Indie,Folk,Rock and Alternative: Bob Dylan

The first time I heard a Bob Dylan song , I remember thinking to myself, "Man! thats a horrible voice to sing in!" , but just then the lyrics began to sink in and I realised that I had stumbled upon the beautiful world of Folk and Indie Music.

"How many roads must a man walk down,

before you call him a man?

How many seas must a white dove fly,

before she sleeps in the sand?

And how many times must a cannon ball fly,

before they're forever banned?

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind,

the answer is blowing in the wind".

You have to be a complete numbskull-mass-produced-pop-worshiping-ass-hole if you have never heard "Blowing in the Wind", please don't mind my saying that, cause I used to be one, that is, until I heard Bob.

Another Bob Dylan classic has to be "Mr. Tambourine Man" , many in India might remember it from the Hutch advertisement from the early days. 

The jingling-jangling guitar, that mystical voice, coupled with that fantastic imagery immediately transports one to his world. Many regard it as the beginning of the Folk-Rock genre!

Now, Bob Dylan is regarded as the most prolific and brilliant songwriters of his time, a fact proved by the numerousness covers of his songs performed by artists ranging from The Byrds' cover of Mr. Tambourine Man

to Jimi Hendrix's cover of All Along The Watchtower (My personal favourite, I hate the rest of the covers)

These covers, at the time, were actually able to rank higher than Dylan's original!!!

They actually topped the Billboard rankings!

Even My Chemical Romance covered Desolation Row !!!

His influence doesn't end here, not by a long shot!!!

Like A Rolling Stone, is the song that killed many of Dylan's original fans (of the Folk genre) and won him new ones when he went electric at the New Port Folk Festival.

The song is like a story told through the words of a poet, you have to listen to the lyrics really carefully to fully appreciate it.

Once upon a time you dressed so fine

You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you?

People’d call, say, “Beware doll, you’re bound to fall”

You thought they were all kiddin’ you

You used to laugh about

Everybody that was hangin’ out

Now you don’t talk so loud

Now you don’t seem so proud

About having to be scrounging for your next meal

How does it feel

How does it feel

To be without a home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

You’ve gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely

But you know you only used to get juiced in it

And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street

And now you find out you’re gonna have to get used to it

You said you’d never compromise

With the mystery tramp, but now you realize

He’s not selling any alibis

As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes

And ask him do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel

How does it feel

To be on your own

With no direction home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns

When they all come down and did tricks for you

You never understood that it ain’t no good

You shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you

You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat

Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat

Ain’t it hard when you discover that

He really wasn’t where it’s at

After he took from you everything he could steal

How does it feel

How does it feel

To be on your own

With no direction home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people

They’re drinkin’, thinkin’ that they got it made

Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things

But you’d better lift your diamond ring, you’d better pawn it babe

You used to be so amused

At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used

Go to him now, he calls you, you can’t refuse

When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose

You’re invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal

How does it feel

How does it feel

To be on your own

With no direction home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

And yes, the Rolling Stones did cover it, and no, they did not take their name from this song but from Rollin Stone by Muddy Waters.

Almost every Bob Dylan song has a story, and I could go on forever. So if I have been able to interest you even slightly in this great legend please do check out the Wikipedia page.

You might also want to check out.

and

Perhaps the best songs that present the heights to which Dylan reached.