Like a rolling stone - Covers 1965-2009 1^ parte/2^ parte/3^ parte

Indice generale/General index

Nonostante il parere della rivista Rolling Stone che, nel 2004, la elesse miglior canzone di tutti i tempi, continuo a credere che Like a rolling stone, uscita nel Giugno 1965, sia una delle più belle composizioni mai prodotte dalla nuova musica nel dopoguerra.

Scritto in un momento di sconforto, il brano ha la felicità di tutti i capolavori, a partire dall'ambiguità testuale: dobbiamo considerarla, infatti, come una, pur parziale, confessione autobiografica o un riferimento ad una figura storica ben precisa della vita di Robert Allen Zimmerman?

Il primo caso è più probabile; Dylan aveva, dal Marzo precedente, abiurato lo stile folk, subito le prime contestazioni e censure e, non ultimo, interpretato per la BBC Madhouse on Castle Street in cui era un chitarrista vagabondo ("a rolling stone"). Il tono aspro e tagliente usato allora nei rapporti con la stampa (e che dura ancor adesso) ricorda le invettive della canzone, forse una sincera presa d'atto del proprio innato individualismo e l'abbandono dell'impegno (derivatogli da Guthrie), ormai sentito quale costume inautentico, costituito dalle aspettative dell'ammirazione crescente.

La soluzione alternativa, più lineare, è quella che vede Dylan riferirsi alla vita di Edie Sedgwick (1943-1971), amante del cantautore, modella alla corte di Andy Warhol, fragile personaggio stritolato dall'anoressia, dai farmaci, dalla vita metropolitana ("Miss Lonely").

Al Stewart

Anberlin

Arbors

Articolo 31 (Come una pietra scalciata)

BAP (Wie 'ne stein)

Barb Jungr

Bob Dylan

Bob Marley

Cher

Creation

David Bowie

David Gilmour

Drive By Tuckers

Flatt & Scruggs

Four Seasons

Gianni Pettenati (Come una pietra che rotola)

Green Day

Hardin & York

Hughes Afray (Come ces pierres qui roulent)

James Last

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix & BB King

John Mellecamp

Johnny Thunders

Johnny Winters

Judy Collins

Lars Winnerbäck (Som en Hemlös Själ)

Maxine Weldon

Michael Bolton

Mick Ronson & David Bowie

Mountain

Nacho Vegas

Nancy Sinatra

Other Half

Pascal Comelade

Paulo Ricardo

Phil Flowers & The Flowers Shop

Phil Lesh

Randy Bachman & Burton Cummings

Remains

Remo 4

Rob Tognoni

Rolling Stones

Seal & Jeff Beck

Soup Greens

Spirit

Steve Gibbons Band

Surfaris

Susheela Raman

Taxi Girl

Turtles

Wailing Souls

Wolfgang Ambros (Allan Wia a Stan)

Wretched (Come una pietra che rotola)

Yo La Tengo

Young Rascals

Once upon a time you dressed so fine 

You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you? 

People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall" 

You thought they were all kiddin' you 

You used to laugh about 

Everybody that was hangin' out 

Now you don't talk so loud 

Now you don't seem so proud 

About having to be scrounging for your next meal. 

How does it feel 

How does it feel 

To be without a home 

Like a complete unknown 

Like a rolling stone? 

You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely 

But you know you only used to get juiced in it 

And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street 

And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it 

You said you'd never compromise 

With the mystery tramp, but now you realize 

He's not selling any alibis 

As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes 

And ask him do you want to make a deal? 

How does it feel 

How does it feel 

To be on your own 

With no direction home 

Like a complete unknown 

Like a rolling stone? 

You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns

When they all come down and did tricks for you 

You never understood that it ain't no good 

You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you 

You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat 

Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat 

Ain't it hard when you discover that 

He really wasn't where it's at 

After he took from you everything he could steal. 

How does it feel 

How does it feel 

To be on your own 

With no direction home 

Like a complete unknown 

Like a rolling stone? 

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people 

They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made 

Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things 

But you'd better lift your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe 

You used to be so amused 

At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used 

Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse 

When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose 

You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal. 

How does it feel 

How does it feel 

To be on your own 

With no direction home 

Like a complete unknown 

Like a rolling stone?