Dylan started his musical odyssey in 1959 when he began playing in Dinkytown, Minneapolis while attending the University of Minnesota. Shortly after starting to play he changed his stage name to Bob Dylan, after being influenced by the poetry of Dylan Thomas before legally changing his name in 1962.
Much of his best known work is from the 1960s, when he became an informal documentarian and reluctant figurehead of American unrest, promoted by Joan Baez. Some of his songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'", became anthems of the anti-war and civil rights movements, with Joan Baez and Dylan singing together at the March on Washington in 1963. However he later became disenchanted with the civil liberty protest scene, feeling that he had been used by them.
His album Bringing It All Back Home marked a move away from the folk scene and a move towards rock and roll and Dylan began to consciously distance himself from his early association with civil rights. He also started to become irritated when being interviewed, often given facetious or irreverent answers to questions. Bringing It All Back Home was a controversial album as it the first on which he played electric guitar. This was seen by some of his fans as a betrayal of this folk roots, with some saying that it obscured his meaningful and poetic lyrics.
The second half of the 1960s was marked by a string of well received releases, with his song "Like a Rolling Stone", released in July of 1965, later being named "The Greatest Song of All Time" by Rolling Stone magazine in 2004, placing #1 in a list of 500 titles. It also marked the formation of Dylan's backing band The Hawks (who would later call themselves simply The Band). Dylan embarked on a world tour of Australia and Europe in 1966, during which he seemed to be under a lot of strain and pressure by both his fans, the music press and his own promoters. Dylan himself admitted that he began taking drugs seriously whilst on this tour, and found it immensely hard work. On returning to New York he crashed his motorbike, sustaining serious injuries in the process, and went into a period of withdrawal while he recuperated. During the late 1960s, Dylan again changed stylistic tradition, moving away from the psychedelic culture of the time. It was then that he recorded All Along the Watchtower, perhaps more famously recorded by Jimi Hendrix.
The 1970s were a period during which Dylan was more sporadic in his output, releasing some poorly received LPs. He rarely appeared in person until 1974, when he began touring again with his backing band The Band. He also wrote one of his most extensively covered songs, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, as well as what is now recognised as one of his best albums Blood On The Tracks. Towards the end of the 1970s, Dylan discovered Christ, and released some albums of gospel music. He started to talk to the crowd about his faith during his performances, and wouldn't play any of his early work, which alienated some of his previous fans.
Dylan today still remains an influential and popular artist; despite a period of little note between 1980-2000, his 2006 album Modern Times reached the US chart at #1, as did his 2009 album Together Through Life, in the US, Britain, France and several other countries. His 2012 album Tempest was also critically acclaimed. Since 1988, Dylan has been on the so-called Never Ending Tour, during which his performances have provoked controversy, with some critics claiming that his lyrics have become incomprehensible, an experience which is not helped by his tendency to change his set-list and vocals almost every performance.
Bob Dylan's strong influence over the past few years is becoming even more prominent amongst a growing group of younger emerging artists such as George Ellias and Devendra Banhart. Dylan's early lyrics incorporated politics, social commentary, philosophy and literary influences, defying existing pop music conventions and appealing widely to the counterculture of the time. While expanding and personalizing musical styles, Dylan has shown steadfast devotion to traditions of American song, from folk and country/blues to rock and roll and rockabilly, to Gaelic balladry, even jazz, swing and Broadway.
Dylan performs with the guitar, keyboard and harmonica. Backed by a changing lineup of musicians, he has toured steadily since the late 1980s. He has also recently performed alongside other iconic artists, such as Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Tom Petty and Eric Clapton. Although his contributions as a performer and recording artist have been central to his career, his songwriting is generally held as his highest accomplishment.
Nobel Prize for Literature (2016) - On October 13, 2016, Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for âfor having created new poetic expressions within the great American song traditionâ. The prestigious award has been given annually since 1901 and previous Nobel Laureates for Literature include Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett. Here is the speech written by Dylan, although unable to attend:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/10/arts/bob-dylan-nobel-prize-acceptance-speech.html?_r=0
01 Young At Heart
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It can happen to you
If you're young at heart
For it's hard, you will find
To be narrow of mind
If you're young at heart
You can go to extremes
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams
And life gets more exciting with each passing day
And love is either in your heart or on it's way
Don't you know that it's worth
Every treasure on earth
To be young at heart
For as rich as you are
It's much better by far
To be young at heart
And if you should survive to a hundred and five
Look at all you'll derive out of bein' alive
And here is the best part
You have a head start
If you are among the very young at heart
And if you should survive to a hundred and five
Look at all you'll derive out of bein' alive
And here is the best part
You have a head start
If you are among the very young at heart
Bob Dylan's "Young At Heart" conveys a message of hope and optimism to people. The song is an ode to the young at heart, those who refuse to let their age dictate their actions, thoughts or feelings. The lyrics embrace youthfulness as a state of mind that can be maintained beyond physical aging or worldly wealth. The opening line "Fairy tales can come true" emphasizes the song's positive message of the potential for good things to happen, even to those who feel like they've missed out on some opportunities in their life.
Dylan encourages the listener to have an open mind, not to become narrow-minded or cynical. The line "For it's hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind if you're young at heart" shows that being open and joyful allows people to dream and explore impossible ideas leading to more exciting paths in life. It also points out that love is a crucial element that makes life worth living, either it's already there or on its way.
The song ends with an encouragement to never give up and highlights the advantages of staying young at heart. The bridge, which repeats the line "And if you should survive to a hundred and five, look at all you'll derive out of bein' alive" suggests that one can experience extreme joy and happiness if they maintain a youthful, optimistic outlook on life. The final lines "And here is the best part, you have a head start if you are among the very young at heart" emphasize the significance of the state of mind and how it sets the tone for anything that comes your way.
Line by Line Meaning
Fairy tales can come true
Dreams can come true
It can happen to you
Success can be for anyone
If you're young at heart
If you have a youthful spirit
For it's hard, you will find
It is difficult to be closed-minded
To be narrow of mind
To lack an open-mind
If you're young at heart
If you have a youthful spirit
You can go to extremes
You can take big risks
With impossible schemes
With ambitious plans
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams
You can find humor in setbacks
And life gets more exciting with each passing day
Life becomes more exhilarating as time goes by
And love is either in your heart or on it's way
Love is either present in your life or will come soon
Don't you know that it's worth
You should know that it is valuable
Every treasure on earth
More valuable than anything else on earth
To be young at heart
To have a youthful spirit
For as rich as you are
Even if you are wealthy
It's much better by far
You are better off if you have a youthful spirit
To be young at heart
To have a youthful spirit
And if you should survive to a hundred and five
If you live to be 105
Look at all you'll derive out of bein' alive
Think of everything you will gain from being alive
And here is the best part
The greatest thing about it is
You have a head start
You already have a youthful spirit
If you are among the very young at heart
If you have an extremely youthful spirit
Lyrics Š JUNE'S TUNES LTD. PARTNERSHIP, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Carolyn Leigh, Johnny Richards
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elstons Gun
Dylan's last three albums of standards are some of his best albums. Beautiful renditions and he's doing exactly what he wants to at this moment.
Pat Cattin
The quality of the lyric, and the toon is a veritable clothesline to hang your style, tempo, genre or special licks. Less than fifty men and four women wrote the soundtrack to the American Century. We are blessed.
not2tees
Having listening to this guy since the sixties, he stills surprises me and I still relate and am touched by his performances.
G D
Thanks, Bob, for staying forever young...at heart.
Mara Karetsos
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Johnny Bombay
Who says Dylan isn't sentimental. Love it!
Ling Su Yen
best version ever ! perfect expression !
thanks for sharing.
Sarah Ariele Cafour
I'm
in love with Bob Dylan.
kenny durkin
Inspirational
S50014+81
I search "Boots of Spanish leather" I get this. Brilliant.