In May 1941, a little boy was born to the Zimmerman family in a cold and dreary town called Hibby in Minessota. His parents looked at his face and named him Robert and, like all parents, hoped that he would grow into a man who could make the best out of his life. But little did they know...
...that little Robert Zimmerman would change his name at 21 years old and from then on, the entire world would look up to new man that he became - Bob Dylan - as an inspiration in almost all areas of their lives.
Indeed, and I say this with no exaggeration, the breadth of Bob Dylan's music and lyrics cannot and will not be covered by this post. In fact, I dare not even try. The man's music spans half a decade - a feat which many artistes are incapable of because of the kind of lifestyle that comes along with a life in music. But Bob Dylan has survived all these years and when he's not on his "Never Ending Tour", he's probably up in his Malibu house working on paintings. The multi-faceted talents of this man just shows how much is inside him waiting to be expressed.
In this post, I will attempt to introduce you to Dylan, through the times.
House Of The Rising Sun
This is one of the older recordings of Bob Dylan that can be found on youtube and I think it's important to know that Dylan was a big fan of Woody Guthrie (in those days they weren't called fans.. but Guthrie was definitely Dylan's hero). Guthrie, who mentored and encouraged Dylan even when he was on his deathbed, also had a version of "House Of The Rising Sun" (which is a traditional American folksong, NOT an original by The Animals) and a quick listen to that version on youtube will let you know where Dylan's roots really came from.
Dylan's version, which differs quite a bit from Guthrie's, probably served as a base for the hit single which shot British band "The Animals" to fame. Call me puritan or minimalist but I think Dylan's 1962 version conveyed much more emotion and feeling.
Blowing In The Wind
I first heard this song being sung by a group called "The Hollies" and I found it to be very nice and sweet. But when I heard the original Dylan version, I was blown away by how a song can be so simple and yet have so much to offer. The melody gave way to the colour of the lyrics of the song to become a message - a message that called for peace.
What really hit me in this song, though, was the punch in the face that Dylan delivered to me in the words "How many times can a man turn his head/ And pretend that he just doesn't see" because I realized that unfortunately for a lot of us mortal beings, even though the answer to that is "blowing in the wind", many of us will never grow out of pretending not to see injustice just to make ourselves feel better.
Knocking On Heaven's Door
Knocking On Heaven's Door is what I regard as every songwriter's song to fall back on. Whenever there are problems in a song that I'm working on, I put everything else down and just play the four chords that make up this song and sing the sad words that Dylan wrote.
The most popular cover of this song would definitely be the Guns & Roses version - the one which most of us would have grew up on (even though it was written years before) and they bring a different side of the song out; a little less dark, a little more rebellious, a little more excruciatingly painful as compared to Dylan's sombre 'hurting inside' kind of painful.
But if there's anything that the two versions have in common - squeaky vocals.
Like A Rolling Stone
This song, though recorded in 1965, marked the switch in Dylan's style from folk into.... "1970s Dylan". While the rock influence is obvious, one can still hear folk elements in the lyrics of this period. However, the most important (albeit shocking and disappointing to some) change was Dylan's instrument - from acoustic to electric.
Dylan had always performed in true folk fashion - alone with an acoustic guitar and harmonica. However, on 25 July 1965 appeared on stage with a full band and (gasp) and electric guitar. The audience reaction was mixed - an array of cheers and boos were heard and some even said things were thrown at him by outraged folk fans. Pissed, Dylan walked off stage only to return with an acoustic guitar to finish off the set.
So what exactly was the 1970s like for Dylan?
This video sees Dylan performing in 1975 with The Rolling Thunder Revue. He is visibly angsty with a garish, errie white mask (face paint) on his face, the result of a painful breakup with his wife. The 70s were full of music like Isis - a song which some say was autobiographical. Personally, this period of his music is a little disturbing to watch.
Hurricane
This performance, also in 1976, was about a black boxer who was convicted of a a triple murder. While Dylan's purpose of writing the song was probably to tackle injustice and racism, he was slammed for being biased towards the protagonist of the song. A simple example would be a trait of the boxer - a very bad temper. After the protagonist was convicted (in real life) at a re-trial, Dylan stopped performing this song 'live'.
Every Grain Of Sand
In the 80s, after his conversion to Christianity, Dylan began to write songs about his religion and what he went through (he had a motorcycle accident). That also meant that he stopped writing secular songs for a good year and a half and when the 'secular Dylan' resurfaced, his style had modernized and he began singing his old songs very differently (which disgruntles his fans even up till today).
Every Grain Of Sand is an extremely poetic song that marked the beginning of Dylan's style in his older years and seems to trace the footsteps of his life. To me, the most beautiful lyrics Dylan has ever written are contained in the lst four lines of this song:
I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me.
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.
Only a man who has been through unbelievable trials and tribulations in life can write lyrics as haunting as that and it is quite evident that a man as great as Dylan will not stop writing until the day he dies. While I look forward to whatever new songs he has, I am more excited about uncovering the songs he has written in the past; for within them i know I will find timeless tunes and lyrics that tackle issues that will never go out of date.
Though this post has barely covered a fraction of Dylan's music, I hope that it is useful as an introduction to the man.. through the times.
And with that, I leave you with a video that captures the great Bob Dylan in his young, scruffy signature image complete with acoustic guitar and harmonica.
Mr Tambourine Man
...that little Robert Zimmerman would change his name at 21 years old and from then on, the entire world would look up to new man that he became - Bob Dylan - as an inspiration in almost all areas of their lives.
Indeed, and I say this with no exaggeration, the breadth of Bob Dylan's music and lyrics cannot and will not be covered by this post. In fact, I dare not even try. The man's music spans half a decade - a feat which many artistes are incapable of because of the kind of lifestyle that comes along with a life in music. But Bob Dylan has survived all these years and when he's not on his "Never Ending Tour", he's probably up in his Malibu house working on paintings. The multi-faceted talents of this man just shows how much is inside him waiting to be expressed.
In this post, I will attempt to introduce you to Dylan, through the times.
House Of The Rising Sun
This is one of the older recordings of Bob Dylan that can be found on youtube and I think it's important to know that Dylan was a big fan of Woody Guthrie (in those days they weren't called fans.. but Guthrie was definitely Dylan's hero). Guthrie, who mentored and encouraged Dylan even when he was on his deathbed, also had a version of "House Of The Rising Sun" (which is a traditional American folksong, NOT an original by The Animals) and a quick listen to that version on youtube will let you know where Dylan's roots really came from.
Dylan's version, which differs quite a bit from Guthrie's, probably served as a base for the hit single which shot British band "The Animals" to fame. Call me puritan or minimalist but I think Dylan's 1962 version conveyed much more emotion and feeling.
Blowing In The Wind
I first heard this song being sung by a group called "The Hollies" and I found it to be very nice and sweet. But when I heard the original Dylan version, I was blown away by how a song can be so simple and yet have so much to offer. The melody gave way to the colour of the lyrics of the song to become a message - a message that called for peace.
What really hit me in this song, though, was the punch in the face that Dylan delivered to me in the words "How many times can a man turn his head/ And pretend that he just doesn't see" because I realized that unfortunately for a lot of us mortal beings, even though the answer to that is "blowing in the wind", many of us will never grow out of pretending not to see injustice just to make ourselves feel better.
Knocking On Heaven's Door
Knocking On Heaven's Door is what I regard as every songwriter's song to fall back on. Whenever there are problems in a song that I'm working on, I put everything else down and just play the four chords that make up this song and sing the sad words that Dylan wrote.
The most popular cover of this song would definitely be the Guns & Roses version - the one which most of us would have grew up on (even though it was written years before) and they bring a different side of the song out; a little less dark, a little more rebellious, a little more excruciatingly painful as compared to Dylan's sombre 'hurting inside' kind of painful.
But if there's anything that the two versions have in common - squeaky vocals.
Like A Rolling Stone
This song, though recorded in 1965, marked the switch in Dylan's style from folk into.... "1970s Dylan". While the rock influence is obvious, one can still hear folk elements in the lyrics of this period. However, the most important (albeit shocking and disappointing to some) change was Dylan's instrument - from acoustic to electric.
Dylan had always performed in true folk fashion - alone with an acoustic guitar and harmonica. However, on 25 July 1965 appeared on stage with a full band and (gasp) and electric guitar. The audience reaction was mixed - an array of cheers and boos were heard and some even said things were thrown at him by outraged folk fans. Pissed, Dylan walked off stage only to return with an acoustic guitar to finish off the set.
So what exactly was the 1970s like for Dylan?
This video sees Dylan performing in 1975 with The Rolling Thunder Revue. He is visibly angsty with a garish, errie white mask (face paint) on his face, the result of a painful breakup with his wife. The 70s were full of music like Isis - a song which some say was autobiographical. Personally, this period of his music is a little disturbing to watch.
Hurricane
This performance, also in 1976, was about a black boxer who was convicted of a a triple murder. While Dylan's purpose of writing the song was probably to tackle injustice and racism, he was slammed for being biased towards the protagonist of the song. A simple example would be a trait of the boxer - a very bad temper. After the protagonist was convicted (in real life) at a re-trial, Dylan stopped performing this song 'live'.
Every Grain Of Sand
In the 80s, after his conversion to Christianity, Dylan began to write songs about his religion and what he went through (he had a motorcycle accident). That also meant that he stopped writing secular songs for a good year and a half and when the 'secular Dylan' resurfaced, his style had modernized and he began singing his old songs very differently (which disgruntles his fans even up till today).
Every Grain Of Sand is an extremely poetic song that marked the beginning of Dylan's style in his older years and seems to trace the footsteps of his life. To me, the most beautiful lyrics Dylan has ever written are contained in the lst four lines of this song:
I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me.
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.
Only a man who has been through unbelievable trials and tribulations in life can write lyrics as haunting as that and it is quite evident that a man as great as Dylan will not stop writing until the day he dies. While I look forward to whatever new songs he has, I am more excited about uncovering the songs he has written in the past; for within them i know I will find timeless tunes and lyrics that tackle issues that will never go out of date.
Though this post has barely covered a fraction of Dylan's music, I hope that it is useful as an introduction to the man.. through the times.
And with that, I leave you with a video that captures the great Bob Dylan in his young, scruffy signature image complete with acoustic guitar and harmonica.
Mr Tambourine Man
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