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
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's where most of the folk songs come from nowadays
This, this is a song, this wasn't written up there
This was written somewhere down in the United States
Well, the Lone Ranger and Tonto
They are ridin' down the line
Fixin' everybody's troubles
Someone musta told them that I was doin' fine
Oh, you five and ten cent women
With nothin' in your heads
I got a real gal I'm lovin'
And Lord, I'll love her 'til I'm dead
Go away from my door and my window, too
Right now
Lord, I ain't goin' down to no race track
See no sports car run
I don't have no sports car
And I don't even care to have one
I can walk anytime around the block
Well, the wind keeps a-blowin' me
Up and down the street
With my hat in my hand
And my boots on my feet
Watch out so you don't step on me
Well, look it here buddy
You want to be like me?
Pull out your six-shooter
And rob every bank you can see
Tell the judge I said it was all right
Yes
Bob Dylan's Blues is a song by Bob Dylan that is written in a conversational style where the singer talks about his own songwriting process and the state of popular music at the time. The song opens with Dylan expressing his disdain for popular music that is churned out from Tin Pan Alley, a district in New York City that was known for publishing sheet music in the early 20th century. Dylan asserts that his song is different from those and that it was written somewhere in the United States, rather than in Tin Pan Alley.
The song then moves quickly to a description of the Lone Ranger and Tonto, who are popular comic book and radio characters in the United States. Dylan muses that they are always fixing everybody's troubles except his own. He then addresses the "five and ten cent women" or the superficial women with nothing in their heads, and proclaims that he has a genuine and true love that he will love until he is dead. He implores the women to go away from his door and window.
The song then moves on to Dylan's personal preferences and interests, where he asserts that he does go down to the race track to see sports cars run as he doesn’t have any to care about. He then describes the wind that keeps blowing him up and down the street with a hat in his hand and boots on his feet, cautioning others to be careful not to step on him. Finally, he shares a sarcastic piece of advice with his listener, asking them to pull out their six-shooter and rob every bank they can see, and to tell the judge that he said it was all right.
Line by Line Meaning
Unlike most of the songs nowadays that have been written up in Tin Pan Alley
Most of the current folk songs are composed in Tin Pan Alley. But this song is not like the others out there.
That's where most of the folk songs come from nowadays
This is just stating the fact that the majority of the folk songs these days are written in Tin Pan Alley.
This, this is a song, this wasn't written up there
This song was not composed in Tin Pan Alley, it came from somewhere else in the United States.
This was written somewhere down in the United States
This song was composed in some unknown place in the United States, away from Tin Pan Alley.
Well, the Lone Ranger and Tonto
The writer refers to the popular radio and television characters, Lone Ranger and Tonto.
They are ridin' down the line
Lone Ranger and Tonto are riding down the path.
Fixin' everybody's troubles
They are riding around and helping everyone who needs help.
Everybody's except mine
They are busy helping everyone else, but they haven't helped the writer yet.
Someone musta told them that I was doin' fine
The writer assumes that someone might have told Lone Ranger and Tonto that he's doing fine, hence they aren't helping him.
Oh, you five and ten cent women
The writer is addressing the women who spend their time window shopping around the stores.
With nothin' in your heads
The women are window shopping around the stores without any goal in their heads.
I got a real gal I'm lovin'
The writer has a genuine girlfriend who he loves.
And Lord, I'll love her 'til I'm dead
He swears that his love for his girlfriend is real and it will last till he dies.
Go away from my door and my window, too
The writer tells the women to leave him alone and stop window shopping around his house.
Right now
He is commanding these women to leave immediately.
Lord, I ain't goin' down to no race track
The writer won't go to the race track to watch cars racing around.
See no sports car run
He won't see any sports car running at a race track because he won't go there in the first place.
I don't have no sports car
The writer does not have any sports car himself.
And I don't even care to have one
Furthermore, he is saying that he does not care about having a sports car as well.
I can walk anytime around the block
Walking around the block is enough for him, he doesn't need any fancy cars or racing.
Well, the wind keeps a-blowin' me
The wind is blowing around the writer continuously.
Up and down the street
The wind is blowing the writer up and down the street, without any particular direction.
With my hat in my hand
The writer is holding his hat in his hand, probably because the wind might blow it off his head.
And my boots on my feet
He's wearing his boots, hence the writer must be outside on the street.
Watch out so you don't step on me
He requests people to be careful and not step over him, probably because he feels small and vulnerable.
Well, look it here buddy
The writer is addressing someone closely, probably a friend.
You want to be like me?
He's asking that person if he wants to be like him.
Pull out your six-shooter
He suggests that the person should draw his gun.
And rob every bank you can see
The writer is being sarcastic and telling that person to rob every bank they can see, even though it's not the right thing to do.
Tell the judge I said it was all right
He orders that person to tell the judge that the writer said it was alright to rob banks.
Yes
He solidifies that order with a single word, ending the song abruptly.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-ek4zy9ly1y
I'm 76 now and I've met so many young people with the discernment to know meaningful and imaginative music from the pretentious, self aggrandizing, trendy music of the day.,
who understand Dylan's greatness and who've said they envy me for having lived through the 50's. 60's and seventies.
One prophet said: "Only tell people what you think they need to know."
That's what Dylan does more often than just being very entertaining.
Like in the song,
"I'm gonna forget about myself for a while
Go out and see what others need."
THAT says it all about Dylan.
Like Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull sang in a speaking voice,
"It's only the giving
That makes you what you are."
Cliff
@jennidebi2032
Lyrics:
A worried man with a worried mind
No one in front of me and nothing behind
There's a woman on my lap and she's drinking champagne
Got white skin, got assassin's eyes
I'm looking up into the sapphire tinted skies
I'm well dressed, waiting on the last train
Standing on the gallows with my head in a noose
Any minute now I'm expecting all hell to break loose
People are crazy and times are strange
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed
This place ain't doing me any good
I'm in the wrong town, I should be in Hollywood
Just for a second there I thought I saw something move
Gonna take dancing lessons do the jitterbug rag
Ain't no shortcuts, gonna dress in drag
Only a fool in here would think he's got anything to prove
Lotta water under the bridge, lotta other stuff too
Don't get up gentlemen, I'm only passing through
People are crazy and times are strange
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed
I've been walking forty miles of bad road
If the bible is right, the world will explode
I've been trying to get as far away from myself as I can
Some things are too hot to touch
The human mind can only stand so much
You can't win with a losing hand
Feel like falling in love with the first woman I meet
Putting her in a wheel barrow and wheeling her down the street
People are crazy and times are strange
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed
I hurt easy, I just don't show it
You can hurt someone and not even know it
The next sixty seconds could be like an eternity
Gonna get lowdown, gonna fly high
All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie
I'm love with a woman who don't even appeal to me
Mr. Jinx and Miss Lucy, they jumped in the lake
I'm not that eager to make a mistake
People are crazy and times are strange
I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range
I used to care, but things have changed
@user-ek4zy9ly1y
Bob Dylan knows, as did Solomon (Book of Wisdom) that the Holy Spirit is the feminine within God. The Word is the masculine.
When I first heard the song Precious Angel I was blown away. that song sounded exactly like what had happened to me in 1971 when I was reborn in that feminine spirit while behind my drums in a cabin on a small lake, playing to Blonde on Blonde.
Many years later I was reading a Dylan interview in the SongTalk newspaper of the National Academy of songwriters that i had joined.
Dylan said, "A friend of mine told me that the Spirit was feminine because who else but the feminine would stoop so low to help fallen man." (something very close to that"
But when he said that, and after having known "Precious Angel" I KNEW that he knows it too
but just put it that way, that a friend of mine said . . .
When Dylan says "a friend of mine" you have to take it seriously.
If you want to see the proof, J.R.R. Tolkein was one of the collaborators of the 1966 Jerusalem Bible, Alexander Jones edition.
NOT THE JERUSALEM BIBLE. That translation destroys the poetry and transporting ability of the 1966 version.
You can find it online finally . . . Read Wisdom Chapter 7
In case I have to name drop to have you believe me.
When Dylan and Tom Petty came to Vancouver in 1986
Alice Feldman, Dylan's road manager's wife, gave me an after show backstage pass and took me back to the banquet room after the show.
Cliff
@punagurl8
I haven’t been able to get this song out of my head all day. Dylan is brilliant and I love this version from the film.
“People are crazy and times are strange
I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range
I used to care, but things have changed.”
So many great lines.
“Gonna get down low, gonna fly high
All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie.”
This entire song is Dylan at his very best. Not one bad line. Just perfect. ❤️
@deborahsullivan2387
I’m listening to this in January 2024 and still love it. Love Bob Dylan ❤️
@ellencooney5563
Hey I'm listening 1/24 but missing the feminine sensibility. Never too old to learn.
@samersible4250
Fuck yeah
@vorokovvalery7750
Take me on your team, I love Bob Dylan too!
@sandabesednik323
❤❤❤
@Zezima223
lol
@christinelevandoski8561
I am still listening and it is February of 2024. Love Bob Dylan.
@carlygrayson956
The earth is 4.5 billion years old; how fortunate are we to be here at the same time as Bob Dylan?
@seriouslyyoujest1771
13 billion years old. Yes, we are lucky to have Bob Dylan, snd YouTube too!
@AttilatheNun-xv6kc
@@seriouslyyoujest1771 Do you mean the universe or just our planet?