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 βfor having created new poetic expressions within the great American song traditionβ. 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
06. You Belong to Me
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Along the Nile
Watch the sun rise
On a tropic isle
Just remember darling
All the while
You belong to me
In old Algiers
Send me photographs
And souvenirs
Just remember
'Til your dream appears
You belong to me
I'll be so alone
Without you
Maybe
You'll be lonesome, too
Maybe
You'll be lonesome too
And blue
Fly the ocean
In a silver plane
See the jungle
When its wet with rains
Just remember
Till you're home again
Or until I come home to you
You belong to me
In βYou Belong to Me,β Bob Dylan paints a picture of two lovers separated by distance as they each go on their own adventures but are always tethered together by their love. The singer reminds his lover that no matter where she goes or what she does, she belongs to him. He describes exotic locations such as the Nile, Algiers, and the jungle and how his lover should take pictures and send souvenirs, but also reassures her that he will miss her and hopes that she misses him too. The singer even imagines flying a silver plane across the ocean and seeing the jungle. Itβs a song about longing and reminiscing on good times while dealing with separation.
Line by Line Meaning
See The Pyramids
Wherever you go around the world, you are a part of me
Along the Nile
Whether you are in Africa or anywhere else, I am always with you
Watch the sun rise
You can enjoy the beauty of the world, but don't forget that I am here for you
On a tropic isle
Even if you are in a paradise or island, always know that you belong to me
Just remember darling
Never forget that you are always on my mind
All the while
At every moment, you belong to me
See the market place
Experience the culture and diversity of other places, but always come back to me
In old Algiers
Even if you visit exotic locations like Algiers, remember that I am here for you
Send me photographs
Capture your travels and memories so you can share them with me and we can always be connected
And souvenirs
Get something to remind you of your journey, but never forget where you belong
Just remember
Remember that you are always a part of my life
'Til your dream appears
I want you to chase your dreams, but also know that I am here to support you when you need me
You belong to me
No matter where you go, you always have a home in me
I'll be so alone
If I'm away from you, my world is incomplete
Without you
You are an integral part of my life, and I need you to feel complete
Maybe
There's a chance that we both need each other in equal measure
You'll be lonesome, too
When you're away from me, there may come a time when you miss everything about me
And blue
Feeling down without one another can happen to all of us
Fly the ocean
Travel far and wide, chase your ambitions, but let me be your anchor
In a silver plane
Take all the opportunities that come your way, just remember you have a home to come back to
See the jungle
Explore the world and all its beauty, but don't forget that you belong to me
When its wet with rains
In all the good and the bad, I will always be here for you
Just remember
Never forget what we have means so much to me
Till you're home again
I will eagerly wait until we are together once more
Or until I come home to you
I'll do everything in my power to close the distance between us
You belong to me
Because we share something so special, and nothing can ever break it apart
Lyrics Β© Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, Redd Stewart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vjunicorndreams
Wow! Thanks!!
@karmenjazbec7743
yes i belong to you bob and this makes me happy
@Blue-rl5dp
Just another example that Dylan wrote the most marvelous songs... but most certainly did not have the voice for singing.
@alek5084
He didn't write this song actually, and I just found out on another video of this song, it's an old 40dz jam that a woman wrote.
@alek5084
Either wayy he killed it...