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
Mixed-Up Confusion
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Man, it's a-killin' me
Well, there's too many people
And they're all too hard to please
Well, my hat's in my hand
Babe, I'm walkin' down the line
An' I'm lookin' for a woman
With a head mixed up like mine
Well, I'm too old to lose
Babe I'm too young to win
And I feel like a stranger
In the world I'm living in
But I'm walkin' and wonderin'
And my poor feet don't ever stop
Seein' my reflection
I'm hung over, hung down, hung up!
In Bob Dylan's song Mixed-Up Confusion, the artist delves into his feelings of confusion about himself and the world around him. He sings that he is full of mixed-up confusion that is killing him. He continues to express his thoughts on the overwhelming number of people around him whom he finds hard to please. The artist then talks about his position in life, saying that he feels like a stranger in the world he is living in. Despite all these challenges, he is hopeful that he will find a kindred spirit in a woman with a head mixed up like his.
The song seems to be a reflection of Dylan's own feelings of inadequacy and confusion at that point in his life. The trio of verses seems to focus on the themes of uncertainty, disappointment, and confusion. The lyrics express Dylan's discontentment with the world around him, a feeling that many of his listeners can relate to. The artist sings that he is too old to lose and too young to win, which indicates that he is unsure about what direction to take his life.
Line by Line Meaning
I got mixed up confusion
I'm feeling overwhelmed and disoriented by life
Man, it's a-killin' me
This feeling is really taking a toll on me
Well, there's too many people
The world is overcrowded and chaotic
And they're all too hard to please
It's impossible to satisfy everyone
Well, my hat's in my hand
I'm feeling humbled and respectful
Babe, I'm walkin' down the line
I'm trying to find my way in life
An' I'm lookin' for a woman
I'm searching for companionship
With a head mixed up like mine
Someone who understands me
Well, I'm too old to lose
I've come too far to fail
Babe I'm too young to win
But I'm still too inexperienced to succeed
And I feel like a stranger
I don't belong in this world
In the world I'm living in
The world is not what I expected it to be
But I'm walkin' and wonderin'
I'm trying to figure things out
And my poor feet don't ever stop
I'm constantly moving forward, despite exhaustion
Seein' my reflection
I'm taking a hard look at myself
I'm hung over, hung down, hung up!
I'm weighed down by my problems and struggles
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: B. DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mal Ferguson
This sounds like Dylan from 1964/65. He wasn't just ahead of everyone else, he was years ahead of himself!
CLASSY GARY
Classic 😂😂😂 🤛🏽
Marc Sapinski
No, it was recorded in 1962
Mal Ferguson
@Marc Sapinski I know. That's my point. The stuff he recorded in 1964/65 was ahead of its time, yet here he is doing similar stuff even earlier than that.
James Istvanffy
I'm teaching a course on Bob Dylan and I find it remarkable this was chosen for his first single.
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Where at?
Harvey Mushman
+James Istvanffy Your class is a travesty I am absolutely sure.....
M H
What a shitty waste of time. "Hey mom, check it out- I got an 'A' in Dylanology!" "Great son, you'll really get ahead in life now."
jmack619
@M H grade one to grade twelve was just a complete waste of sixteen years for me...
CLASSY GARY
@M H So was your comment, as is mine hahaha I guess that makes us both losers 🤡✌🏼🤣