# How do you rate Bob Dylan's songwriting? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 30, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030 "2013-09-30T20:02:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/41 "2013-10-01T11:18:51Z")
Great. He’s a poet using his poetry as lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/42 "2013-10-01T11:36:50Z")
Hugely overrated. He would have produced no more than 20, maybe 21, albums worth owning and only 4 of those were recorded this century. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/43 "2013-10-01T11:42:32Z")
One of the greatest. He’s been writing great songs for over 50 years - some of his best work is from the last few years. Check Out Modern Times or Tempest, or some of the rarities on Tell Tale Signs - Red River Shore and 'Cross The Green Mountain are two of the best songs he, or anyone else, has ever written. There are plenty of other great songwriters out there, but finding one with the same quality, quantity, variety and longevity would be difficult or impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/44 "2013-10-01T14:39:22Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > \*\*\*Desire \*\*\*was the first Dylan album I ever really got into, and it’s still my favorite (the long and wrong-headed “Hurricane” notwithstanding). Wait, why wrong-headed? There was some poetic license taken in a few lines. (The length of it is all to the good.) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/45 "2013-10-01T15:12:49Z")
He was a great writer and not a great singer. His songs as done by others are often far greater than his own efforts. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/46 "2013-10-01T15:30:41Z")
I believe that Dylan will be studied a hundred years from now and regarded as the seminal poet of the twentieth century. Someone upthread cited lyrics from “It’s All Right, Ma, I’m only bleeding”. Is it fair to say that Dylan invented Rap? ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/47 "2013-10-01T16:21:28Z")
The opening of Dylan’s biography at [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com) sums it up beautifully: > [@](#): > > Bob Dylan’s influence on popular music is incalculable. As a songwriter, he pioneered several different schools of pop songwriting, from confessional singer/songwriter to winding, hallucinatory, stream-of-consciousness narratives. As a vocalist, he broke down the notion that a singer must have a conventionally good voice in order to perform, thereby redefining the vocalist’s role in popular music. As a musician, he sparked several genres of pop music, including electrified folk-rock and country-rock. And that just touches on the tip of his achievements. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/48 "2013-10-01T16:40:21Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > I believe that Dylan will be studied a hundred years from now and regarded as the seminal poet of the twentieth century. > > Someone upthread cited lyrics from “It’s All Right, Ma, I’m only bleeding”. Is it fair to say that Dylan invented Rap? I would say “Subterranean Homesick Blues” is a better example of a rap tune than “It’s Alright…”. As a young teen, I had come across a book of Dylan’s lyrics left in our house by my uncle…I remember reading them to a friend over the phone, and us having a good laugh at their absurdity. It wasn’t until I was considerably older that I could appreciate the artistry, and Bob’s ability to evoke a mood with his stream-of-consciousness writing: _Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood With his memories in a trunk Passed this way an hour ago With his friend, a jealous monk He looked so immaculately frightful As he bummed a cigarette Then he went off sniffing drainpipes And reciting the alphabet You would not think to look at him But he was famous long ago For playing the electric violin On Desolation Row._ Or, if he wanted, churn out love songs that reads like poetry: _If dogs run free, why not me Across the swamp of time ? My mind weaves a symphony And tapestry of rhyme Oh, winds which rush my tale to thee So it may flow and be To each his own, it’s all unknown If dogs run free._ I had to throw out my preconceptions of quality to really appreciate him. As he wrote: \*Good and bad, I define these terms Quite clear, no doubt, somehow But I was so much older then I’m younger than that now \* ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/49 "2013-10-01T17:41:00Z")
At least Dylan understood irony. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/50 "2013-10-01T18:34:24Z")
A lot of us thought John Prine was going to out-Dylan Dylan, but alas, his first album was pretty much all there was. Damn, what a great album that was, though!! ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/51 "2013-10-02T01:40:57Z")
Prine is what Dylan might have been if he’d gone to Nashville in the first place instead of detouring through New York:) And while I’m a Prine fan from 'way back, I think Dylan’s music, in general, has a lot more depth to it. John Prine is, in his way, kind of a primitive artist…and I mean that in the best sense of the term. Except for the gravelly voice and laid-back delivery their music isn’t really as similar as they might seem at first glimpse. I don’t think it’s entirely fair to characterize Prine as a one-hit (or one-album) wonder. _The Missing Years_ and _Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings_, are at least as good as _John Prine_. Saw Prine live on his “Lost Dogs” tour, just before he was diagnosed with cancer, on a night when the whole band was “on” and think it was the most dynamic concert I’ve ever attended. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/52 "2013-10-02T01:43:06Z")
There are many great songwriters out there but really it boils down to Brian Wilson, McCartney-Lennon and Dylan. And of those Dylan wins out due to sheer quantity. When was the last truly great McCartney song? What about Wilson? Dylan is has still shown greatness in the last 5-10 years. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/53 "2013-10-02T03:27:41Z")
I know precious little Dylan but what I do know is phenomenal. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/54 "2013-10-02T11:31:08Z")
I voted “great.” I don’t think that every lyric he wrote had deep meaning, nor did they need to in order to be great songs. Sometimes a cool rhyme that fits the music is enough. On the other hand, a great deal of his work is phenomenal. _Blood on the Tracks_ is my favorite Dylan album. It’s chock full of great lyrics. “She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe “I thought you’d never say hello” she said “You look like the silent type” Then she opened up a book of poems And handed it to me Written by an Italian poet From the fifteenth century And every one of them words rang true And glowed like burning coal Pouring off of every page Like it was written in my soul from me to you Tangled up in blue” ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/55 "2013-10-02T14:19:23Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > There are many great songwriters out there but really it boils down to Brian Wilson, McCartney-Lennon and Dylan. I think I agree with this sentiment, though there may be one or two names to add. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/56 "2013-10-02T14:31:06Z")
[Here’s a nice bit about the crossing inspirations among the three acts.](http://ontapblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/the-triad-how-bob-dylan-the-beach-boys-and-the-beatles-changed-popular-music/) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/57 "2013-10-02T15:00:14Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Writing ten, singing…um… Six, maybe five. > > I adore the parody by Neill Innes and Eric Idle on “Rutland Weekend Television.” [Here’s a link to the lyrics.](http://www.montypython.net/scripts/protestsong.php) “I’ve suffered for my music, now it’s your turn.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/58 "2013-10-02T15:02:53Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > There are many great songwriters out there but really it boils down to Brian Wilson, McCartney-Lennon and Dylan. Brian Wilson was a great songwriter but not a great lyricist. He didn’t even write the lyrics to many of his melodies. For the purposes of this thread, which is about great lyrics, he’s not even in contention. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/59 "2013-10-02T16:53:30Z")
Funnily enough, I even tend to like Dylan’s version of most of his songs better than any covers. Everyone goes on about how Hendrix’s All along the watchtower is definitive(appparently, even Dylan says it). Well, I like Dylan’s version better. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030/60 "2013-10-02T17:20:43Z")
> [@Mixolydian](#): > > I would say “Subterranean Homesick Blues” is a better example of a rap tune than “It’s Alright…”. \* “Twenty years of schoolin’ and they put you on the day shift.” Still cracks me up every time. A description of what you get for your college time and money has never been put so succinctly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-bob-dylans-songwriting/670030.md?page=4)