Imagine the 1960s in the United States of America. The backdrop of the Vietnam War creates a breeding ground for young, enraged activists, who fight the draft and the war itself. The Civil Rights Movement is at its peak, captivating the nation, and the National Organization for Women is fighting for equality for all genders. The Stonewall Riots demonstrate the beginning of the modern battle for LGBT rights. It’s an age of rebellion and reform. In this madness exists a man who not only creates songs that so embody poetry, in which the music itself plays second fiddle, but a singer who doesn’t merely sing about lost loves like some of his contemporaries; one who writes songs that have political relevance and shows that music can be more than just catchy guitar chords.
Throughout his 50-year (and counting) career, Bob Dylan has inspired and befriended such icons as The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, The Byrds, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley, Simon and Garfunkel, and Neil Young. His musical interpretations of American folk, rock ‘n’ roll, blues, country, pop, gospel, jazz, and rockabilly have contributed significantly to the creation of folk rock and country rock. His harmonica, keyboard, and unforgettable voice are the loyal instruments of his crusade: the crucial elements that have made Bob Dylan Bob Dylan.
Dylan’s revolutionary and original lyrics have not been left unnoticed, and neither has his immense cultural impact on American society and music. He’s been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He’s won the GMA Dove Award, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, more than ten Grammy Awards, the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, and many other accolades from different countries and for different reasons. Today, despite his age, Dylan’s Never Ending Tour is still in full swing, and he continues to release songs and albums with no end in sight. We hope you enjoy this playlist of some of Bob Dylan’s greatest songs.
[iframe src=”https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Auser%3Ahandanxu7%3Aplaylist%3A5j6dvGvQcOzDuMwhNZRRwZ” width=”500″ height=”380″ frameborder=”0″ allowtransparency=”true”]
“The Times They Are a-Changin’” (The Times They Are a-Changin’, 1964)
Leland Xu: This song is one of general protest under which various counterculture groups united as Dylan begged for senators and congressmen to “heed the call” of unspecified change, or risk being “drenched to the bone.” Inspired by Irish and Scottish ballads, this anthem is one of Dylan’s greatest hits; it defined him then and continues to define him today as a rebel, unafraid to defy the powerful authorities of his time in the name of social justice.
“Like a Rolling Stone” (Highway 61 Revisited, 1965)
Jefferson Sheng: After Dylan wrapped up his 1965 European tour, he found himself at one of the most desperate times in his career. He was at one of his lowest creative ebbs but found himself in high demand. So Dylan walked into Columbia Records’ studio in New York and recorded his most successful song, “Like a Rolling Stone,” a revolutionary combination of different styles of music and the distinctive anger and cynicism of Dylan’s voice. The lyrics were interpreted as expressions of animosity rather than love towards its subject, “Miss Lonely,” a character who once “…threw the bums a dime in her prime,” but whose life became difficult, as it appeared that she had no meaningful experiences to define her character. Originally beginning as ten pages of “vomit writing,” as Dylan himself described it, the song turned into a triumphant and freshly reinvigorated set of lyrics that transformed the folk singer into a rock star.
“Mr. Tambourine Man” (Bringing it All Back Home, 1965)
JS: Known for its bright, expansive melody and lively, clever use of words, “Mr. Tambourine Man” was originally composed in early 1964, playing a vital role in the initiation of the musical subgenre of folk rock. The song had its roots in the works of French poet Arthur Rimbaud and the movie La Strada by Federico Fellini. It was inspirational to many later artists, including those who performed and recorded variations of this particular song from the Bringing it All Back Home album. “Mr. Tambourine Man” had a heavy influence on the subgenre of folk rock since its first release by Columbia Records. A product of its prestige was The Byrds’ version, recorded later in the same year, which was given the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998, four years before Bob Dylan’s original version was honored with the same award.
“Maggie’s Farm” (Bringing it All Back Home, 1965)
LX: “Maggie’s Farm” was one of the first songs performed after Dylan’s controversial switch from acoustic guitar to electric guitar. Though his fan base initially booed him at the performance of “Maggie’s Farm” in concert, Dylan continued to be successful after his switch. This blues protest song features an aggressive Dylan complaining about the abusive conditions at “Maggie’s farm,” interpreted as a personification of racism, capitalism or oppression. Other interpretations view the song as an allegory for the folk music industry and their treatment of Dylan. Or perhaps it’s merely a remake of The Bently Boys’ “Down On Penny’s Farm.” Whatever the true meaning, no one jeers at Dylan or his song today; even Barack Obama admits to be a fan of the song.
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” (Bringing it All Back Home, 1965)
JS: Packed with political and counterculture references, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” kicks off Dylan’s fifth studio album, Bringing it All Back Home. This song is noted for its unique video-like film excerpt from the documentary Don’t Look Back, a film by D.A. Pennebaker that captures Dylan’s 1965 tour in England. The evocative “music video” shows Bob Dylan flipping through cue cards that match the song’s lyrics, on occasion with intentional misspellings for purposes of exaggeration. Like many other songs on the album, it ties itself with the struggles within the U.S. during the Cold War era. The lyrics reference the civil rights movement, specifically the 1963 Birmingham campaign (“Better stay away from those/That carry around a fire hose”), the LSD culture of the 1960s, and other American phenomena of the day.
“All Along the Watchtower” (John Wesley Harding, 1967)
LX: Chances are, if you have ever heard of this song, it’s because of rock-and-roll legend Jimi Hendrix. His cover version of this folk ballad became the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s highest-selling single, reaching #20 in the U.S. charts and #5 in the U.K. Dylan’s original was eclipsed completely. No one can blame people for liking and recognizing Hendrix’s version more quickly than Bob Dylan’s; even Dylan himself said that the recording “overwhelmed [him].” So why even bother listening to Dylan’s version? In Hendrix’s version, the focus is more on the music; by contrast, Dylan’s version had the lyrics as priority, and the song lyrics are some of his best. The song is surrealist, painting incredibly abstract images in the listener’s mind; its tale of a joker, a thief, princes, and a watchtower leaves the meaning up for interpretation. Yes, Hendrix made the song popular, but what shouldn’t be neglected is that Dylan made his song artistically impact the music.
“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, 1973)
JS: If you’ve ever watched the 1973 film Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, you’ll hear this iconic, flawless accompaniment playing as Billy the Kid shoots one of the deputy sheriffs, who is groaning in pain, slowly fading away, “knockin’ on heaven’s door.” The melancholic masterpiece is the most well-known track on the album and soundtrack of the film. It soon became one of Dylan’s most popular compositions because of its simplicity of chord structure blended with the repetitive, haunting lyrics. Dylan recorded this song several times throughout his career.
“Must Be Santa” (Christmas in the Heart, 2009)
Because Christmas is right around the corner, in the spirit of the holidays and Bob Dylan, we recommend you listen to Dylan’s cover of Mitch Miller’s “Must Be Santa” as you sit by the fireplace alone with your hot chocolate. This song is unique for its unusual German polka-style rendition (in which the only instruments are accordions and drums), though Dylan preserves the traditionalist call-and-response format of the original, it’s perhaps Dylan’s strangest work of the new millennium, and perhaps the strangest work in the history of Christmas music. Its music video is just as silly and contradictory, for as Dylan and the crowd sing the song of the innocent Saint Nick, the setting is a violent adult party. Dylan also takes a stab at some U.S. presidents, mixing their names in with those of Santa’s reindeer.