Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anyone Seen My Love) by Bob Dylan

Most of my Dylan explorations took place in the early ‘90s. It was a great feeling knowing that there were so many songs to be discovered, and Tight Connection became one of my many favourites. Little did I know that many of the brilliant lines in this song are actually clever reworkings of dialogue from hard-boiled movies. You can read about this in detail here, but, mainly to please myself, I’ve created visual links below to the lines in question.

Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anyone Seen My Love)

Written by: Bob Dylan

Well, I had to move fast
And I couldn’t with you around my neck  is from Sirocco.

I said I’d send for you and I did
What did you expect?
My hands are sweating
And we haven’t even started yet comes from  A High Wind in Jamaica.

I’ll go along with the charade
Until I can think my way out is from Tokyo Joe.

I know it was all a big joke
Whatever it was about
Someday maybe
I’ll remember to forget

I’m gonna get my coat
I feel the breath of a storm is another line from A High Wind in Jamaica.

There’s something I’ve got to do tonight
You go inside and stay warm

Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
I don’t know
Has anybody seen my love?

You want to talk to me  
Go ahead and talk is from The Maltese Falcon.

Whatever you got to say to me
Won’t come as any shock
I must be guilty of something        
You just whisper it into my ear
Madame Butterfly
She lulled me to sleep
In a town without pity is a reference to the film of the same name.

Where the water runs deep
She said, “Be easy, baby
There ain’t nothin’ worth stealin’ in here”

You’re the one I’ve been looking for
You’re the one that’s got the key
But I can’t figure out whether I’m too good for you
Or you’re too good for me is another reworked line from Sirocco.

Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
Has anybody seen my love
I don’t know
Has anybody seen my love?

Well, they’re not showing any lights tonight
And there’s no moon
There’s just a hot-blooded singer
Singing “Memphis in June”

This is a song featured in the film Johnny Angel.

While they’re beatin’ the devil out of a guy
Who’s wearing a powder-blue wig
Later he’ll be shot
For resisting arrest
I can still hear his voice crying
In the wilderness
What looks large from a distance
Close up ain’t never that big  is taken from Now and Forever.

Tight Connection has beautiful backing vocals from Carolyn Dennis, Queen Esther Marrow, and Peggy Blu. There’s a wacky video to accompany the song  (first time I’ve seen this)which shows Bob in a very nice ‘80s shirt. 

And for a slower interpretation, have a listen to Sheila Atim in her award-winning performance  from Girl from the North Country -