"Ballad of Hollis Brown" is a
folk song written by
Bob Dylan, released in 1964 on his third album ''
The Times They Are A-Changin'''. The song tells the story of a
South Dakota farmer who, overwhelmed by the desperation of poverty, kills his wife, children and then himself.
Music and structure
''The Times They Are A-Changin version was recorded on August 7, 1963. The song had been recorded during sessions for Dylan's previous album, ''
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'', in November 1962, but remained an outtake. On this earlier version, Dylan played the
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
and just strummed the chords, rather than picking the strings. (The live versions between 1962 and 1964 were also played that way, but without the harmonica.) According to
Michael Gray, the guitar work and melodic structuring in "Hollis Brown" are taken from the
Appalachians, "where
such forms and modes had evolved, in comparative isolation, over a period of almost two hundred years". More specifically, the chords, tune and verse-structure of "Ballad of Hollis Brown" are based on the ballad "
Pretty Polly", a song Dylan performed at the
Gaslight Club in New York City prior to recording "Ballad of Hollis Brown".
The album version of the song is performed as a solo piece by Dylan with his vocal accompanied by an
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
in the
flatpicking style. The guitar is in 'double-dropped D
tuning': Both the first and sixth strings, which normally play two ''E''s separated by two
octave
In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...
s, are tuned down a
whole step, down to ''D''. Also, Dylan uses a
capo on the first fret. Therefore, while his fingers are positioned as if he were playing in the key of
D minor
D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major.
The D natural minor scale is:
Changes needed for t ...
, the song is actually in the key of
Eb minor
E-flat minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature consists of six flats. Its relative key is G-flat major (or enharmonically F-sharp major) and its parallel key is E-flat major. I ...
.
Lyrics
Lyrically, this song consists of 11 verses which bring the listener to a bleak and destitute
South Dakota farm, where a poor farmer, his wife and five children, already living in abject poverty, are subjected to even more hardships. In despair, the man kills his wife and children and himself with a shotgun. Critic
David Horowitz commented:
Live performances
Dylan played "Hollis Brown" live from 1962 to 1964, including on a
Westinghouse television special in 1963 and at
Brandeis University in May 1963 (released in 2011 on ''
Bob Dylan in Concert – Brandeis University 1963''). He also performed it in 1965, during the "comeback"
Bob Dylan and the Band 1974 Tour, and at
Live Aid
Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...
in 1985. The song was regularly featured during the
Never Ending Tour through 2012. Dylan has played it over 200 times total.
Recordings by other artists
Some of the prominent musicians and groups that have covered "Ballad of Hollis Brown" include:
*
Nina Simone: ''
Let It All Out'' (1965)
*
Hugues Aufray: ''Chante Dylan'' (1965), ''Trans Dylan'' (1995), ''Au Casino de Paris'' (1996)
*
Cornelis Vreeswijk
Cornelis Vreeswijk (; ; 8 August 1937 – 12 November 1987) was a Dutch-born Swedish singer-songwriter, poet and actor.
He emigrated to Sweden with his parents in 1949 at the age of twelve. He was educated as a social worker and hoped to become ...
: ''Kalle Holm'' (1974,
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
)
*
Nazareth
Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...
: ''
Loud 'N' Proud'' (1974)
*
Leon Russell
Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...
: ''
Stop All That Jazz
''Stop All That Jazz'' is an album by singer and songwriter Leon Russell. The album was recorded in 1974 at Leon Russell's House Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Paradise Studios in Tia Juana, Oklahoma; Pete's Place in Nashville, Tennessee; and Shelt ...
'' (1974)
*
The Stooges: ''Death Trip'' (1987), ''
Open Up and Bleed
''Open Up and Bleed!'' is a live album by Iggy and the Stooges that was released in 1995. The copy on the CD cover shows a subtitle – "The Great Lost Stooges Album?" – and suggests a line-up of songs that the band had been performing in their ...
'' (1995), ''Wild Love'' (2001)
*
The Neville Brothers: ''
Yellow Moon Yellow Moon may refer to:
* ''Yellow Moon'' (Neville Brothers album), 1989, or the title song
* ''Yellow Moon'' (Don Williams album), 1983, or the title song
* ''Yellow Moon'' (EP), a 2006 EP by Akeboshi, or the title song
* "Yellow Moon", a 196 ...
'' (1989)
*
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has com ...
: ''
Stills Alone
''Stills Alone'' is the seventh studio album released in 1991 by American musician Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield an ...
'' (1991)
*
Billy Childish
Billy Childish (born Steven John Hamper, 1 December 1959) is an English painter, author, poet, photographer, film maker, singer and guitarist. Since the late 1970s, Childish has been prolific in creating music, writing and visual art. He has le ...
: ''The Ballad of Hollis Brown'' (1992)
*
Old Blind Dogs: ''Legacy'' (1995)
*
Mike Seeger (performed with Bob Dylan): ''Third Annual Farewell Reunion'' (1995)
*
Stone the Crows: ''The BBC Sessions Volume 1 (1969-1970)'' (1998)
*
Entombed: ''Wreckage'' (EP, 1997), ''Black Juju'' (EP, 1998)
*
: ''The Flower and the Knife'' (2000)
*
Hootie and the Blowfish: ''A Tribute to Bob Dylan, Volume 3: The Times They Are A-Changin (2000)
*
Tony Joe White: ''Swamp Music: The Complete Monument Recordings'' (disc 4) (2006)
*
The Pretty Things: ''Balboa Island'' (2007)
*
Rocco DeLuca: ''The Village'' (2009)
*
Francis Cabrel: ''Vise Le Ciel'' (2012)
*
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rooted in hardcor ...
: ''
Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International'' (2012)
*
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...
: ''
The Big Dream
''The Big Dream'' is the third studio album by the American film director and musician David Lynch, released on July 10, 2013. It was released on Sacred Bones Records in the United States and Sunday Best in Europe. Consisting of 12 "modern ...
'' (2013)
*
Hans Theessink: ''Wishing Well'' (2013)
*
Paula Cole: ''Ballads'' (2017)
*
Karan Casey: ''Hieroglyphs That Tell the Tale'' (2018)
References
*Matt Cowe and Arthur Dick. ''Acoustic Masters for Guitar''. Wise Publications, 2004.
Bob Dylan's official website Retrieved 14 March 2006.
*
Michael Gray. ''Song & Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan''. Continuum, 2000.
*
Oliver Trager. ''Keys to the Rain: The Definitive Bob Dylan Encyclopedia''. Billboard Books, 2004.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballad Of Hollis Brown
1964 songs
Blues rock songs
Bob Dylan songs
Fiction about familicide
Folk rock songs
Murder ballads
Nazareth (band) songs
Nina Simone songs
Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer)
Songs written by Bob Dylan
South Dakota in fiction
Songs about death
Songs about suicide
Songs about poverty
Songs about domestic violence