It tells the story of the life and death of mobster Joey Gallo, who was killed on his birthday at Umberto's Clam House in Little Italy, on April 7, 1972.
[5] In addition Gallo was able to gain sympathy in artistic circles by passing himself off as a cultured person victimized by the "system".
[6] In "Joey", this is demonstrated in the lines: In a 2009 interview with Bill Flanagan, Dylan claimed that Levy wrote all the words to this song.
[13] Critic Paul Zollo, writing in American Songwriter magazine, called it a "beautifully detailed and cinematic" song and a "masterpiece" in 2021.
[2] Italian-American outlaw musician Johnny Thunders recorded an abbreviated acoustic version on his album Hurt Me (1983).