Bob Dylan releases first new music in eight years

Bob Dylan has released a new song – Murder Most Foul – about the assassination of John F Kennedy.

The 17-minute track, which the 78-year-old singer-songwriter says he “recorded a while back”, is his first new music in eight years.

Lyrics explore JFK’s 1963 assassination in Dallas, as well as touching on key events of the decade such as Woodstock music festival.

Key cultural figures, including The Beatles, Marilyn Monroe and Stevie Nicks also get a shout out.

Dylan shared the song on his official Twitter page, alluding to the current coronavirus pandemic by telling his fans to “stay safe”.

Dylan wrote: “Greetings to my fans and followers with gratitude for all your support and loyalty across 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.”

Somewhat graphic lyrics include: “Led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb… They blew off his head while he was still in the car.

“Shot down like a dog in broad daylight, it was a matter of timing and the timing was right.

“You got unpaid debts we’ve come to collect. We’re gonna kill you with hatred without any respect.”

The track narrowly beats the length of Dylan’s previous longest single – Highland – which runs for 16-minutes and 31 seconds.

One fan even joked: “Knowing Dylan, this was probably the short version…”

From the tone of his voice, fans are speculating that it was a relatively recent recording.

Dylan’s last studio album, Tempest, was released in 2012. He has also released his own versions of classic American songs.

In a career spanning nearly 60 years, Dylan has been decorated with ten Grammys, an Oscar, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The new track will continue to fuel rumours that Dylan is preparing to release a new album.