Monday, October 17, 2016

Music Monday - The Times They A'Changed

Surprise!  Guess who won the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature?

A songwriter.  A song teller.  Someone whose songs have been in my life since the 1960's.

Bob Dylan.  Some people say "what were they thinking?" Others say "it's about time a songwriter won this award."

According to National Public Radio (NPR), the Swedish Academy awarded the prize to Dylan"for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."

Does he deserve the prize?  I believe so, and hope you will, too, after listening to some of his most famous songs.

His voice leaves a lot to be desired, but 75 year old Bob Dylan did not win the Nobel Prize for his vocal qualities.

Instead, they were for poetical lyrics that (not my original observation) were almost magical. That made you enter other worlds through doors that his lyrics created for us.

As far back as the early 2000's, there was already talk of Dylan being nominated for the Nobel prize.  Enjoy this interview from 2004 with Ed Bradley.

I discovered Bob Dylan over 50 years ago through this song - "Like a Rolling Stone".
Truthfully, I don't like this version as much as the version that appeared in 1965, but his songs aren't all readily available on You Tube.

For my spouse, his favorite is a long song, a song about a real man called Ruben"Hurricane" Carter.  I could not find a good Bob Dylan performance online, however.

Perhaps his most approachable song is "Blowing in the Wind".  So straightforward and so profound.

A song (poor quality performance) that is eerily prophetic.  "The Times They Are A-Changin'"

And one more, for the road (so to speak) - a cover of "Knocking On Heaven's Door" as done by Guns 'N Roses.

Do you listen to Bob Dylan? Which song is your favorite?

Day 17 of the #Ultimate Blog Challenge.

17 comments:

  1. Not much of a rock fan, let alone Bob Dylan. I think they must have been smoking something when they made the decision. Sorry.

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    1. Oh, this world wouldn't be any fun if we always agreed!

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  2. Everyone is ecstatic that he has won it this time and that too for lyrics. truly blessed soul!

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  3. I know, it really was out of left field! But makes sense. It does. Just a surprise.

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    1. It was a surprise for me, and for a lot of people.

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  4. Anna North of the The New York Times writes that Bob Dylan does not deserve the Nobel Prize for Literature. I strongly disagree. Dylan is more than a distinctive voice. He's the quintessential poet and social commentator for multiple generations. He chronicles our feelings and foibles, our friends and our fears. Anna, he's more than just "an enormously influential figure in American culture."

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    1. The nice thing is, they awarded this Nobel Prize while Bob Dylan was still alive. Imagine all the musicians we have lost this year, and the tributes they couldn't experience. At least Bob Dylan knows now what so many of us think.

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  5. I haven't listened to Bob Dylan much. Say an occasional song or two. Now I feel I need to listen to them more.

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    1. I hope you can find a source where you can listen for free - I found a lot of covers on You Tube (trying to post examples on my blog) and many weren't done all that well.

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  6. I read in The Guardian online this morning that the Swedish Academy still has not been able to contact Bob to let him know he's won the prize! Hmmm, do you think he doesn't know yet?

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    1. I think he knows, and he's been ignoring the Swedish Academy on purpose. I truly don't think it means that much to him.

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  7. I love the poetry in Bob Dylan's lyrics. It is quite magical. I agree with you about the singing. His vocal production needed work and he had issues with pitch. But, of course, the Nobel Prize is about literature, not singing, so the prize was well-earned.

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  8. Songwriters are poets and poetry is literature and some do a much better job at touching on our social consciences. I'm happy that Dylan was awarded the prize. Kudos to his talent and ability.

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  9. I love Dylan! Always have!! It is wonderful that he is being recognized this way. Such a part of our culture our youth our hearts!

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  10. I did hear about this. Interesting.

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