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
I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You think you know
The smile on her lips
The thrill an' the touch
Of her fingertips
But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her
A heaven of bliss
In each caress
In each tender kiss
But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her
You stole her love from me one day
You didn't care how it hurt me
But you can never steal away
Memories of what used to be
You think she's yours
To have and to hold
Someday you'll learn
When her love grows cold
But I forgot more than you'll ever know about her
The lyrics to Bob Dylan's song I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know speak to a type of knowledge that transcends the physical and ephemeral world. It is the knowledge of love, of experiences shared with a lover, and of the memories that are etched in the soul. The singer in the song is addressing a rival who has taken his love away from him, but who he knows will never experience the depth of connection that he once had with her. He tells the rival that he thinks he knows all about her - her smile, her touch, her kisses, but that in fact, he has forgotten more than the rival will ever know about her.
This is a song about loss, but also about the power of memory. The singer knows that his love has been taken from him, but he also knows that he will always carry his memories of her with him, and that no one can take that away from him. The rival may think that he has won her over, but he will never have the same level of intimacy and knowledge of her that the singer once had. The song is a testament to the importance of memory and the deep emotional connections that we form with others.
Line by Line Meaning
I forgot more than you'll ever know about her
The singer has knowledge about a former lover that the listener will never be aware of
You think you know
The listener mistakenly believes they have insight into the personality of the former lover
The smile on her lips
The listener may think they understand the former lover's emotions, but the singer knows more
The thrill an' the touch
The listener may have experienced physical intimacy with the former lover, but the singer has more experience
Of her fingertips
The singer knows more about the former lover's touch than the listener
You think you'll find
The listener believes they will have a better experience with the former lover than the singer did
A heaven of bliss
The listener mistakenly thinks their relationship with the former lover will be perfect
In each caress
The listener thinks they will experience romance and affection with the former lover
In each tender kiss
The listener believes that passion and intimacy will be everlasting with the former lover
You stole her love from me one day
The listener took the singer's love interest away from them
You didn't care how it hurt me
The listener was not concerned about the emotional pain they caused the singer
But you can never steal away
The listener cannot take the singer's memories or knowledge
Memories of what used to be
The singer has memories of their relationship with the former lover that cannot be taken away
You think she's yours
The listener believes they have a claim on the former lover and her affections
To have and to hold
The listener believes their relationship with the former lover will last forever
Someday you'll learn
The listener will eventually come to a realization
When her love grows cold
The former lover will eventually stop caring for the listener
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Cecil Allen Null
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sharonramsey715
Dylan so many singing voices. I love them all.
@Tobykeithmusicinc
Hello Dear, it’s Nice meeting you on here!
@Andrew-kq4xm
Dylan's smoothest vocal ever. Inspires sweet memories of lost loves.
@BDFAN65
Awesome cover by Dylan. His vocals shine 👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍Lone Wolf :)
@doloresbavosa9408
One My favorite ,Dylan albums he really can sing
@hxllfire
love this song
@mistery-ed7900
I heard this before hearing the original song by The Davis Sisters and then Skeeter Davis. Love all three versions.
@maggiebryan2355
Love bobs version of this
@0otee
Dylans’ Deep, yet light Singing Voice, reminds me of Johnny Cashs’ Deep voice! It is a Great Blessing to us all❣️🌺👌🌞May I have this Waltz? 💃🕺Thanks Dylan❣️🌺🌷👌💃🕺🌹🌞
@4scended498
God damn it I miss her