Million Dollar Bash (1967) – Bob Dylan & The Band

You’ll notice on the cover above that Dylan & The Band’s Million Dollar Bash is paired with Tears of Rage, which featured here just over a month ago. I almost let Million Dollar Bash slip through the cracks of my ‘music project’ – how that happened is anyone’s guess – but now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The cheeky, lighthearted Million Dollar Bash was a staple during my kids’ early years. I figured its playful, irresistible charm would rub off on them the right way – priming them for the long Bob Dylan journey ahead (as if they had much say in the matter). In many ways, Million Dollar Bash reminds me of Dylan’s other humorous outburst, I Shall Be Free No. 10, from his 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan. Both songs showcase some of his wittiest wordplay and funniest lyricism – yet remain scantily known outside of Dylan circles. But one thing is for certain – this Million Dollar Bash is THE place to be; the place where it is happening, where the in-crowd is!

Million Dollar Bash was recorded in 1967 in the basement of a house in West Saugerties, New York – none other than the legendary “Big Pink,” home to Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, and Robbie Robertson at the time. What began as informal jam sessions between Dylan and The Band soon blossomed into a wealth of original songs and reimagined covers. These recordings, later known as The Basement Tapes, were pieced together from those laid-back sessions and officially released on June 26, 1975. Dylan, particularly on Million Dollar Bash, sounds more playful and carefree here than on perhaps any other album in his catalogue.

Well, that big dumb blonde with her wheel in the gorge
And Turtle, that friend of hers, with his checks all forged
And his cheeks in a chunk, and his cheese in the cash
They’re all gonna be there at that million dollar bash

Ooh, baby, ooh-ee
Ooh, baby, ooh-ee
It’s that million dollar bash

Everybody from right now to over there and back
The louder they come, the bigger they crack
Come now, sweet cream, don’t forget to flash
We’re all gonna meet at that million dollar bash

Well, I took my counselor out to the barn
Silly Nelly was there, she told him a yarn
Then along came Jones, emptied the trash
Everybody went down to that million dollar bash

Well, I’m hitting it too hard, my stones won’t take
I get up in the morning but it’s too early to wake
First it’s hello, goodbye then push and then crash
But we’re all gonna make it at that million dollar bash

Well, I looked at my watch, I looked at my wrist
I punched myself in the face with my fist
I took my potatoes down to be mashed
Then I made it on over to that million dollar bash

I enjoyed reading the interpretation of Million Dollar Bash by the author of Just a Song and thought it worth sharing here:

It seems like the spiritual summation of the entire affable affair. Dylan’s lyrics are as light-hearted as the tune is lovely. He sings as though he feels free for the first time in ages to revel in absurdity and humor just for the fun of it, as is only fitting for a song about the biggest party imaginable. But I see another side to the song that explains its curious and elusive poignancy. Over the course of two minutes and thirty-three seconds Dylan refers to no fewer than seven characters and two or three vaguely defined groups. He makes it clear that this isn’t just a big party it’s the biggest party to which “everybody from right now” is going. Near as I can tell, “Million Dollar Bash” is a little ditty about dying and heading off for a big party in the sky. It’s a song about resigning one’s self to fate, but enjoying the ride as you go and that’s what makes it so uplifting.

I suppose my theory is tenuous at best, but as such it reflects the key to Dylan’s staying power and that is his music’s tolerance for reinterpretation.

References:
1. Million Dollar Bash – Just a Song
2. Million Dollar Bash: the meaning of the lyrics and the music – Untold Dylan