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
Blue Eyed Son
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is my blue-eyed Jane
We fell in love like turtledoves
While the moon was shining down
I asked her then, I asked her when
Wedding bells would ring
She said, "Oh, dear, it seems so queer
That this could happen here."
You are my little pal
And I never knew a sweeter gal
My little blue-eyed Jane
I love you so
And when the sun goes down
And the shadow's creeping over town
Just meet me in the lane
My blue-eyed Jane
Janie dear, listen here
I've come to say farewell
The world is drear without you, dear
But now I cannot linger here
I'm going away this very day
Oh please, come go with me
I'll be sad and blue wanting you
Longing all day through
My little blue-eyed Jane
You'll always be the same sweet thing
I know you'll never change
I love you so
And when the sun goes down
And the shadow's creeping over town
Then I'll come back again
My blue-eyed Jane
And when the sun goes down
And the shadow's creeping over town
Then I'll come back again
My blue-eyed Jane
The lyrics to Bob Dylan's song "My Blue Eyed Jane" tell the story of a couple who fell in love and are planning to get married. The singer praises his love, Jane, throughout the song and mentions how much he cares for her. Initially, Jane feels that their love is queer, but the singer reassures her of his love. However, towards the end of the song, there is a shift where the singer has to leave and says farewell to Jane. He asks her to go with him, but she decides to stay. The song ends with the singer promising to return to Jane and his love for her remains unchanged.
Line by Line Meaning
The sweetest girl in the world
He believes that his love, Jane, is the best woman in the world.
Is my blue-eyed Jane
Jane has beautiful blue eyes, which he finds appealing.
We fell in love like turtledoves
Their love story is like that of turtledoves that are known to stay together for life and build a strong bond.
While the moon was shining down
They fell in love during a romantic night with a shining moon.
I asked her then, I asked her when
He asked her when they would get married.
Wedding bells would ring
This refers to the sound of wedding bells that would symbolize the beginning of their new journey together.
She said, "Oh, dear, it seems so queer
That this could happen here."
She is overwhelmed by their love and is surprised by how it happened to her when she least expected.
You are my little pal
And I never knew a sweeter gal
My little blue-eyed Jane
I love you so
He considers Jane as his confidante, and he has never met a woman sweeter than her, so he loves her deeply.
And when the sun goes down
And the shadow's creeping over town
Just meet me in the lane
My blue-eyed Jane
He wants to meet Jane in the lane when the sun goes down and the shadows of the nightfall creep over town.
Janie dear, listen here
I've come to say farewell
The world is drear without you, dear
But now I cannot linger here
He is leaving Jane and hopes that she will understand how dreary his life will be now that he won't have her. But he cannot stay with her any longer.
I'm going away this very day
Oh please, come go with me
I'll be sad and blue wanting you
Longing all day through
He is leaving for the day but wants Jane to come with him. He will be sad and long for her throughout the day.
My little blue-eyed Jane
You'll always be the same sweet thing
I know you'll never change
I love you so
He knows that Jane will always be the same sweet person he fell in love with and he loves her deeply.
Then I'll come back again
My blue-eyed Jane
He promises to come back to Jane again and again because he loves her so much.
And when the sun goes down
And the shadow's creeping over town
Then I'll come back again
My blue-eyed Jane
He will come back to Jane when the sun goes down and the shadows creep over town - this is a promise she can rely on.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jimmie Rodgers, Lula Belle White
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Lowgun5
Bob Dylan was 21 when he wrote this. It sounds like he was a thousand.
@andrewlewis9467
Hahaa man it’s so true though
@mitzidumaresque2144
sounds like .... it was a thousand years ago
@williamfarley3794
This song is relevant for thousands of years
@Aththadha
An old soul in awkward blue jeans
@Tom-nw3rt
Is it good or bad?
@100Neopunk
He turns 80 tomorrow. Blessed be he for he is still among us
@zackzallie8735
A legend among us as always.
@mschiller1661
Neil Young asked him how he wrote the songs from his youth. Bob said he didn't know who that man was.....
@ryanpruner1853
Sus