Greatest Dylan Songs and the Greats Who Have Covered Them
Greatest Dylan Songs and the Greats Who Have Covered Them by Roxanne McDonald
 |
How many roads must a man walk down Before you call him a man? Yes, ‘n’ how many seas must a white dove sail Before she sleeps in the sand? Yes, ‘n’ how many times must the cannon balls fly Before they’re forever banned? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, The answer is blowin’ in the wind.How many times must a man look up Before he can see the sky? Yes, ‘n’ how many ears must one man have Before he can hear people cry? Yes, ‘n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, The answer is blowin’ in the wind.How many years can a mountain exist Before it’s washed to the sea? Yes, ‘n’ how many years can some people exist Before they’re allowed to be free? Yes, ‘n’ how many times can a man turn his head, Pretending he just doesn’t see? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind, The answer is blowin’ in the wind. ~”Blowin’ in the Wind”; Bob Dylan; Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan |
“Like a Rolling Stone”; Highway 61 Revisited – named #1 Greatest Song of All Time by Rolling Stone; named #3 of 100 Greatest Rock Songs by Digital Dream Door
Anberlin
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Michael Bolton
Judy Collins
Cher
The Creation
Drive-By Truckers
Eiffel 65
The Four Seasons
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
John Cougar Mellancamp
Johnny Thunders
The Rolling Stones
Mick Ronson
Phil Lesh and Friends
Rotary Connection
Spirit
Neil Young
The Young Rascals
“Blowin’ in the Wind”; Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan – named #14 of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone; included in “NPR 100” as one of the 100 most important American musical works of the twentieth century
Alanis Morissette
Bender [“Futurama”]
Chet Atkins
Sam Cook
John Fogerty
Etta James
The guinea pig in Dr. Doolittle
Joan Baez for Jenny, a.k.a. Bobbie Dylan [played by ] in Forrest Gump
Lemar
Marge Simpson
Marlene Dietrich
Elvis
Peter, Paul, & Mary
Dolly Parton
Stevie Wonder
Neil Young (read more…)
Best Bob Dylan Songs
Best Bob Dylan Songs by Roxanne McDonald
 |
It ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe That light I never knowed An’ it ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe I’m on the dark side of the road Still I wish there was somethin’ you would do or say To try and make me change my mind and stay We never did too much talkin’ anyway So don’t think twice, it’s all right~”Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right;” Bob Dylan; The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan |
Well-respected musicologist Paul Friedlander, in his explication of music analysis, “The Rock Window: A Systematic Approach to an Understanding of Rock Music,”
defines what goes into and what can come of, by way of good critical review, the quintessential rock song. He names the components and subcomponents to consider as, for instance, the music (the ensemble, the rhythmic emphasis, the instrumental style, and the vocal solo); the lyrics (the meaning and the message); the artist’s/artists’ history; and the societal context/impact.
Some consider these as they name their favorite Dylan songs…, some just unconsciously know and name what they like.
UberDylan
UberDylan: Greatest Song of all Time, Greatest Rock Artist of All Time by Roxanne McDonald
 |
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? ~“Like a Rolling Stone;” Bob Dylan; Highway 61 Revisited |
It has been said and agreed upon that all art is a response to something. At the same time, the best of our musical artists are considered for the significant cultural impact they have made and continue to make [that they are the something to which others respond). Come up with a list of just such genii, be they intentional protesters of the period or inadvertent arbiters for an era, whether they are more passive social commentators or more active servants for the cause–and one name will surely be at the top: Bob Dylan.
So it seems reductive to toss out some trivia when the man so many of us would take a bullet for has contributed so much. Let the following, then, serve as the smallest of tributes to the greatest, the absolute best of the best of expressionist and influential artists extraordinaire.