Bob Dylan and "Bringing It All Back Home"

To be blunt, Bob Dylan’s voice is utterly revolting. He croons about and doesn’t really hit any real harmonies. At some points throughout his album I feel that a sick little kid screeching would sound better. Whenever he tries to actually attain range, it doesn’t turn out well. It really pains me to listen to his album. I know that there are many Bob Dylan fans out there (I have no idea why but there is) but for some reason his vocals do not resonate with me (no pun intended). I don’t even want to play back any of his songs in order to analyze them further because I’m afraid my ears will bleed. Maybe I am missing a cultural aspect of the time that really changed listening desires. I know that when many adults listen to current pop music, they can’t stand it. Some turn off a song before I can even hear the first lyric. So, despite my personal biases, I can see how different people and different generations are able to perceive music differently. His music was probably just unique enough to satisfy the need for change in that society.

 

Additionally, in the sixties, this music was main stream. It was economically and artistically viable. In comparison, if this was released now, nobody would care. But during his time, Dylan was a revolutionary in the lyrical world and hip hop roots where he tried attacking hard subjects such as society and religion. No other artists at this time were even coming close to what Dylan was doing. The Beatles merely sung about girls and pointless subjects until they were influenced by Dylan. Another reason why Dylan completely altered the music industry was that he was the first massively successfully artist that really couldn’t sing. This obviously impacted music because, as of current day, vocal ability is not really highly valued (cough, Nicki Minaj, cough, Carly Rae Jepsen, cough, Rebecca Black)

I also find it interesting how artists in this time period, particularly Bob Dylan, are able to so easily switch back and forth their genre and styles. Nowadays, nobody is able to implement this well. Many artists find their stride and don’t take any risks to try and widen their horizons. I have mixed feelings about this, because this enables artists to discover other genres and please the audience in other ways. I think it would be interesting if successful bands such as Coldplay or Maroon Five attempted another genre. On the other hand, it might feel out of place or strange because they are not able to adapt to changing styles of music. This is where artists of early rock and roll succeed in their adaptability, which is lost today. While some current artists have tried this, like Snoop Dogg switching between rap, country and reggae, it never actually works. Bob Dylan, while I HIGHLY dislike his voice and music, is definitely versatile and creative. His versatility shows through with his ability to pull off a successful album like Bringing It All Back Home where he implements folk music in a country-rock style. His creativity shows through his unique and in-depth lyrical poem that he creates. He is able to impact society through his songs by pushing his opinions. While I believe most art is the result of cultural changes of the time, Bob Dylan’s music is the one of a few exceptions. Bob Dylan created music that pushed on issues about society, religion, and more!

The reason why he is so impactful was because of his obtuse lyrics that were so starkly different than the Stone or the Beatles. They make me think about issues that other bands could never do. Sometimes an artist will be able to compose one song that really blows my mind with the pure lyrics. Even when this does happen, though, it is a blue moon; rarely repeated by the same artist/band. Even in the “golden age” of rock with the Beatles, the Stones, and the Who; I feel that songs are more directed towards straight rebellion or bubbly topics. In sharp contrast to this, Bob Dylan consistently throughout this album, and others, challenges the listener to take on a new outlook. While not all of his lyrics make sense to me, they definitely have a deeper meaning. Looking at the lyrics of the album all on a single webpage to cite an example supporting this point is too easy. I could literally close my eyes and point at a random part of a song and it would be chock full of meaning. Here I’ll try it: “The lamppost stands with folded arms. Its iron claws attached.” I don’t even know what this means but my mind is blown. I am shocked by his pure ability to conjure a message.

That’s really the reason why I’m even giving Bob Dylan the time of day on my blog. As a vocalist he is far under mediocre. His melodies are alright, his style is not completely satisfactory, and his voice is horrible. But when it comes to being a musician and song-writer, and the lyrical poem he creates through his songs: I would rival any one of his creations against even the deepest of poems. While I don’t necessarily like his singing and music, I still possess a lot of respect for Bob Dylan in the fact that he was a revolutionary in the art of song-writing.