After the release of the new biopic A Complete Unknown, the popularity of Bob Dylan has soared across the country. With Timothee Chalamet starring as Dylan, the movie follows the renowned singer-songwriter’s rise to fame in the early ’60s and how he changed the course of American music.
During the rock ‘n’ roll era, Dylan helped to shape the sound of popular music at this time. He blossomed as a musician during the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 60’s. He dropped out of university and moved to New York, in which he earned a reputation as an amazing songwriter whether it was through a protest anthem or a romantic love song. His unique lyrics and melodies marked a shift within folk music as Dylan also began to introduce elements of rock ‘n’ roll to his sound.
Dylan eventually signed with Columbia Records in 1962 and released his debut album Bob Dylan. He also became immersed in political culture during this time, which influenced many of his songs for his second album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. This album included one of his most popular songs today, “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
By the time “The Times They Are A-Changin” was released in 1964, Dylan’s songwriting began to take a more literate quality as he was heavily influenced by poets like Arthur Rimbaud and John Keats. It was also during this time that he also started experimenting with different types of music styles by adding more blues and R&B influences to his songs. These changes are evident in his album, Another Side of Bob Dylan. He eventually made his breakthrough to the pop scene in the summer of 1965 when “Like a Rolling Stone” became a national hit, according to Kloosterman.be.
On July 29, 1966, Dylan was injured in a motorcycle accident, suffering injuries to his neck and vertebrae. Due to this, he was put in critical condition and suffered from amnesia. However, this event was also an important turning point in his career. After the accident, he stopped touring for seven years. During this time, he recorded multiple songs with members of The Band, and which were included in their 1975 album, The Basement Tapes.
Dylan has written more than 600 songs and 60 albums. As stated by the Bob Dylan Center, his songs have also been covered more than 6,000 times by artists such as Duke Ellington, Jimi Hendrix, Guns N’ Roses, Stevie Wonder, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rod Stewart, the Staple Singers, Bob Marley, Neil Young, Adele, and U2.
Dylan will forever be remembered as one of the biggest contributors to worldwide music. In October 2016, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature from the Swedish Academy “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,” as reported on NPR. He was also awarded America’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by Barack Obama in 2012, according to the Bob Dylan Center.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with his music and want to endorse yourself into the world of Dylan, here are 5 great songs to check out before watching the new movie.
1- “Like a Rolling Stone”
2- “Lay Lady Lay”
3- “Positively 4th Street”
3- “Blowin’ in the Wind”
4- “The Times They Are A-Changin’”
5 – “Simple Twist of Fate”
