Thunder on the Mountain

Album: Modern Times (2006)
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Songfacts®:

  • Bob Dylan mentions Alicia Keys in this song. Keys is a former fellow-resident of Dylan's at Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. She heard the news of his referencing her from John Mayer, but didn't believe him until he showed up with the CD.
  • In Rolling Stone magazine, Dylan said of Keys: "I remember seeing her on the Grammys. I think I was on the show with her, I didn't meet her or anything. But I said to myself, There's nothing about that girl I don't like."
  • Keys told the Mail on Sunday her reaction when she heard that Dylan had written a song about her: "I was shocked when I heard about that. I think somebody was talking about me to him, and I was in his subconscious mind. After he wrote that song, I started feeling like maybe we did meet - but I know we haven't. I'm trying to think of a comeback line for one of my songs. The problem is, nothing good rhymes with Dylan. And Zimmerman is worse."

Comments: 2

  • George from Vancouver, CanadaInteresting; I never thought Dylan would've gone for electric. . .
  • Kevin from Reading , Pa"Thunder on the Mountain" uses the same melody as Chuck Berry's "Let it Rock." Of course, whereas Chuck got in and out in three verses, Bob uses about eight or ten seemingly unrelated verses to stretch this agreeable rock/shuffle out to about six minutes.
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