Talk:Infidels (Bob Dylan album)

Input on songs
Here's some ideas to add on the songs. If anyone wants to organize these in more coherent fashion, feel free.

"Union Sundown" rages about inhumane sweatshops and outsourcing of labor jobs to other countries. This was possibly a response to Reagan's economic policies but perhaps someone with an econ background can better explain it.

"Neighborhood Bully" is a not-so-subtle analogy regarding Israel's foreign policies about defending themselves against their surrounding aggressors. Sarcastically Israel is "the neighborhood bully."

Dylan makes odd references to space travel on this album. By most counts there are three, one at the beginning of "License To Kill" about man trying to conquer the world or the universe and the first step is "touching the moon," one in "Union Sundown" about raising cows on the moon, one in "Neighborhood Bully" about polluting the moon and stars. Some wonder if Dylan has an aversion to space programs because of this.

"Sweetheart Like You" was accused by some for being sexist because the narrator tells a girl she should be at home taking care of her man. Out of context, this seems sexist, but it seems less so when you look at the song as a whole.

"Jokerman" has tons of religious references and possible political allegories in its verses. I have trouble understanding what it mean but it would be cool if someone went through this epic and explained it.

"Man Of Peace" is another political allegory. Is this another song critical of Reagan? Or is it some other political leader? Seriously, can anyone answer that?

Which parts do Mick Taylor play and which parts do Mark Knopfler play? That would be interesting to know.

Everyone on Amazon.com talks about the bootlegged songs that should've been the album. How about a primer on that?

ICBMs
I don't know if anyone is reading this but at least in "License to Kill" the reference to the moon could very well be by way of ICBM. The space race was really just a test run for ICBMs. The geopolitical significance of sputnik was that if you could put a satellite into space you can land a nuke anywhere on the planet. I think this is the "touching the moon"

thanks for the comment -tk0 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.45.147.232 (talk) 19:11, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Infidels.jpg
Image:Infidels.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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Fair use rationale for Image:Infidels.jpg
Image:Infidels.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

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BetacommandBot (talk) 14:35, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Bob Dylan-Infidels.png
Image:Bob Dylan-Infidels.png is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to ensure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 23:47, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Requested move 23 January 2015

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was: Moved, of course. Many, many, many links remain, but in the great tradition of Wikipedia, I have not fixed them yet. Eventually, someone who cares enough may well fix them, and finally Infidels will redirect to Infidel like it should have always done. Red Slash 05:24, 31 January 2015 (UTC)

Infidels → Infidels (Bob Dylan album) – The absolute majority topic of "infidels" in Google Books is the same as that of "infidel", not an album. Redirect to the base term. In ictu oculi (talk) 00:04, 23 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Strong support the obvious primary topic is infidel -- 65.94.40.137 (talk) 07:49, 23 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Support moving to Infidels (Bob Dylan album). That's where the article will finish up eventually and I don't see any point in hiding that it's a Bob Dylan album. --Richhoncho (talk) 13:35, 23 January 2015 (UTC)
 * You're right of course, and I missed that there was Infidels (Infidels album) in 1991, corrected nom. In ictu oculi (talk) 14:27, 23 January 2015 (UTC)


 * Support WP:PLURALPT. —BarrelProof (talk) 22:46, 23 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Support - a no-brainer. -Zanhe (talk) 05:59, 24 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Support, precisely per nom. bd2412  T 00:54, 25 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Support per nom. kennethaw88 • talk 22:37, 26 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Support per nom. & WP:PLURALPT.--JayJasper (talk) 22:40, 26 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Support per nom. Egsan Bacon (talk) 02:27, 28 January 2015 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Visit to Jerusalem and the album artwork
The section on Neighborhood Bully mentions Dylan's visit to Israel at the time of the album, and that for the first time he allowed photographs of himself in Jerusalem. But it's also relevant that a photo of Dylan hunching on the Mount of Olives, and with Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock in the background, was widely used on LP and CD artwork for the album - the rear side LP cover and inside of the booklet respectively. This is clearly noteworthy, considering the wealth of allusions to the Bible and Israel in some of the songs, Dylan's Jewish ancestry and the album's place just after the trio of Christian albums. Strausszek (talk) 19:00, 14 October 2016 (UTC)

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Licence to kill - are we missing the point?
The article interprets 'licence to kill' as a song against the space program on the strength of one couplet (man has invented his doom, first step was touching the moon)

Surely it is far more significant that every refrain is in praise of a woman who opposes what 'man' is doing.

'There's a woman, on my block......asking who? take away his licence to kill?'

That's what the song seems to be about; feminist resistance, not the space program.Dean1954 (talk) 14:31, 13 April 2020 (UTC)

Benmont Tench
Someone has added Benmont Tench to the personnel, referring the CD booklet. He is not listed here - https://www.bobdylan.com/albums/infidels/ or here - https://www.discogs.com/Bob-Dylan-Infidels/release/1422872  Does anyone have the CD to hand to check ? -- Beardo (talk) 19:20, 24 May 2021 (UTC)