August 20, 1979: Bob Dylan, raised Jewish, releases his album Slow Train Coming, reflecting his recent conversion to an apocalyptic brand of Protestantism. Guitarist and record producer Joseph "T-Bone" Burnett had introduced him to the Vineyard Fellowship, and, along with 2 members of his band, Steven Soles and David Mansfield, he joined.
The 1st song on the album was titled "Gotta Serve Somebody." He cited several well-known activities in life: Gambling, dancing, drug use, illicit affairs, drinking booze, theft. (A lot of Dylan's songs have had thieves in them.) He mentioned several professions: Ambassador, businessman, doctor, Chief, policeman, TV network head, construction worker, landlord, banker, preacher (of course), City Councilman, barber. He even invoked comedian Bill Saluga's cigar-smoking, Zoot Suit-wearing character Raymond J. Johnson Jr.: "You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray."
He said, "You may be the Heavyweight Champion of the World," a title which, at the time the song was recorded on April 30, 1979, was split between the apparently retired Muhammad Ali, who had an even more famous religious conversion, and Larry Holmes. He said, "You might be a rock 'n' roll addict, prancing on the stage," which sure sounds like a swipe at Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones. When Booker T. Jones of Booker T. & The M.G.'s, acting as the house band for the tribute concert held for Dylan at Madison Square Garden in 1992, sang the song, he added, "You may be the President of these United States."
But, to everybody listening, Dylan sang, "It may be the Devil, or it may be the Lord, but you've gotta serve somebody." The song won him a Grammy Award -- for Best Rock Recording, not Best Religious Recording.
Note that the railroad worker's pickax
and the tracks themselves look like crosses.
Another song on the album was "Man Gave Names to All the Animals," inspired by Genesis 2:19-20, in which Adam named the animals and birds. Describing an animal's "muddy trail" and "curly tail," Dylan sings, "He wasn't too small and he wasn't too big," and Adam named it a pig. The cow got its name because Adam "saw milk comin' out, but he didn't know how," and the bear because it has a "great big furry back and furry hair." Then:
- Saw an animal as smooth as glass
- Slithering his way through the grass
- Saw him disappear by a tree near a lake...
And that's where the song ends, without Dylan's Adam naming the snake, the animal that ended up tempting Eve. It's worth pointing out that the Bible never says that the snake is also the Devil, or even possessed by the Devil. (And, at the other end of the Bible, The Revelation makes it clear that the Devil, the Antichrist, and "The Beast" are all separate beings.)
Dylan's next album, in 1980, would be titled Saved. The next, in 1981, Shot of Love. But the next one, in 1983, would be titled Infidels, and the Bob of the 1960s, who dabbled in biblical imagery to make on-Earth points, was back, with blistering songs like "Jokerman" and "License to Kill."
His public statements since have varied. In 1984, he said, "I've never said I'm 'born again.' That's just a media term. I don't think I've been an agnostic. I've always thought there's a superior power, that this is not the real world, and that there's a world to come."
In 1997: "Here's the thing with me and the religious thing. This is the flat-out truth: I find the religiosity and philosophy in the music. I don't find it anywhere else... I don't adhere to rabbis, preachers, evangelists, all of that."
In 2009, told after a Christmas concert that he sounded like a "true believer": "Well, I am a true believer."
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August 20, 1979 was a Monday. These Major League Baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals, 17-4 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. Luis Tiant looked strange in a Yankee uniform, but then, he looked strange in any uniform. He was the winning pitcher, while, between them, Rich Gale and Steve Mingori only lasted 3 innings.
Jim Spencer went 3-for-4 with 2 home runs, a walk, and 4 RBIs. Bobby Murcer went 1-for-5 with a home run, a walk, and 4 RBIs. Reggie Jackson went 1-for-4 with 2 RBIs. George Brett went 2-for-3.
* The New York Mets lost to the Houston Astros, 8-1 at Shea Stadium. Joe Niekro outpitched Craig Swan. Rafael Landestoy went 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs.
* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-2 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Nino Espinosa pitched 8 strong innings, but Ron Reed blew a 2-0 lead in the 9th. Phil Niekro was the starting and winning pitcher. Mike Schmidt went 2-for-4. Pete Rose went 0-for-3 with a walk.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Texas Rangers, 3-0 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Mike Flanagan pitched a 3-hit shutout. Ken Singleton went 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Eddie Murray went 0-for-3 with a walk.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-5 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Bert Blyleven and John Montefusco started. The winning run scored in the bottom of the 8th inning, when, with Lee Lacy batting against Gary Lavelle, Mike Sadek allowed a passed ball that allowed Alberto Lois to score. Willie Stargell hit his 452nd career home run.
* The Montreal Expos beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-2 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Johnny Bench hit a home run.
* The Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Robin Yount went 0-for-3 with a walk. Paul Molitor did not play.
* The Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox, 10-5 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of
Bloomington, Minnesota. Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-4 with a walk.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres, 6-3 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.
* The California Angels beat the Cleveland Indians, 6-5 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Rod Carew went 1-for-2 with 3 walks and an RBI.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics, 7-3 at the Oakland Coliseum. Rookie Rickey Henderson went 0-for-4.
* And the Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-4 at the Kingdome in Seattle.
