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
Got My Mind Made Up
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I been in this thing too long.
There's nothin' you can say or do
To make me think I'm wrong.
Well, I'm goin' off to Libya,
There's a guy I gotta see.
He's been living there three years now,
I've got my mind made up.
Oh, I 've got my mind made up.
Call your Ma in Tallahassee
Tell her her baby's on the line.
Tell her not to worry
Everything is gonna be fine.
Well, I gave you all my money
All my connections, too.
There ain't nothin' in this world, girl
You can say I didn't give to you.
I've got my mind made up.
I've got my mind made up.
You will be alright, girl,
Someone's watchin' over you.
He won't do nothin' to you
Baby that I wouldn't do.
Well, if you don't want to see me,
Look the other way.
You don't have to feed me,
I ain't your dog that's gone astray.
I got my mind made up
I got my mind made up
I got my mind made up
I got my mind made up
I got my mind made up
The lyrics of Bob Dylan's song "Got My Mind Made Up" convey an unyielding spirit, one that has been through the trials of life and has come out victorious. The singer warns those who would try to change him that he has been in this "thing" too long and they can't make him question himself. The writer asserts his independence once more as he reveals his plans to travel off to Libya to see a man he has been meaning to see, who has been living there for three years now, at an oil refinery. This lyric could be interpreted in many ways – perhaps the singer is seeking to find himself through relating to someone else's journey, or maybe he's just looking for a break in a place far away from the world he knows.
The second half of the song may reveal a vulnerability the singer faced when giving everything he had to someone else. They had his money, and even his connections, yet the singer sees the relationship as a transaction, saying that there "ain't nothin' in this world, girl/You can say I didn't give to you." The person on the other end of this transactional relationship doesn't seem to need the same level of commitment to the singer, as he tells her that if she wants to leave him or ignore him, it's fine by him. The songwriter ultimately conveys a sense of agency and hardness derived from the difficulties which he has persevered through.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't ever try to change me,
I am set in my ways and will not be swayed by anyone trying to convince me otherwise.
I been in this thing too long.
I've been living and experiencing life long enough to have formed my own opinions and ways of doing things.
There's nothin' you can say or do
To make me think I'm wrong.
I am confident in my beliefs and decisions, and no one can shake that confidence or make me doubt myself.
Well, I'm goin' off to Libya,
I have a specific destination in mind, and I am determined to reach it.
There's a guy I gotta see.
I have a purpose for going to Libya, and it involves meeting a particular person.
He's been living there three years now,
In an oil refinery.
The person I'm going to see has been living and working in Libya for three years, in a specific type of industry (oil refinery).
I've got my mind made up.
I am resolute in my decision to go to Libya and meet this person.
Call your Ma in Tallahassee
Tell her her baby's on the line.
Please inform your mother in Tallahassee that I am calling (presumably in case anyone asks about my whereabouts).
Tell her not to worry
Everything is gonna be fine.
Assure her that I am safe and nothing bad will happen to me on my journey.
Well, I gave you all my money
All my connections, too.
I have generously provided you with all of my financial resources and connections in order to help you succeed.
There ain't nothin' in this world, girl
You can say I didn't give to you.
I have given you everything I have and could possibly give, and I don't want to hear any complaints or criticisms about that.
You will be alright, girl,
Someone's watchin' over you.
You will be safe and protected, because there is someone (possibly a higher power) looking out for you.
He won't do nothin' to you
Baby that I wouldn't do.
This protector will not do anything harmful or dangerous to you, because I wouldn't do anything like that either.
Well, if you don't want to see me,
Look the other way.
If you don't want to acknowledge me or interact with me, just avoid eye contact and look in a different direction.
You don't have to feed me,
I ain't your dog that's gone astray.
You don't have to take care of me or treat me like a lost animal - I am capable of taking care of myself.
I got my mind made up
I got my mind made up
I got my mind made up
I got my mind made up
I got my mind made up
I am extremely certain and unwavering in my decision, and I will not change my mind no matter what anyone says or does.
Contributed by Matthew A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.