Bob Dylan’s Visions of Johanna remains one of his most enigmatic lyrical creations: some have interpreted it as a song about Vincent van Gogh’s sister-in-law, others the singer Joan Baez. There are even suggestions that the 1966 might have biblical connotations – that Johanna is really Gehenna, the Hebrew term for the underworld.
Perhaps the new video for the track – premiered here to help celebrate the release of his brand-new Bootleg series, The Cutting Edge – will offer some insight. Directed by John Hillcoat (The Road, Nick Cave, INXS) the video cuts together archive footage of Dylan on stage, as well as cryptic images – snakes in the bed, fake eyelashes in water, the moon, sex, death and destruction – that may hold the key to the great song’s secrets. Or maybe not.
Take a look and let us know what you think.
The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol 12, is released on 6 November. It is the latest chapter in Columbia/Legacy’s Dylan Bootleg series, and focuses on the legendary studio sessions that produced Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde.
