Barack Obama recently shared his summer playlist with a mix of new songs and old classics.
This year, he surprised everyone by including Bob Dylan’s "Silvio," a song from one of Dylan’s least-loved albums, Down in the Groove. Despite the album’s poor reception, "Silvio" was often performed live by Dylan between 1988 and 2004.
Dylan hadn’t played "Silvio" in two decades until he kicked off his show with it during an Outlaw Tour stop in Wisconsin. It’s intriguing to think Obama’s playlist might have influenced this choice, but Dylan rarely explains his decisions, so we can only wonder.
Back in 2008, just after Obama won the presidency, Dylan made a rare political comment during a concert, saying, “Me, I was born in 1941… I’ve been living in a world of darkness ever since. But it looks like things are going to change now.”
In 2010, Dylan performed at the White House for a civil rights concert but skipped rehearsals and didn’t mingle with Obama before or after the show.
Obama later shared in an interview how Dylan, after his performance, simply shook his hand, gave a slight grin, and left. Obama appreciated Dylan’s mystique, noting it was a special moment because Dylan remained true to his enigmatic self. They likely had more time together in 2012 when Dylan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The reappearance of "Silvio" on stage is similar to Dylan reviving "A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall" after a long break, just days after its feature in his upcoming biopic trailer. Coincidence? Maybe. Fans love to speculate.
During the Wisconsin show, "A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall" was also performed again. The tour continues tonight in Tinley Park, Illinois, and will end on September 17 in Buffalo, New York. Then, Dylan heads to Europe for more shows, finishing with three nights at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
