Fan Letter: To Dylan from Israel

from The Healing Light Project by Acoustic Breezes - Rahel

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about

VIEW FULL VIDEO HERE:
youtu.be/3MDTvvcQQjE

Esther and Rahel met at a Sabbath dinner one Friday night in Ma'aleh Adumim, Israel. A friend had a hunch they might get along. They did.

Esther is a poet and author. Rahel is a singer-songwriter. They definitely matched in an artistic sense. Esther shared her poetry with Rahel.

The collaborative efforts worked again! In fact, this song, too, is a multi-country effort. Written in the USA, musically united in Israel, recorded in the local community center in Ma'aleh Adumim, Israel and finally, the tracks were mixed and mastered in London, England by one of the best! It's a good song overall with a good message: Let's give Israel some well deserved positive recognition!

Rahel comments:

As I looked at this poem I could clearly hear the music a la Bob Dylan. I asked her if she'd like to put it to music and she agreed.

The music came pretty quickly. The phrasing of the lyric took a bit of thought to make it very Dylanesque. I wanted to give it an early 1960's Bob Dylan style with the simple acoustic guitar chord progression and strumming. The melody was repetitive - verse after verse - with a few lines changed for a simple variety.

The phrasing of the lyric was most interesting to me. Where to accent, which words to emphasize, and the run on sentences that extended over the given measures and the sentences that were too short to fill the measures.

Esther comments:

I'm a 'Sixties survivor, one of those for whom Dylan's music -- the early Dylan, especially -- is inseparably interwoven with memories of the years when we thought we would change the world. I never gave up on it, just converted to Judaism and moved to Israel. I'm also a poet who has written at least one poem to most of the poets I've admired; dialogue between poets is one of the things I believe in.

The words to "Fan Letter" came to me in January 1966, one day when I was home with a fever. I imagined it sung to the tune of "Dear Landlord." But for copyright reasons it would be impossible to air it in that form, so I just put the words in my Collected Poems. When I met Rahel it occurred to me that she might be able to write another tune to it that would get the words across, and I'm really thrilled with what she did with it.

The tune is very much in the spirit of the early Dylan, and the singing comes across with warmth and power.

lyrics

FAN LETTER: TO DYLAN FROM ISRAEL

c Lyric: Esther Cameron, Music: Rahel (Ann R. Silverman-Limor)

Dear Bob Dylan -
This may be the 1300th time I’ve thought of writing you
But didn’t think I could climb to where I’d be visible
From the high place you’ve won for yourself
What star wants to hear from a wannabe
From one and the million and one whose songs never sell

Yes, you’re way up there. Everybody thinks they can see you
Do you ever look down or do you figure you have no reason to?
We have lived with your words have you heard all the echoes of your refrain?
Just once I thought I heard you say / you wondered if it had all been in vain?

Were do you live now? Is it mostly in New York or in L.A.?
I am writing to you from Israel, do you think that sometime again you might pass this way?
You know we’re still the neighborhood bully - We could use a bit of support here and there
And it just might turn some people around if you’d write another song stating that you still care

It sure would be good to see you standin’ tall against the Judean Hills
That picture would be worth a million words and a whole lot of thousand dollar bills
It would take some guts but who knows, that just might catch on
And I think that you might find it worthwhile
When you look back on the things that you’ve done

Well I hope this can reach you
Most likely you would rather be left alone
Than hear from a fan of yours and Joan’s in a daybreak that’s long gone
It’s getting darker now - The sun of our youthful visions has set
But the sun seems to keep on rising here
It’s here I’m still gonna place my bet
It’s here I’m still gonna place my bet

credits

from The Healing Light Project, track released July 15, 2018
Lyric: Esther Cameron
Music: Rahel (Ann R. Silverman-Limor)

Recorded in Ma'aleh Adumim, Israel
Mix & Master by Gilead Limor in London, England

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Acoustic Breezes - Rahel Israel

"A breath of fresh air. Makes my heart feel good!"
~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

Songs & compositions that are Intelligent, well-crafted & musically sophisticated. Rahel's music uplifts, refreshes, comforts & inspires.