|
A few months ago I googled the lyrics to "When I Paint My Masterpiece" by Bob Dylan - and covered by The Band and The Grateful Dead. Here are some of the results: Click on one link or click on all of them, but note the sixth line in the song. Some versions claim he's got a date with "Botticelli's niece," while others claim it's with a "pretty little girl from Greece." I claim it's neither. I claim that he's got a date with "Botticelli's Venus," a famous painting that apparently the transcribers of these lyrics have never seen. I feel quite certain that if they'd ever seen this painting, these transcribers surely would remember it. Here's a copy of it: 
To see a larger version in a separate window, click on the image. Although dating a painting might sound unlikely, dating a niece of Botticelli, who lived from 1444 to 1510, is impossible. And although dating a pretty little girl from Greece might sound plausible, Botticelli's name is quite obvious in all of the versions I've heard. I believe it's "Botticelli's Venus," and here's how it looks in the context of the entire verse: "Got to hurry on back to my hotel room
Where I've got me a date with Botticelli's Venus
She promised she'd be right there with me
When I paint my masterpiece."
OK so it doesn't exactly rhyme, so what? The song is about art and inspiration, and Botticelli's Venus is a classic work of art that is quite inspiring. I can only hope the web's lyricists see this article, see the light, and make the change.
|
