Hip Dylan song from The Basement Tapes revved up tempo by PPM

Mary Travers of Peter Paul and Mary

Dylan did this with The Band almost like a dirge, which reflected his boredom with life up in Woodstock NY. Bob Lefsetz ties the song to PPM in an email.

“Too Much Of Nothing” was on the “Basement Tapes”. But at this point, those Dylan/Band recordings were just a rumor. It was years before they saw the light of day. But Bob’s manager, Albert Grossman, also managed Peter, Paul & Mary, who’d given Dylan his first hit, with “Blowin’ In The Wind”, and he shuttled “Too Much Of Nothing” to the trio.

Dylan’s original is slow. The dirge-like quality of the music adds weight to the lyrics. Whereas the Peter, Paul & Mary take revs up the tune, like a sprite it darts off into the atmosphere, you do your best to catch up. Only 2:29, you follow it until it disappears. Then you want to hear it again. 

“Too much of nothing
Can make a man feel ill at ease”

We’ve got a stoner culture. Everybody’s about the relaxation. But when you slow down, when you veg out for an extended period of time, you’re not as happy as you anticipated, that movie on TV you were dying to see is suddenly unsatisfying.

“Say hello to Valerie
Say hello to Marian”

The song’s jaunting along, and then it changes completely. There’s a quality of reflection. Dark and light in the same number. The trio is prancing down the street in the verse, smiles on their faces, heads in the air, and then they seem to stop at a sidewalk cafe and debate the meaning of life.

“Send them all my salary
On the waters of oblivion”

Ain’t that life. You’re high as a kite, then you’re contemplating suicide.

Dylan’s most famous for his political numbers. But he’s a king of personal insight. One can argue he’s tackling both subjects in this transitional number.

“But when there’s too much of nothing
It just makes a fella mean”

Ain’t that what’s happening today. There’s not enough to go around. Scratch that, those who’ve got it don’t want to part with it. And they try to preempt the anger of the proletariat by being angry themselves. It’s tough being rich, look at the expenses! Be nice to me or I won’t spend and create jobs for you. Huh?

Those with nothing today get sustenance from reality shows. They see reflected back to them the same loserdom they inhabit. Their dream is to be featured too. And this is exactly the way those in power like it. As long as you’re fighting over minor treats, you won’t recognize that the game is truly rigged, and the powerful have all the riches.

That’s the difference between the sixties and today. In the sixties, music was an agent of change, the one true religion that permeated the youth culture, invigorated kids and inspired them to take action.

Now those baby boomers have either achieved the American Dream of wealth or have given up. And they don’t want you mucking up the paradigm. You’re either a loser or a winner. But the odds of winning are so low.

All of this wrapped up in a ditty. Not about humps or lady lumps, but the existential human condition.

I couldn’t turn “Too Much Of Nothing” off. Even though I was at my destination. It made me joyous, it made me hopeful. If a song can make me feel this good, there’s hope for me, and humanity.