Jan 5, 2012 | 100 Days with Bob Dylan
Link to Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9hMtVWN91M (This is a famous version from his performance in Japan 1994 where he was accompanied by a full orchestra).
What you should know about this song: According to Rolling Stone Magazine, this is the 2nd greatest Dylan song of all time (behind “Like a Rolling Stone,” of course). The magazine goes on to describe this seven-minute apocalyptic ballad as “the greatest protest song by the greatest protest songwriter of his time” (Issue 1131, March 2011).
Interestingly enough, every line in the song actually started out as a beginning of a whole (separate) song. Once Dylan realized he wouldn’t have enough to write all of those songs, he chose to put all the lines together into one. What is also interesting is that Dylan chose to debut this song in 1962 at the Carnegie Hall despite only being given a 10 minute act. According to Pete Seeger, the concert’s organizer,”Bob raised his hand and said, ‘What am I supposed to do? One of my songs is 10 minutes long.'”
This is a perfect example of how Dylan’s seemingly natural inspiration from the world around him transpires into music that makes history. Since it’s conception in 1962, it has rarely left his live performance song repertoire.
“I wrote it at the time of the Cuban [missile] crisis. I was in Bleecker Street in New York. we just hung around at night – people sat around wondering if it was the end, and so did I… It was a song of desperation. What could we do? Could we control men on the verge of wiping us out? The words came fast, very fast.” – Bob Dylan, 1965
Dylan describing his task as an artist: to sing out against darkness wherever he sees it – to “tell it and think it and speak it and breath it.” – Dylan (quote by Rolling Stone Issue 1131).
Photo Copyright Don Hunstein, 1963.
Jan 4, 2012 | 100 Days with Bob Dylan
Link to Song: Ballad of Hollis Brown
What you should know about this song: Bob Dylan claims that the song is based on a true story that he saw in a newspaper about a man who, overwhelmed by the desperation of poverty, chooses to kill his wife, five kids, and himself with his shotgun. Quite a sad song, really, but appropriate for such a sad story.
Dylan performed this song at his debut performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall over a year before he finally recorded it. The song was recorded during Dylan’s third album sessions in 1963.
“The songs are there. They exist by themselves, just waiting for someone to write them down. If I didn’t do it, someone else would.” – Bob Dylan, 1962*
Jan 3, 2012 | 100 Days with Bob Dylan
Link to Song: Tomorrow is a Long Time
What you should know about this song: This was the only Dylan song ever performed by Elvis Presley, which Bob has gone on to say was his favorite interpretation of his material… ever. Additionally, it’s been covered by many other artists, including Judy Collins and Rod Stewart.
“We all thought Bob was phenomenal. Songwriters love to hear good songs, and it really had the effect of spurring us to keep trying to improve our writing. It just happened that a lot of the good songs we heard were from Bob. The first time I heard Ian & Sylvia sing ‘Tomorrow Is A Long Time,’ which is not a widely sung Dylan song, I remember thinking, ‘That song is utterly beautiful.'” – Tom Paxton
*Here is the link to Elvis’ version that Dylan so highly applauded: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wipPRxEXAPY
Photo Source
Jan 2, 2012 | 100 Days with Bob Dylan
Link to Song: Blowin’ in the Wind
What you should know about this song: One of Bob Dylan’s most famous songs of all time, “Blowin’ in the Wind” was the second self-composed song featured on Dylan’s first album (The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, 1963) and has since been seen as an anthem of the civil rights movement in America. Dylan claimed to knock out the writing of this song in a mere 10 minutes.
Dylan debuted the song in in 1962 at Gerde’s Folk City in New York’s Greenwich Village, but according to Rolling Stone Magazine the song was actually made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary’s cover of it. In fact, both Peter, Paul and Mary and Stevie Wonder scored Top 10 hits with cover versions of this song. Rolling Stone ranked “Blown’ in the Wind” as the 20th greatest Dylan song, but I have to respectively disagree – it should be in the top 10 at least!
“The song that first branded Dylan a prophet asks nine questions and answers none of them.” – Rolling Stone Magazine, Issue 1131 May 2011
“‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ became the best-known anthem of social conscience throughout the world.” – Joan Baez*
“He was the real thing. I already knew about his talent, but hew as obviously adding to his repertoire. These new songs were his own music.” – Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul, and Mary) on seeing Dylan in 1962
Jan 1, 2012 | 100 Days with Bob Dylan
Link to Song: Song to Woody
What you should know about this song: This song came off of Dylan’s 1962 debut album and was written specifically for a significant influencer to Dylan’s music, Woodiy Guthrie. Interestingly enough, it was only one of two self-composed songs that Dylan contributed to the album. Dylan was actually able to play this song at least once for Woody in 1961 before he died from Chorea, to which Woody’s reaction was “That’s good, Bob. That’s damned good.”
