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
You Angel You
Bob Dylan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your essence got me under your wing
The way you walk and the way you talk
I feel I could almost sing
You angel, you
You're as fine as anything's fine
I just walk and watch you talk
You know I can't sleep at night for trying
Yes I never did feel this way before
Never did get up and walk the floor
If this is love then gimme more
And more and more and more and more
You angel, you
You're as fine as can be
The way you walk and the way you talk
Is the way it ought to be
And oh, I can't sleep at night for trying
Never did feel this way before
Never did get up and walk the floor
If this is love then gimme more
And more and more and more
You angel, you
You got me under your wing
The way you walk and the way you talk
I swear it would make me sing
The song "You Angel You" is a love song by Bob Dylan about a woman who he sees as an angelic figure. Dylan describes her as having an essence that has gotten him under her wing and notes that he can't sleep at night because of her. He comments that he has never felt this way before and that if this is love, he wants more and more of it. The woman's walk and talk inspire him and make him feel like singing.
Dylan's choice of angel imagery is interesting because angels are often seen as pure and perfect beings, while love is often messy and complicated. The song seems to be about the innocence and beauty of love in its purest form, rather than the challenges that often come with it. Dylan's repetition of "more and more and more" shows his desire to have as much of this love as possible, as if he can't get enough of it.
Overall, "You Angel You" is a sweet and romantic song that celebrates the beauty of love in its simplest form. Dylan's use of angel imagery and repetition adds to the dreamlike quality of the song and makes it a memorable and enjoyable listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
You angel, you
The person being addressed is considered an angelic being
Your essence got me under your wing
Your overall presence has captivated me
The way you walk and the way you talk
Your behaviors and mannerisms are appealing to me
I feel I could almost sing
You make me feel so good that I feel like singing
You're as fine as anything's fine
You are absolutely stunning
I just walk and watch you talk
I am completely entranced by your actions
With you memory of my mind
You are constantly on my mind
You know I can't sleep at night for trying
I am so consumed by thoughts of you that I cannot sleep
Yes I never did feel this way before
These feelings are completely new to me
Never did get up and walk the floor
I cannot stop moving around and restlessly thinking about you
If this is love then gimme more
If this is what love feels like, I want more of it
And more and more and more and more
I want more of these intense feelings
You're as fine as can be
You are absolutely perfect
Is the way it ought to be
Your behavior is exactly as it should be
You got me under your wing
You have complete control over me
I swear it would make me sing
Your presence is so delightful, it would make me burst into song
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wu Wei
You angel, you
Your essence got me under your wing
The way you walk and the way you talk
I feel I could almost sing
You angel, you
You're as fine as anything's fine
I just walk and watch you talk
With you memory of my mind
You know I can't sleep at night for trying
Yes I never did feel this way before
Never did get up and walk the floor
If this is love then gimme more
And more and more and more and more
You angel, you
You're as fine as can be
The way you walk and the way you talk
Is the way it ought to be
And oh, I can't sleep at night for trying
Never did feel this way before
Never did get up and walk the floor
If this is love then gimme more
And more and more and more
You angel, you
You got me under your wing
The way you walk and the way you talk
I swear it would make me sing
Wu Wei
You angel, you
Your essence got me under your wing
The way you walk and the way you talk
I feel I could almost sing
You angel, you
You're as fine as anything's fine
I just walk and watch you talk
With you memory of my mind
You know I can't sleep at night for trying
Yes I never did feel this way before
Never did get up and walk the floor
If this is love then gimme more
And more and more and more and more
You angel, you
You're as fine as can be
The way you walk and the way you talk
Is the way it ought to be
And oh, I can't sleep at night for trying
Never did feel this way before
Never did get up and walk the floor
If this is love then gimme more
And more and more and more
You angel, you
You got me under your wing
The way you walk and the way you talk
I swear it would make me sing
Mike Hrywnak
Robert Frost couldn't have said it better!
Ryan Sanders
Perfect song
Rippi Zarsoff
My all time favourite album....ugh ...words can't explain my love for Bob and The Band. This is my no. 1 , Blond on Blond is no. 2...awesome stuff Bob xxx
Jonathan Horwitz
Such a fine, fine song! Bobby is exuberant and The Band is giving such an over the Top example of what a great band they were. I just LOVE this song! WOW! Thank You, World!
ChickenMan 888831
This should have more than 8K views! This is great!
Song Writer63
So great to know Bob has happy times like this.
Chaz A.
Positive vibes with Bob in the morning.
You angel you, Bob. ♫♪ God bless you.
Tom Fletcher
Well said, Man!
Monica Tolipan
Divine song! I've never heard this before!!!! Loved it!