My Site

[on songwriting] The song was there before me, before I came along. I just sorta came down and I sorta took it down with a pencil that it was all there before I came around. That’s how I feel about it.
~to Pete Seeger, Broadside Show, WBAI-FM Radio, May 1962

Anything I can sing, I call a song. Anything I can’t sing, I call a poem. Anything I can’t sing or anything that’s too long to be a poem, I call a novel.
~Nat Hentoff quoting Dylan, jacket notes Freewheeling Dylan

“It’s hard being free in a song – getting it all in. Songs are so confining. Woody Guthrie told me once that songs don’t have to do anything like that. But it’s not true. A song has to have some kind of form to fit into the music. You can bend the words and the meter, but it still has to fit somehow. I’ve been getting freer in the songs I write, but I still feel confined. That’s why I write a lot of poetry – if that’s the word. Poetry can make it’s own form.”
~Nat Hentoff Interview, June 1964

“A song is anything that can walk by itself, I am called a songwriter. A poem is a naked person, some people say that I am a poet”.
~Jacket notes Subterranean Homesick Blues

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Saturday (April 12 – 2014) I asked the question – What’s your top 5 Bob Dylan songs recorded in the 60’s ? – over at our Facebook page. As of writing 72 people (all Bob Dylan experts)  have uttered their opinions.

If you’re not on Facebook, or do not “like” our page.. you can use the comment section to post your 5 favorites.

Some numbers:

• 335 votes
  Not everyone came up with 5. Some even tried more than 5 (I only counted max 5 from each person)
• 64 songs received votes
• Albums with most votes:
  – Highway 61 Revisited: 64 votes
  – Blonde On Blonde: 59 votes
  – Bringing It All Back Home: 36 37 votes
  – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan: 35 votes
  – John Wesley Harding: 13 votes

Here are the results of the alldylan community jury:

1. Like A Rolling Stone (H61R)	36 votes
2. Visions Of Johanna (BoB)	34 votes
3. Desolation Row (H61R)	19 votes
4. Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands (BoB)	18 votes
5. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (TFBD)	17 votes
6. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) (BiABH)	16 votes
6. Mr. Tambourine Man (BiABH)	16 votes
7. All Along The Watchtower (JWH)	11 votes
7. Ballad Of A Thin Man (H61R)	11 votes
9. Just Like Tom Thumb’s blues (H61R)	9 votes
9. Positively 4th Street (Single)	9 votes
9. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (TFBD)	9 votes
12. Blowin’ In the Wind (TFBD)	7 votes
13. I Want You (BoB)	6 votes
13. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (BiABH)	6 votes
13. Just Like A Woman (BoB)	6 votes
13. Boots Of Spanish Leather (TTTAAC)	6 votes
13. Love Minus Zero/No Limit (BiABH)	6 votes
18. Masters of War (TFBD)	5 votes
18. Chimes Of Freedom (ASOBD)	5 votes
18. To Ramona (ASOBD)	5 votes
21. My Back Pages (ASOBD)	4 votes
21. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (H61R)	4 votes
21. Gates Of Eden (BiABH)	4 votes
21. One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later) (Bob)	4 votes
21. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (TTTAAC)	4 votes

Songs with 3 votes: Girl From The North Country, Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I Go Mine), She’s Your Lover Now, The Times They Are a-Changin’, As I Went Out One Morning & Song To Woody

8 songs got 2 votes & 24 songs did get 1 vote.

Spotify playlist:

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My top 5:

1. Visions of Johanna
2. Like A Rolling Stone
3. Ballad Of A Thin Man
4. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
5. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)

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Hallgeir’s top 5:

1. Like a Rolling Stone
2. Ballad of a thin man
3. Just like Tom Thumb’s blues
4. It’s alright ma (I’m only bleeding)
5. Visions of Johanna

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Check out:

• Bob Dylan’s best albums (alldylan Poll)
• –
• Bob Dylan @ alldylan.com
• alldylan @ Facebook

-Egil