With two decades on the road as an accomplished musician with many hit singles and many twists and turns in his career, the great Bob Dylan
was coming back to his old fans and also conquering a new legion of admirers with "Jokerman" (from the album "Infidels") as he was introduced to the
MTV generation and their music video consumption. Not exactly a hit in the charts, but the song entered the hearts and minds of whoever watched its video
on music channels since it was the earliest contemporary opportunity to see Mr. Dylan on a clip, apart from the few ones made during his 1960's era - like
the great one-take video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues".
Watching, listening and understanding "Jokerman" is not a simple and easy task. Dylan's poetry evoking biblical images and descriptions put together
with countless artistic and historical images (from Edvard Munch to Muhammad Ali, from Hitler and Reagan) and some animation form a complex enigma that simply cannot be fully deciphred.
And to appeal to viewers, the filmmakers decided to present a great portion of Dylan's lyrics on the screen as the stills are presented - a lovely way to
memorize the difficult lyrics. The singer appears mostly when the memorable chorus is sung (closeup shots of his face against the black background) and
through old pics.
The ultimate result is that "Jokerman" is one of the most artistic music videos of all time, one that challenges and intrigues
audiences to the point they need to keep coming back over and over, find a meaning or their own interpretation of the visuals and the song. It's the kind
of music video that breaks some ground in the 1980's for being the opposite of what most videos were showing back in the day with spectacular colorful acts;
this one was destined to give us good old Bob as someone going in a different direction, poetic, mysterious and very affecting. With all of that, it shows
that the artist has a solid consistency with his art and his way of not following specific rules.
It's also
a very good song to listen, as the sound of everything has a uniqueness that easily conquers you, plus Dire Straits' members Mark Knopfler (also the
album producer) and Alan Clark play in the track. An excellent and outstanding register in my book. 10/10.
