Murder Most Foul (song)

"Murder Most Foul"
A picture of John F. Kennedy with the text "Murder Most Foul" on it
Single by Bob Dylan
from the album Rough and Rowdy Ways
ReleasedMarch 27, 2020
RecordedFebruary 2020[1]
StudioSound City (Los Angeles)
GenreFolk[2]
Length16:56
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan singles chronology
"Wigwam"
(2013) 		"Murder Most Foul"
(2020) 		"I Contain Multitudes"
(2020)
Rough and Rowdy Ways track listing
10 tracks
  1. "I Contain Multitudes"
  2. "False Prophet"
  3. "My Own Version of You"
  4. "I've Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You"
  5. "Black Rider"
  6. "Goodbye Jimmy Reed"
  7. "Mother of Muses"
  8. "Crossing the Rubicon"
  9. "Key West (Philosopher Pirate)"
  10. "Murder Most Foul"

"Murder Most Foul" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, the 10th and final track on his 39th studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020). It was released as the album's lead single on March 27, 2020, through Columbia Records.[3][4] The song addresses the assassination of John F. Kennedy in the wider context of American political and cultural history.[5][6] Lasting 16 minutes, 56 seconds, it is the longest song he has released, eclipsing 1997's "Highlands" which runs for 16 minutes, 31 seconds.[7]

In a statement released with the single, Dylan indicated that "Murder Most Foul" was a gift to fans for their support and loyalty over the years.[8] The song's title comes from a line in Hamlet.[9] In addition to members of Dylan's touring band, the song also features Fiona Apple and Alan Pasqua on piano.[10][11]

The song was the first original music Dylan had released since 2012 and generated an enormous amount of commentary.[7][12]

  1. ^ Pelly, Jenny (December 8, 2020). "Fiona Apple on How She Broke Free and Made the Album of the Year". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  2. ^ Graves, Wren (March 27, 2020). "Bob Dylan Shares First New Song in Eight Years "Murder Most Foul"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  3. ^ "Bob Dylan surprise-releases epic new 17-minute song, 'Murder Most Foul'". Los Angeles Times. March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference 1st was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Opinion | What is Bob Dylan's epic 17-minute new song about? You be the judge". NBC News. March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dettmar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Willman, Chris (March 26, 2020). "Bob Dylan Releases 17-Minute Song About JFK Assassination". Variety. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference GuardianMarch20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Hampton, Timothy (2020). "'Murder Most Foul' and the Haunting of America". The MIT Press Reader. Cambridge: MIT Press.
  10. ^ Pelly, Jenn (December 8, 2020). "Fiona Apple on How She Broke Free and Made the Album of the Year". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Alan Pasqua, the go-to keyboard wiz for jazz and rock legends, on Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana and Peter Erskine". San Diego Union-Tribune. January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  12. ^ Sparey, Sara (March 27, 2020). "Bob Dylan has released a song about the Kennedy assassination - and it's 17 minutes long". CNN. Retrieved March 27, 2020.