Did Bob Dylan pay tribute to Brian Jones in ‘I Want You’?
Bob Dylan was never known for his love songs in the early 1960s. Although he could write about romance in a way that few artists could, Mr Zimmerman was recognised more for the anthems of the counterculture than any puppy love song, soundtracking the political revolution on songs like ‘Blowin’ In the Wind’. Though Dylan may have kept affairs of the heart close to the chest, ‘I Want You’ was the first time he hit upon a commercial love song.
Although most of the tracks Blonde on Blonde wouldn’t be considered radio-friendly with their massive runtimes, ‘I Want You’ tells a unique story of heartache in only three minutes. Compared to the other emotional songs that Dylan had written, this was probably the first one that could be considered sexy by anyone, even used during a romantic scene in the Dylan biopic I’m Not There.
Aside from the lyrical content, Dylan was also paying attention to the different sounds coming from the other stripes of rock and roll. After spending time with The Beatles and introducing them to the possibilities available with marijuana, Dylan also become friendly with many rock and rollers, including impacting members of The Rolling Stones.
Whereas Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were idolising Dylan from afar, Brian Jones would eventually get to jam with the hallowed folkie, even playing flute on the studio version of ‘I Want You’. Maybe Dylan wanted to utilise the hip talents of the day…or maybe Jones had a lot more to do with the song than even he realised.
What is the song ‘I Want You’ about?
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of the lyrics, what is the message behind Dylan’s bite-sized masterpiece? Outside of the simple chorus line of him needing his other half so bad, there are a lot of characters scattered throughout the song, mentioning everyone from a guilty undertaker to The Queen of Spades, the first in a long line of card-themed characters that Dylan would use later down the line.
Even though everyone is telling Dylan that this woman is no good for him, it doesn’t seem to matter, continuing to return to her no matter what red flags stand in his way. While the affair ultimately ends with Dylan exacting revenge on another suitor that this woman takes on, there’s a good chance that this other man in the equation may have been Jones.
Was it about Brian Jones?
Ever the womaniser, Jones was known for being one of the most promiscuous members of The Rolling Stones, eventually fathering children with many groupies before the band had cracked America. Aside from his proficiency across multiple instruments, the song’s final verse implies that Jones may have been the suitor that took Dylan’s lady friend away, being described as a man in a Chinese suit.
While it’s cheeky enough that Dylan would call upon Jones’ services and sing about him, there is some chance that Jones could have been the other guy in the song, eventually answering with his flute after Dylan talks about taking it out of the man’s hands and being “not so cute” when putting him in his place. Outside of the instrumental connections, Dylan also namechecks The Rolling Stones’ hit ‘Time is On My Side’ in the following line, as if to hammer the point home that Jones may have been messing around with one of his old flames.
Whether or not Dylan intended it for Jones, we may never know. As much as fans loved to read into what he would say in every single line, Dylan was also known for speaking out of both sides of his mouth on more than one occasion, usually never giving a straight answer to anyone who asked about his songs.
Given how Dylan was close with various bands from The British Invasion, the idea that Jones found his way into one of his lyrics is at least somewhat plausible. Still, it takes a certain amount of musical courage to sing about what a scumbag one of your contemporaries is and then ask them to perform on the same song.
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