In the early hours of this morning (March 27), Bob Dylan surprised the world by taking to social media to share an astonishing new song, “Murder Most Foul”.

It’s his first new material since 2012’s Tempest, and at nearly 17 minutes, it’s the longest track he’s ever released. Listen below:

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

No details of the date and location of the recording, or the other musicians involved, have been revealed.

“Murder Most Foul” is broadly about the assassination of John F Kennedy, which he recounts in arrestingly stark terms: “Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car”. However, it goes on to take in numerous aspects of 20th century culture, referencing The Beatles, Tommy, Woodstock, Altamont, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Gone With The Wind, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Charlie Parker, Nat King Cole, Marilyn Monroe, John Lee Hooker, Patsy Cline, Houdini, “Wake Up Little Suzy”, “Let The Good Times Roll”, Play Misty For Me and even Nightmare On Elm Street.

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