Bob Dylan often referenced films in his music. From the Humphrey Bogart classics Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon, to icons like A Streetcar Named Desire and Psycho. Here are just four instances of Dylan directly lifting lines and references from films through the years.
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“Seeing The Real You At Last” — Empire Burlesque, 1985
This song from Bob Dylan’s 1985 album Empire Burlesque features a direct reference to the 1980 Clint Eastwood film Bronco Billy. The western includes the line “I’m looking for a woman who can ride like Annie Oakley and shoot like Belle Starr.”
In “Seeing The Real You At Last,” the final verse includes this exact reference. “When I met you, baby / You didn’t show no visible scars / You could ride like Annie Oakley / You could shoot like Belle Starr.”
“Tempest” — Tempest, 2012
“Tempest” is a 14-minute song marking the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The song actually makes a reference to the 1997 James Cameron film, name-dropping Leonardo DiCaprio, the film’s star. “Leo took his sketchbook / He was often so inclined / He closed his eyes and painted / The scenery in his mind.”
Often, fans have speculated that this line is a response to a Bob Dylan reference in Titanic. There’s a moment in the film where Jack, DiCaprio’s character, allegedly quotes Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone.” He says, “When you’ve got nothing you’ve got nothing to lose.”
“I’ll Remember You” — Empire Burlesque, 1985
Also featured on Bob Dylan’s album Empire Burlesque, the song “I’ll Remember You” references the 1946 film The Big Sleep. The line from the movie comes from the side character Agnes Lowzier. She says, “There’s some people you don’t forget, even if you’ve only seen them once.”
In “I’ll Remember You,” Dylan sings, “There’s some people that / You don’t forget / Even though you’ve only seen em / One time or two.”
“Summer Days” — Love and Theft, 2001
“Summer Days” is featured on Bob Dylan’s 2001 album Love and Theft, and includes a direct quote from the 1949 version of The Great Gatsby. The lines are spoken between Jay Gatsby and Nick Calloway. Calloway says, “You can’t repeat the past,” to which Gatsby replies, “Can’t repeat the past? Of course you can!”
In “Summer Days,” Dylan adds to this quote before including it, setting up the emotional delivery. “She’s looking into my eyes, she’s holding my hand / She’s looking into my eyes, she’s holding my hand / She says, ‘You can’t repeat the past’ / I say ‘You can’t? What do you mean you can’t? Of course you can.’”
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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