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 “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. 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
03 Blowin' in the Wind
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind
Yes, 'n' how many years can a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind
Yes, 'n' how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take 'til he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind
The song "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan is one of the most iconic protest songs of all time. It poses a series of questions that challenge the listener to reflect on the nature of justice, freedom, and human rights. Each verse opens with the same pattern of questioning "How many" followed by a specific scenario, and concludes with the evocative imagery of the answer that is "blowin' in the wind". The song has been interpreted in various ways but most commonly understood as a call for social and political change.
In the first verse, the question about how many roads a man has to walk down before being called a man, is a reference to the struggle for human dignity and rights that African Americans faced during the Civil Rights Movement. The second question about the white dove sailing on the sea, evokes the image of peace and freedom. The third question is about the futility of war, and how many cannonballs have to fly before the madness ends. Dylan suggests that the answer to these questions is "blowin' in the wind" because it requires a collective effort to bring about change, and it cannot be achieved easily or quickly.
In the second verse, Dylan highlights the erosion of nature and time, and questions whether anything can ever be truly permanent. He also points out how some people are still denied their basic rights, and how many lives have been lost due to oppression and war. The third verse focuses on a person's awareness and empathy towards others, and how one must look beyond the superficial to truly see the world. Dylan ends each verse with a repeated refrain of the answer being "blowin' in the wind," implying that it is a universal answer that applies to all the questions that he poses.
Line by Line Meaning
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
What is the necessary journey a man must undertake before he is considered a true man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
What is the number of water bodies a white dove must travel across to find peace on land?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
What is the frequency of need for cannon balls to be fired before they are no longer required to be used?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind
The solution to these queries is unclear and uncertain and unattainable
Yes, 'n' how many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
What is the duration a mountain can continue to exist before it is eroded due to natural forces?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
What is the duration of existence some people must face before they are granted the right to freedom?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?
What is the frequency of instances a man averts his gaze and pretends to not notice something?
Yes, 'n' how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
What is the number of times a man must look up to recognize the vastness and beauty of the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
What is the minimum number of ears one must possess to be able to hear the cries and pleas of people?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
What is the number of fatalities necessary for someone to realize that there has been an excess of premature and unnecessary deaths?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind
The answers to these tough questions cannot be found easily and are being carried away by the wind of time, events or by human emotions and actions.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jacksonmorganfroghin4815
Let's say this is the seventh. Then here is my top six:
6. Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Goldwater.
5. Let the River Run by Carly Simon
4. Blackbird by the Beatles
3. A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke
2. It is Well with My Soul.....by Selah
And number one is heard at many funerals and done best by Judy Collins. The history of the song is quite beautiful and can be googled:
1. AMAZING GRACE
written by John Newton.
@abhimanyu2403
How many songs must a man listen, before YouTube recommends this song
@JulianWKK
This is deep.
@i.z186
Your heart is the most reliable detector
@Dbusdriver71
How many songs?! Dylan should be required listening before you can be on you tube. So many have used his tunes.
@elkpapa
LOLLLLLLLL
@littledkov
no one else like this comment, we need it to be 420
@SusanDiederichsen
I’m 76 years old ..still play their songs.. we grew up at the best time!!!!
@lmml9297
Me too!
@fardinine237
You guys really did ❤
@Ravewave126
16 year old here. My dad plays this music. It's much better than the stuff we have these days