Bob Dylan - 80 Years On ©

In celebration of Bob Dylan’s 80th birthday on the 24th May, I reflect briefly on his extraordinary influence.

In a straightforward way, the millions celebrating this landmark in Bob Dylan’s life are celebrating the immensity of his 60 year long artistic contribution to human society. He has written over 500 eternal songs and 39 studio albums. But we are also celebrating the way he continues to make his music so expressive, his undying and inspiring commitment to his audience and his values, and his expert re-imagining of every song to acquire new resonance - something slightly different every performance.

Bob Dylan played an average of 100 shows a year from 1990-2019, all around the planet - an utterly astounding figure; imagine captivating an audience for two hours with nothing but your presence, your voice, your music. Over the years Dylan has created his own trajectory, not fazed or coerced by the critics of the music industry - he follows his personal afflatus.

In his Nobel address, Dylan said: “The words in Shakespeare’s plays were meant to be acted on the stage. Just as lyrics in songs are meant to be sung, not read on a page. And I hope some of you get the chance to listen to these lyrics the way they were intended to be heard: in concert, or on record, or however people are listening to songs these days. I return once again to Homer, who says ‘Sing in me, oh Muse, and through me tell the story’.”

What are we hearing when we listen to Bob Dylan’s music? We are listening to an intelligent, sensitive and thoughtful artist, who has drawn on literature throughout his musical existence, to give his songs depth and references - we may not be aware of them all, but it creates a transcendence to his music - we can never exhaust it, as it will always have more left to say. We are listening to a man who has a complex relationship with religion; a man who’s love songs can be germane to any point on the curve of romance - from the first glance to the graveyard. We are listening to a political musician; we are listening to an artist who can mythologise his experiences and turn them into a message which is personally significant for his listener. At the core, we are listening to a musician who uses words which can simultaneously last decades, and apply to every person on the earth, yet still tell us something discerning about how you feel today. He roots out words from the undergrowth of literature in a voice that partially pleas, sighs, cheers, laments, commands, prays.

It is ultimately Bob Dylan’s generosity that makes him so remarkable a musician. Because he isn’t writing this music for himself - it is for us, for past and for future generations. He has dedicated his life to creating music for others, and his imaginings will be there for us - yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Here are ten of Bob Dylan’s best for anyone curious to explore his work. They barely scrape the surface:

1. Every Grain of Sand

2. Shelter From the Storm

3. The Times They Are A-Changing

4. Forever Young - Demo Version

5. Like a Rolling Stone

6. You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go

7. Shooting Star

8. I And I

9. To Make You Feel My Love

10. Blowin’ In The Wind

© - Bea Wood