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Why it matters
Dylan's most polished attempt at a mid-1980s radio sound, with drum machines, horns and backing singers, ending on a solo acoustic song.
Empire Burlesque was pieced together over many months of 1984 and 1985 in New York and Los Angeles, with a long and shifting list of players, including members of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers and the rhythm section of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. Dylan then handed the tapes to Arthur Baker, a producer known for dance remixes, who gave the mix its glossy, punchy finish. The record leans hard into the sound of mid-1980s radio, with gated drums, synthesizers, horn stabs and female backing vocals, and songs such as "Tight Connection to My Heart" were promoted with music videos. Under the sheen are romantic, sometimes witty songs that borrow freely from old films. The final track, "Dark Eyes", drops all of that for one voice, a guitar and a harmonica. Critics were divided at the time; some praised its energy, while others found the production dated it quickly. Its strongest songs have aged better than its sound.
Track list · 10 songs
A lover who has finally seen through a partner's act and feels relieved, even liberated, to be done with the illusion.
love · freedom
Its page ›A promise to keep a lost lover in memory long after everything else has faded and the road has moved on.
love · time · loss
Its page ›An ordinary, all-American boy is sent to war and comes home a broken stranger whom no one understands.
war · America · protest
Its page ›A brief encounter with someone has changed the singer for good, and he admits there is no going back.
love · time
Its page ›Advice to rely on your own judgment rather than on preachers, lovers, experts or anyone else claiming to know best.
freedom
Its page ›A heartfelt declaration that, whatever happens, the singer belongs to his lover body and soul and will stay that way.
love
Its page ›A lover senses that something has gone badly wrong between them and pleads for honesty before it is too late.
love · loss
Its page ›A man feels out of step with the violent, money-driven world around him, with only a woman's gaze to steady him.
loss
Its page ›
Where its songs lead
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