‘Murder Most Foul’: The Bob Dylan song that inspires David Byrne to “keep pushing”
David Byrne, the iconic frontman of Talking Heads, holds hero status for numerous people. His contributions, including shaping the new wave genre to sharing his journey, have served as inspiration for countless aspiring musicians. Byrne’s work consistently embodies eclecticism and innovation, all while maintaining a deeply human and heartfelt core, making him beloved by audiences on a global scale.
Like countless others, Byrne holds a profound admiration for the work of legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It makes complete sense: any musician with a genuine passion for their craft would readily acknowledge the importance of the “voice of his generation” and view him as a source of inspiration and study. So, when Byrne reveals that one of Dylan’s songs had a significant impact on his life, it might not come as a surprise. However, the specific version of the track he references is somewhat unexpected.
Byrne singles out Dylan’s ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ as the moment when music truly clicked for him, expanding his world beyond the confines of his personal space. However, it wasn’t initially Dylan’s renowned version that caught his attention, but The Byrds’. Remarkably, this moment held particular significance for Dylan as well, albeit for different reasons.
For Byrne, the song offered more than just a listening experience. It was an awakening of sorts, one that paved the way for his journey as a future musician. “It blew my little mind,” he told Stereogum. “The words were, to me at that time, impenetrable. They spoke of another world — a place both weird and magical, a bohemian land with links to the Beat poets, with whom I was familiar, a little.”
Dylan originally recorded the song during his Bringing It All Back Home sessions in 1965, and The Byrds managed to get their hands on an early copy. After giving them a listen, the band was utterly convinced that it was the perfect fit for their debut album. They were right: their rendition of the song stands as nothing short of magnificent and arguably one of the most pivotal releases in Dylan’s career.
Along with ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’, Byrne cites many other Dylan songs that impacted him both personally and professionally. For instance, he claims ‘Murder Most Foul’ is one of his most “epic” songs and the one that seems like a profound “meditation on the times”.
“This song was inspiring to me,” he explains, “not as earth-shattering as ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ was to a wee lad, but important in a different way. I hear Dylan finding, at this stage in his career, a new way to approach these epic songs.”
The way Dylan consistently innovates as time goes on is a huge inspiration for Byrne. Instead of wanting to replicate his work, Byrne finds solace in knowing that reinvention is always a possibility. “He’s not done exploring yet,” Byrne states. “That’s inspiration for me for sure. Not that I want to do a song like this — he’s already done it — but the idea that around the bend I might find something new that I’ve never done before keeps me pushing on and hopeful.”
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