When fans think about Judas Priest, there are several thoughts that come immediately to mind: Rob Halford and Al Atkins‘ iconic screams, leather and spikes, and of course, the songs that helped pioneer the heavy metal genre. What they probably don’t think about is Bob Dylan, but the two are more interlinked than you might imagine.
In fact, if it weren’t for the king of folk music, the iconic heavy metal mavens would have never gotten their legendary name.
“Bruno [Stapenhill], the bass player [member of Priest in 1969 and 1970, was replaced by Ian Hill, who’s been the band’s bassist ever since] came up with it,” Atkins told Ultimate Guitar during a Q&A interview. “He took it from a song called ‘The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest’ from the [1967] album ‘John Wesley Harding’ by Bob Dylan.”
According to American Songwriter, Atkins also noted that they heard a band changed their name to Black Sabbath and felt they should do something similar with their own moniker.
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The song, though not one of Dylan’s most well-known, is shrouded in mystery. Dylan’s enigmatic tune is written in the classic storyteller folk style that the ’60s era was known for, with no major chord changes or repetitive choruses. The song itself tells the story of two friends and the trials of temptation, but many have several interpretations for its meaning. The most popular is that the song is an allegory for Dylan and his transition from folk artist to rock-and-roll star.
“…Dylan is Frankie Lee, and in naming him Judas Priest, Dylan symbolized not only the betrayer of Christ but also the institutionalized religions and ruling establishments. Frankie needed money, Judas pulled out a roll of tens and Dylan is saying that he was placing himself above all people, exalting himself,'” Biographer Anthony Scaduto‘s interpretation reportedly explains. “Judas tells Frankie to take whatever he needs. Frankie resists the seduction at first. In giving [him] a choice, Dylan reflects the Biblical teaching: Judas leaves, pointing down the road, putting down the paradise of the Lord. [A] stranger tells [Frankie Lee that] Priest is stranded in a house of prostitution. Frankie Lee loses control of his senses and runs into the house, falls into Judas’ arms & dies of thirst. Dylan should never have entered society’s whorehouse. [T]he result of that huge ego trip was the death of his soul.”
Regardless of what the song means, it ended up giving one of the most revered metal bands one of the coolest bad names in history, and proves that Dylan’s influence is immeasurable.
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