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
Rank Strangers
Bob Dylan Lyrics
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Where in youth's early dawn I was happy and free
I looked for my friends but I never could find them
Ev'rybody I met was a rank stranger to me.
Ev'rybody I met seemed to be a rank stranger
No mother or dad, not a friend could I see
They knew not my name and I knew not their faces
Ev'rybody I met, rank strangers to me.
To some beautiful home on that bright, crystal sea
Some beautiful day, well, I'll meet 'em in heaven
Where no one will be a stranger to me.
Ev'rybody I met seemed to be a rank stranger
No mother or dad, not a friend could I see
They knew not my name and I knew not their faces
I found they were all rank strangers to me.
The song "Rank Strangers To Me" by Bob Dylan tells the story of a man returning to his childhood home in the mountains, only to find that everyone he knew and loved has moved away or passed on, leaving him feeling alone and like a stranger in his own home. He recounts how he looked for his friends and family but was unable to find anyone familiar. Instead, he encountered strangers who did not recognize him, and he did not recognize them. The "rank strangers" that he meets along the way allude to the sense of loss and disconnection that he is experiencing.
The lyrics convey a deep sense of longing, as the singer struggles to come to terms with the fact that the people and places that made up his sense of home are no longer there. He sings of meeting them again in heaven, where everyone will be familiar and no one will be a stranger. This gives the song an emotional resonance that touches on themes of loss, memory, and the passage of time.
Overall, "Rank Strangers To Me" is a poignant reflection on the inevitability of change and how we must embrace this change to move forward in life. The song is a reminder that, even though people may be absent from our lives, the memories and stories we share with them can still bring us comfort and help us feel connected to our past.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I wandered again to my home in the mountain
I returned to my hometown in the mountains
Where in youth's early dawn I was happy and free
I was happy and carefree when I was young living in this place
I looked for my friends but I never could find them
I searched for my old companions but they were nowhere to be found
Ev'rybody I met was a rank stranger to me.
Everyone I encountered was a complete stranger
Ev'rybody I met seemed to be a rank stranger
All the people I came across also appeared unfamiliar
No mother or dad, not a friend could I see
I couldn't recognize anyone from my family or my friends
They knew not my name and I knew not their faces
The strangers didn't know who I was, and I couldn't put a name to their faces either
Well, they all moved away said the voice of a stranger
As I talked to someone I didn't know, they told me that everyone had moved elsewhere
To some beautiful home on that bright, crystal sea
They had relocated to a stunning place near a gleaming sea
Some beautiful day, well, I'll meet 'em in heaven
Perhaps one day in the afterlife, I'll encounter them again
Where no one will be a stranger to me.
In that place, all will be familiar to me, and no one will remain a stranger
I found they were all rank strangers to me.
After realizing they had all scattered, I concluded that everybody I met was a total stranger
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
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