"Mozambique" is a song written by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

and

Jacques Levy Jacques Levy (July 29, 1935 – September 30, 2004) was an American songwriter, theatre director and clinical psychologist. Early life and education Levy was born in New York City in 1935 and graduated from the City College of New York in 1956. ...

that was originally released on Dylan's 1976 album '' Desire''. It was also released as a single and reached number 54 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Background

At the time of the song's release, the titular country of

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

had just emerged from a ten-year insurgency war against Portugal which led to Mozambique's independence. Mozambique had gained independence on June 25, 1975, only about a month before the song was recorded. As a result, some supporters wanted to see the song as lending support to the newly independent country. However, the lyrics of the song don't support such an interpretation, being slight and treating the country as merely a place for a romantic getaway in the sun, apart from a fleeting reference to "people living free". This amused some of Dylan's fans, who did understand the satire.

Analysis

The melody received more praise than the lyrics. Robert Shelton describes the tune as "playful." Oliver Trager and John Nogowski both describe the melody as "great" and particularly praise the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

playing of

Scarlet Rivera Donna Shea, better known as Scarlet Rivera is an American violinist. She is best known for her work with Bob Dylan, in particular on his 1976 album '' Desire'' and as part of the Rolling Thunder Revue. Career Bob Dylan is said to have discove ...

. '' Record World'' said that "The sound is different with Emmylou Harris singing along over a twisting beat, but the story is pure Dylan and that's enough to make it worth a listen." Trager describes "Mozambique" as "a light love song with lighter political overtones."

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine calls it "effervescent" and "Dylan at his breeziest." Paul Williams considers "Mozambique" to be one of several songs on ''Desire'' with "wonderful, inventive, pleasure-giving" music which nonetheless fails to reach the intensity and unity of the other songs because the lyrics are "a little too vague, too clever" and "too distanced." Dylan biographer

Clinton Heylin Clinton Heylin (born 8 April 1960) is an English author who has written extensively about popular music and the work of Bob Dylan. Education Heylin attended Manchester Grammar School. He read history at Bedford College, University of London, ...

considers the song to be a "ditty dredged up from the bottom of the barrel," "ghastly" and "the weakest song on ''Desire''." "Mozambique" was also released as a single as a follow-up to the Top 40 hit "

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

" and it reached #54 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Heylin suggests that Dylan may have released it as a single over songs fans might have preferred—particularly "

Sara Sara may refer to: Arts, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui * ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda * ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...

"—to spite fans who criticized the song for its slight lyrics trivializing the conflict in Mozambique. '' Cash Box'' said of it that it is "an exotic, lush and exciting tune to hear" and that "Dylan is in fine form, spinning out his tale of 'magic in a magical land,' and playing superb rhythm guitar." The song also appeared on the compilation album ''

Masterpieces A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

''. A live performance was included in the television special '' Hard Rain'' but not on the associated album.

References

External links

Lyrics
at Bob Dylan's official site
Chords
at Dylanchords {{Bob Dylan singles 1976 singles Bob Dylan songs Songs written by Bob Dylan Songs written by Jacques Levy Song recordings produced by Don DeVito Columbia Records singles