"Freewheelin' Bob Dylan"

The 1960's in America were a time for sweeping change in many areas of life and culture. From counter-cultural social movements to the growing tide of civil rights, the times were most certainly "a-changin". No creative of the time better represents this era of American change than Bob Dylan. Dylan's style defined the era and infused poetic styles into songwriting.

Dylan was born on May 24th, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. As a child, he listened to a lot of country and blues music. Then, like so many other children of the times, rock and roll took over his teenage life. Then finally, in pursuit of music with a more realistic view of life, Dylan shifted his focus to folk music. Dylan was drawn to the heightened levels of sadness, despair, triumph, faith in the supernatural, and feelings in general. 

These different feelings and influences have been incorporated into Dylan's songs. For example, "Blowin in the Wind"  is partly influenced by an old slave song. Also, "A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall" was influenced by an old folk ballad. These songs and many more in Dylan's discography were very reflective of the times. Several were branded as protest songs. Others were indicative of issues with the Cuban missile crisis. This implies some level of collecting being part of Dylan's process. This also marked a new trend in song writing that combined stream of consciousness at the time with more traditional folk styles. This new style made Dylan's works much more relevant to the times. 

       

When asked about what goes into writing his songs, Bob Dylan said that it is "nice to be able to put yourself in an environment where you can completely accept all the unconscious stuff that comes to you from your inner workings of your mind," emphasizing the role that unconscious processing can play in ones creative mechanisms. Dylan places continues stress on how important environment is when writing music. Specifically environments that inspire peace but also stimulation. Finally, some sense of meaning must be present. According to Dylan, the world would go on just the same without anymore music and everything would likely be fine. The difference is when someone with heart and meaning comes along. That is what sets it apart. 

In terms of reception, Bob Dylan has no shortage of praise and accolades. These include several Grammy awards, inductions into multiple music Hall of Fames, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. The most impressive, however, may be his 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. The Nobel Prize committee stated that it was due to Dylan "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition." If this doesn't exemplify a major change due to his creative works, then I don't know what does. 

To this day, Dylan stills tours (including an upcoming date in Chicago on October 30th) on his Never Ending Tour. He currently has performed over 3000 times since the tour began in 1988. Each night has different arrangements and performances of his songs. This has garnered some mixed reviews from critics, but allows Dylan to constantly present his extensive song lineup in new ways. 

Bob Dylan is truly what people mean when they use the term "generation defining artist". His songs were the soundtrack to a generation and serve as a record of the events of the time. Dylan's songs still hold immense value and commentary in today's world. Whether its "Like a Rolling Stone" or "Desolation Row" the poetic mastery and imagery shines just as brightly as it did when the songs were brand new. 

Relevant Links:

https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/05/21/bob-dylan-songwriters-on-songwriting-interview/

https://history-biography.com/bob-dylan/