100 Days
of Bob Dylan
My Journey to Ascertain the Genius that is Bob Dylan
How Does it Feel?
The first morning I woke up at college, someone in my dorm had these two huge speakers turned facing out of his window and blaring, “Like a Rolling Stone.” It was the first real day out on your own and you hear, “How does it feel to be on your own, away from home, like a rolling stone?”
Since that first day at State University of New York in 1973, my father has grown a deep appreciation for Bob Dylan. As a Milennial, this same adoration did not come naturally. I just didn’t get it. Why Bob Dylan? He’s not even a good singer. His lyrics don’t really make sense. Why do people think he’s the best songwriter?
In an effort to get to know my father on a deeper level, and to understand the impacts of Bob Dylan’s legacy, I set out on a journey to explore the music for myself. Part of the expedition included this book, “Dylan: 100 Songs and Pictures” by Peter Doggett.
Each song posted here includes content from this book along with other sources I cited where applicable.
BOOK: “Dylan: 100 Songs & Pictures”
Blog Posts
Bob Dylan – Song #100: “Like a Rolling Stone”
"Rolling Stone's the best song I wrote." - Bob Dylan, 1965 What you should know about this song: "I wrote it. I didn't fail. It was straight." - Bob Dylan, shortly after the recording session in June 1965 Dylan had just turned 24 when he wrote this...
Bob Dylan – Song #99: “Thunder on the Mountain”
"The more you listen to Modern Times, the more you sense that Dylan's cast the songs as a modern lament, in the mask of a new Ovid, a kind of modern exile in the modern world." - Cliff Fell, poet and professorWhat you should know about this song: This is the opening...
Bob Dylan – Song #98: “Workingman’s Blues #2”
"Dylan's like the Beatles or the Eiffel Tower... his presence is so strong that you don't see him anymore." - David Gray What you should know about this song: This piece has been described as both timeless and yet utterly contemporary. Dylan self-consciously...
Bob Dylan – Song #97: “High Water (For Charley Patton)”
"Bob Dylan! It's like trying to talk about the Pyramids. What do you do? You just stand back and... gape." - Bono What you should know about this song: This song was recorded on Dylan’s 31st studio album Love and Theft (2001) as a tribute to bluesman Charley...
Bob Dylan – Song #96: “Things Have Changed”
Link to Song: Things Have Changed What you should know about this song: Featured in the film Wonder Boys, this single recorded in 2000 won Dylan an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. The director of Wonder Boys, Curtis Hanson, took a...
Bob Dylan – Song #95: “Mississippi”
Link to Song: MississippiSheryl Crow Cover: MississippiWhat you should know about this song:In 2009, Rolling Stone named "Mississippi" the 17th best song of the decade, calling it "A drifter's love song that seems to sum up Dylan's entire career, and a rambling...
Bob Dylan – Song #94: “Not Dark Yet”
Link to Song: Not Dark Yet What you should know about this song: "Stark and uncompromising, this deceptively gentle song was one of the key tracks on Time Out of Mind,"* and since its debut in 1997 the song has taken on a number of different roles. It was included on...
Bob Dylan – Song #93: “Tryin’ To Get to Heaven”
Link to Song: Tryin' To Get to Heaven What you should know about this song: This song was highly acclaimed by critics upon the release of 1997's Time Out of Mind album. Three years later, Dylan completely reworked the melody line for a stunning new version. "What...
Bob Dylan – Song #92: “Love Sick”
Link to Song: Love Sick What you should know about this song: The Time Out of Mind album released in 1997 was Dylan's first release of original material in seven years. The opening track, "Love Sick," is a "brooding essay on romantic disillusion." Dylan debuted the...
Bob Dylan – Song #91: “Series of Dreams”
Link to Song: Series of Dreams What you should know about this song: "'Series of Dreams' was a fantastic turbulent track that I felt should have been on the record [Oh Mercy]. But Dylan had the final word." - Daniel Lanois, producer of Oh Mercy* *Source: "Dylan: 100...
Bob Dylan – Song #90: “Dignity”
Link to Song: Dignity What you should know about this song: "Dignity" became the highlight of his MTV Unplugged concert, his performance reaching the UK Top 40 singles chart in 1995. "People can learn everything about me through my songs, if they know where to look."...
Bob Dylan – Song #89: “Man In the Long Black Coat”
Link to Song: Man in the Long Black Coat What you should know about this song: "It's one of my favorites. It paints a picture of small town Americana, a dance hall on the outskirts of town, and how a strange individual comes in, and 'Not a word of goodbye, not even a...