Bob Dylan releases ‘Murder Most Foul’, new song about JFK assassination

Singer-songwriter’s first original song in eight years references The Beatles, Houdini and Woodstock

Bob Dylan has released a surprise track – his first original song in eight years – about the 1963 assassination of US president John F Kennedy.

Little information was given about the surprise track, which runs for more than 17 minutes, except for a brief statement from Dylan himself: “Greetings to my fans and followers with gratitude for all your support and loyalty over the years.

“This is an unreleased song we recorded a while back that you might find interesting.

“Stay safe, stay observant and may God be with you. Bob Dylan”

Variety reports that a Dylan representative said this was the only information he or his team would release about the song.

His last album of original material, Tempest, was released in 2012, while Triplicate, a triple-album of interpretations from the Great American Songbook, came out in 2017.

Dylan’s latest release will no doubt fuel rumours that he is planning a new album of original songs, although to date there has been no confirmation of this.

The song's lyrics frequently allude to Sixties events and pop culture, such as: “The Beatles are coming, they’re gonna hold your hand” and “I’m going to Woodstock, it’s the Aquarian age / Then I’ll go to Altamont and stand near the stage.”

He refers to the killing of JFK “right there in front of everyone’s eyes” as the “greatest magic trick”.

He also references, among others, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, Don Henley and Glenn Frey, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Art Pepper, Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz, Nat King Cole, Marilyn Monroe, John Lee Hooker, Wolfman Jack, Patsy Cline and Houdini.

Details of the assassination itself are relatively graphic: “They blew off his head while he was still in the car,” comes early on in the song.