s military presence in Vietnam escalates, with military personnel reaching a total of 475,000. Protesting became more intense and rioting and looting becomes widespread across American cities, cumulating in the National Guard being called in to restore law and order in Detroit. The Beatles continue to revolutionize popular music with their “Sargent Pepper’s lonely Hearts Club Band”. Israel acquires vast swathes of territory after the six day war. The Original: All Along the Watchtower was written and recorded by legendary singer song write...