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 βfor having created new poetic expressions within the great American song traditionβ. 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
Outlaw Blues
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And land in some funny lagoon
Ain't it hard to stumble
And land in some muddy lagoon
Especially when it's nine below zero
And three o'clock in the afternoon
Ain't gonna hang no picture,
Ain't gonna hang no picture,
Ain't gonna hang no picture frame
Well, I might look like Robert Ford
But I feel just like a Jesse James
Well, I wish I was on some
Australian mountain range.
Oh, I wish I was on some
Australian mountain range.
I got no reason to be there, but I
Imagine it would be some kind of change
I got my dark sunglasses,
I got for good luck my black tooth
I got my dark sunglasses,
I'm carryin' for good luck my black tooth
Don't ask me nothin' about nothin'
I just might tell you the truth
I got a woman in Jackson
I ain't gonna say her name
I got a woman in Jackson,
I ain't gonna say her name
She's a brown-skin woman,
But I love her just the same
The lyrics of Bob Dylan's song Outlaw Blues can be interpreted in different ways, but overall it portrays a sense of restlessness and longing for change. The opening lines "Ain't it hard to stumble and land in some funny lagoon, especially when it's nine below zero and three o'clock in the afternoon" paint a picture of the difficulty in navigating through life's challenges. The image of stumbling and landing in a muddy lagoon creates a metaphor for being stuck, trapped or lost. The use of time and temperature in the lyrics adds to the sense of feeling lost and disoriented.
The song then moves on to the idea of not wanting to conform, seen in the lines "Ain't gonna hang no picture, ain't gonna hang no picture frame, well, I might look like Robert Ford but I feel just like a Jesse James". Here, Dylan is indicating that he doesn't want to be pigeon-holed into a certain image or way of doing things. He may look like one thing on the surface, but feels like a rebel or outlaw at heart.
The next few stanzas touch on the idea of longing for something new, different or exciting. The line "Well, I wish I was on some Australian mountain range, I got no reason to be there, but I imagine it would be some kind of change" suggests a desire for adventure and escape from mundane life. Finally, the song talks about Dylan's relationships through the line "I got a woman in Jackson, I ain't gonna say her name, she's a brown-skin woman, but I love her just the same". There is a sense of cautiousness in not revealing too much, but also a deep appreciation for this particular person.
Overall, Dylan's Outlaw Blues presents a complex and nuanced portrayal of feeling lost, wanting change and resisting conformity.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't it hard to stumble
And land in some funny lagoon
It's tough to accidentally fall into a difficult situation.
Especially when it's nine below zero
And three o'clock in the afternoon
It's even harder when it's freezing cold and super bright outside.
Ain't gonna hang no picture,
Ain't gonna hang no picture frame
I'm not interested in being bogged down with material possessions.
Well, I might look like Robert Ford
But I feel just like a Jesse James
I may appear ordinary, but inside I feel like a badass outlaw.
Well, I wish I was on some
Australian mountain range.
I daydream of being in a new and exciting environment.
I got no reason to be there, but I
Imagine it would be some kind of change
Even though it's a random thought, I imagine it'd be refreshing.
I got my dark sunglasses,
I'm carryin' for good luck my black tooth
I wear sunglasses and keep a strange item on me in hopes of attracting good fortune.
Don't ask me nothin' about nothin'
I just might tell you the truth
I'm blunt, so don't ask me questions you don't want honest answers to.
I got a woman in Jackson,
I ain't gonna say her name
I have a lover in Jackson, but I'm not going to reveal her identity.
She's a brown-skin woman,
But I love her just the same
Despite societal expectations, the color of her skin is irrelevant because I love her for who she is.
Lyrics Β© BOB DYLAN MUSIC CO
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@waynejohanson1083
9 below zero and 3 o'clock in the afternoon. How he delivers that gets me every time. Song comes at you like a jackhammer
@joewestfall1486
. . specially when it 9 beelow zero . .
@graveyardelf6765
"I ain't going to hang no picture, I ain't going to hang no picture frame,
I may look like π½πππππ π±πππ, but I feel just like π΅ππππ π΅ππππ"
@Goatchild90
My favourite deep cut from Bringing it All Back Home
@javierramos1249
Imagine yourself living in the last days, writing the best songs for humanity! You can live to be 100! Not kidding.
@douglasglaser9634
This guy Bob... my all time favorite spellbinding composer.
@constantwireless3290
Like his ancestor this king David. it's all in the family.
@jekk23
One of rock and rolls perfections. Beholdπ
@jackyvanhal9514
We are all supprised and very thankfull to the genius.
@reuvenzadik2443
Bob was a big fan of great blues classics as this..Sonny Boy williamson Nine Below Zero became this rock gem..Fantastic