What is the story of Bob Dylan song ‘Simple Twist of Fate’?
It’s hard to separate Bob Dylan from the words that he has written over the years. Even though he may have been cagey about the person behind that hazy voice, Dylan always poured his heart and soul into his lyrics, being cryptic one second and confessional the next and letting the audience make heads or tails of it on their own. After being the voice of a generation for over a decade, though, Blood on the Tracks marked the moment when it all came crashing down on ‘Simple Twist of Fate’.
Having been in the spotlight for so long, Dylan had been working on his relationship with his wife Sara for years before finally deciding to call it quits. While he might not have wanted to make the kind of confessional record that most would have expected out of him, Blood on the Tracks carries the weight of a man who has to deal with the aftermath of his broken heart.
From the first moments of ‘Tangled Up in Blue’, Dylan has a lot to unpack to the listener, detailing the story of their relationship in real-time before trying his best to get back to her. Although songs like ‘Idiot Wind’ were his moment to lash out in anger, ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ was the initial comedown after realising that he is never going to see Sara the same way again.
Compared to other Dylan albums that move something in your gut, Dylan isn’t pulling any of his punches this time around, looking to cut through all the bullshit and let people know what his real back pages look like. So, when you look through a song like this, you might want to pay attention to the man singing the lyrics rather than the words on the page.
Was ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ a true story?
Since Dylan doesn’t like to give everything away, most of ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ is wrapped in a narrative concept, never telling us that he’s the protagonist until the end of the song. With each verse, it feels like Dylan is giving individual snapshots of what the relationship was like. One minute, he will be singing about a time when they were walking through the park, only to be undercut by him waking up to an empty house the next day.
Even if everyone in his situation would react with anger to being dropped by their soulmate, Dylan just blames it on the changing of the seasons by the end of the song, saying that it was all up to a game of chance that they got together, and it was a game of chance that they fell apart. Most of Blood on the Tracks has to do with the grief that comes with any divorce, but at the end of ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ is Dylan finally hitting the acceptance phase of separation.
What album is ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ taken from?
While Blood on the Tracks may not be Dylan’s most politically-minded album, it does mark a distinct pivot in his career. After spending time trying to run away from his own fame on albums like Self Portrait, this was the first time Dylan pointed his finger outward and started to get more introspective about his work, either laying into himself for the way he behaved or trying his best to put on a decent demeanour in front of his old flame.
This would also mark a turning point for Dylan ahead of his Evangelist period in the 1980s, trading in his judgemental side to devote his life to God and preach the good word. Although he would eventually get back to his roots as a folk-rock troubadour, there’s a reason why fans often call their personal favourite new Dylan projects as his best “since Blood on the Tracks”. Other gems may have come and gone since, but this album follows the lead of John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band by reminding the audience that even musical gods are still human.
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