Inspiration: Bob Dylan’s Impact on the Art of Songwriting
The highest purpose of art is to inspire. What else can you do? What else can you do for anyone but inspire them? -Bob Dylan
The Power of Songwriting:
Bob Dylan inspired millions of people through his art of songwriting and continues to do so today. The dictionary definition for songwriting is: the activity or process of writing songs or the music for them. This is not entirely true. Songwriting is not just an activity. Songwriting is an act of expression and showcase of the mind. Songwriting, an artform, is the creation of emotion and self-expression. Due to its omnipresence, music is a powerful mode of collecting emotions. The average American listens to music every single day. It is hard not to. Why? Because it’s everywhere: walk into any grocery store or coffee shop, turn on the TV, bump into anyone walking on the street whose ringtone is going off, go to the gym, etc., and you’ll probably encounter music. Despite its ubiquity in popular culture, music can serve different purposes than just background noise. Music, especially the kind that carries powerful emotions and relatable messages, can actually help people heal themselves.
It is breathtaking how the power of song can heal the minds of those with mental health disabilities. Music is one of the most powerful forms of emotional expression. When listening to the radio, a song comes on, and suddenly, you feel like the notes have completely grasped your worries and have altered your view on a situation. A little devil or a saving grace, music plays an important role in the life of the listener and of the creator.
Research Question:
Lyrics paint a picture in the mind of the listener. This image is never the same for any two people, and this is what makes music another-meaning-of-special. Imagine yourself in a small town on the outskirts of Illinois. You have a desire to be heard on the radio, and all you want to do is leave and follow your dreams. You hear the perfectly crafted lyrics of a Bob Dylan song painting a picture of a city filled with forever-changing hard times and blowin’ wind that lasts in your brain forever. You now know where to go -- New York.
After reading the nine blog-like entries that form the NonStop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas essay “Singing The City” (2016), I reflected on what songwriting means to me and how it can alter the paths we take. As I read the essay, the question occurred to me, “What are the emotional effects of Bob Dylan’s lyrics on members of The Songwriter’s Circle NYC?” As I tried to find an answer to this question, through personal interviews and academic research, I discovered that the healing powers of this deeply emotional and transformative artform, songwriting, can motivate people to pursue their dreams and express themselves artistically. This is why it’s important to know how musicians have been influenced by other musicians.
The Songwriting Circle NYC:
Bob Dylan’s songs deeply affected many members of the NYC Songwriter’s Circle. As a successful effort to provide a creative haven for songwriters (like that kid in Illinois), New York City club owner Ken Gorka, had the idea of starting the Songwriter’s Circle for up-and-coming (and later multi-Grammy winning) songwriters to express their raw ideas and voices. Later in 1991, Tina Shafer, a voice coach and singer-songwriter, put this idea into reality by hosting and booking the monthly showcase. Luckily, The Songwriter’s Circle, commonly nicknamed “The Circle,” has accomplished its mission. With regular artists including Gavin DeGraw, John Oates, and Norah Jones (just to name a few), “The Circle has been heralded as one of the best showcases in New York for discovering talent” (Michaels).
The New York Songwriter’s Circle is composed of some of the finest writers of the last three decades. “The philosophy of The Songwriters Circle is always to support great original songs in a live format” (Michaels). Original songs sound much different coming from the writer than from the radio. This is the beauty of songwriting. It showcases every emotion and channels it into a group of phrases crafted ever-so-perfectly to mean something different to everyone in the room. It is argued by many that Bob Dylan is the king of songwriting and that all ‘good’ modern writers have been taught to fit his standards.
“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”:
Bob Dylan is more than a musician -- he is a poet. He wrote such visual pieces of work that have influenced millions of people. Through “enigmatic songwriting,” Bob Dylan “redefined the bounds of literature” (Sisario).
1965: A goodbye song to his village-folk scene, “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” is a story of transition and following your calling.
Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
Strike another match, go start a new
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
Because of such relatable lyrics that took the listener on a journey, Dylan was a major influence on many people. Songwriters in particular were drawn to his music because he captured their journey. Rob Mathes shared with me in an email the influence Dylan has had on his life, and a particular phrase he wrote stood out, “I was given a new lease on life as a writer because of the sheer verbal acuity within Dylan’s work. His lyrics were always surprising and spoke of things in a way that was wise beyond his years. His use of metaphor and his word play was just extraordinary in every way.” I think these words, describing Dylan, jumped off the page because they capture what every writer wants the listener to feel while experiencing their story.
Rob Mathes is a well accomplished and educated Emmy-winning, Grammy, Tony and Drama Desk Award nominated arranger/composer, music producer/director and singer/songwriter (Mathes). Greatly influenced by Dylan, Mathes was aware of his calling to be a songwriter from the early age of seven. In his own words, “Bob Dylan is a huge influence on almost everyone of my generation. In my case, his work is even more crucial.” Mathes’s discovery of Bob Dylan Biography flipped his world upside-down overnight.
My Interpretation of the verse:
The verse above, from “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” carries a message of hope in letting go. It states, “Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you.”
I hear this as a direct awakening to accept the successes I have made and push away the worries I hold inside. It doesn’t necessarily matter HOW I got here; it matters that I am here. The end of the verse sings, “Strike another match, go start a new, and it’s all over now, Baby Blue.” This stanza is encouragement for the one who hasn’t quite made it yet, the one still playing in the little amphitheatre, the one living out of a guitar case. Dylan is making it okay to start over. He comforts the listener with, “It’s all over now,” the worries shall be lost. Let your mind and heart be found.
“Blowin’ In The Wind”:
“I was actually most afraid of death in those first years around New York, when I started writing all of those songs and everyone started calling me a genius,” Dylan told Robert Shelton. “I knew it was bull, because I hadn’t written what I had wanted to” (Sablich). Bob Dylan’s status of a “genius” was not one he had ever imagined. Dylan, like almost everybody else, went to New York to pursue his dreams. His dreams hit him upside the head faster than he had expected. He has a god-given-gift for songwriting. But even those of such excellence face challenges and question their actions.
1962: “Blowin’ in the Wind” is Dylan’s song of questions and doubts. It is an “answering prayer” not only to his own worries but also to those of his fans dying to hear him.
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
How many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
How many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Dylan’s lyrics in “Blowin’ in the Wind” resonate strongly with the life of songwriter Lisa Loeb, who is the only artist to have a #1 single while not signed. Nominated for many prestigious awards, “Lisa was the first artist to come out of the New York Songwriter’s Circle as a commercial success” (Michaels). Growing up in Dallas, Texas, music was always a part of Loeb’s life, and she had the desire to be a songwriter by the age of six, “making more of a concerted effort when [she] was fourteen and had a guitar” (Loeb). In an email interview with Loeb, she stated that her approach to the power of songwriting is, “I write music to express myself, to teach, because it feels good, because I love crafting lyrics and the puzzle of putting music and lyrics together. There’s something really satisfying about it. Also, growing up, I loved listening to music and especially connected to bands who wrote their own music with mysterious lyrics, like David Bowie.”
Though she didn’t listen to a lot of Bob Dylan growing up, unlike Rob Mathes, Loeb respects Dylan’s ability to tell a story in his lyrics and shares, “Dylan is one of the people who is a great role model for telling stories that others can understand without being too broad.” She has had trouble with writing lyrics that are not abstract, but Dylan has set a firm foundation for her to follow.
My Interpretation of the verse:
In “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Dylan builds the writing up by asking questions so large they are nearly impossible to answer. Throughout one’s life, she will run upon struggles and hurdles that she can’t jump over. Bob Dylan provides support to his listeners by opening up their eyes to the air beneath their noses and metaphorically states, “the answers are blowin’ in the wind.” Sometimes we overthink the simple things and end up stressing ourselves over the what-ifs. “Blowin’ in the Wind” is everybody's “answering prayer.”
“The Times They are A-Changin’”:
Bob Dylan uses his amazing talent of songwriting to address issues prominent in the world and affecting his life.
1963: A protest song about the harsh realities of change and “devils in success,” “The Times They are A-Changin’” is one of Bob Dylan’s masterpieces.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who that it's namin'
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
The generational “time’s are a-changin’.” Nick Deutsch was born too late to experience firsthand the cultural context from which Dylan’s lyrics emerged. Despite this, he still admires Dylan’s innate ability to tell an intricate story using metaphors and melodies. When asked to explain his thoughts on the songwriting process, Nick said, “I would argue that the folk/americana/country tradition carries the weight of good lyric writing, and that’s usually where I find myself listening to gather inspiration. I honestly believe Country music is king when it comes to narrative storytelling” (Deutsch). This exemplifies the power of a song being heard by the heart -- not just the ears -- and followed by the imagination. Lyrics of a song make listeners feel as if they are a part of a world bigger than themselves, something extraordinary and dream-like.
Deutsch, who is thirty years old, is a singer-songwriter living in NYC and has dreams of making it big. From 2011 to 2014, he was honored with multiple songwriting awards. With roots in the pop genre, Deutsch has a different view on the artform. He is greatly influenced by “life in the city” and has pointed out, “I am constantly surrounded by different people and musical influences. It’s also extremely difficult making any form of art in a city due to the expense of simply living in one. This is certainly nothing new for artists, but it becomes a defined narrative for a lot of artists living here” (Deutsch). Young musicians dreaming of making it big were “introduced to the city through song” (Solnit 16) during their quest to fulfill their dreams. Artists, workers, designers, and musicians all had the same desire to dream in the city that never sleeps and experience the effervescent energy of being surrounded by creativity.
My Interpretation of the verse:
In “The Times They are A-Changin’,” Dylan constantly returns to the simple, deep truth of change. Verses like the one above can provide all listeners, especially artists, with hope and faith. It’s like he’s telling fellow songwriters to not worry about critics, because “the loser now, will be later to win, for the times they are a-changin’.” Dylan even spends the whole last verse on this exact theme:
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’
From a songwriter’s point of view, Dylan’s lyrics inspire me to express myself during hard times, to not take negative criticism to heart, and to keep pursuing my dreams. By emphasizing that our lives aren’t set in stone, Dylan can inspire songwriters to keep moving forward, to simplify their worries, and make change happen.
Reflections:
Through the morals of moving on, searching for answers, and changing views of society, Bob Dylan affects members of New York City’s Songwriter’s Circle. However, the emotional effect his lyrics of these songs (“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and “The Times They are A-Changin’”) had on Rob Mathes, Lisa Loeb, and Nick Deutsch was not as prominent as the effect Dylan’s character and style had on their music. These songs brought life to the views that Mathes, Loeb, and Deutsch have on the power of songwriting. The songs bring out the color in between lines of their stories. But the lyrics of the songs do not reflect any “emotional effect” on the writers -- Dylan’s character did that; this proves it is not what you make that matters -- it is what you become, and what you inspire others to achieve. I can tell you, Dylan’s goal of being an inspiration through art has been met -- at least once.
Bob Dylan inspired millions of people through his art of songwriting and continues to do so today. The dictionary definition for songwriting is: the activity or process of writing songs or the music for them. This is not entirely true. Songwriting is not just an activity. Songwriting is an act of expression and showcase of the mind. Songwriting, an artform, is the creation of emotion and self-expression. Due to its omnipresence, music is a powerful mode of collecting emotions. The average American listens to music every single day. It is hard not to. Why? Because it’s everywhere: walk into any grocery store or coffee shop, turn on the TV, bump into anyone walking on the street whose ringtone is going off, go to the gym, etc., and you’ll probably encounter music. Despite its ubiquity in popular culture, music can serve different purposes than just background noise. Music, especially the kind that carries powerful emotions and relatable messages, can actually help people heal themselves.
It is breathtaking how the power of song can heal the minds of those with mental health disabilities. Music is one of the most powerful forms of emotional expression. When listening to the radio, a song comes on, and suddenly, you feel like the notes have completely grasped your worries and have altered your view on a situation. A little devil or a saving grace, music plays an important role in the life of the listener and of the creator.
Research Question:
Lyrics paint a picture in the mind of the listener. This image is never the same for any two people, and this is what makes music another-meaning-of-special. Imagine yourself in a small town on the outskirts of Illinois. You have a desire to be heard on the radio, and all you want to do is leave and follow your dreams. You hear the perfectly crafted lyrics of a Bob Dylan song painting a picture of a city filled with forever-changing hard times and blowin’ wind that lasts in your brain forever. You now know where to go -- New York.
After reading the nine blog-like entries that form the NonStop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas essay “Singing The City” (2016), I reflected on what songwriting means to me and how it can alter the paths we take. As I read the essay, the question occurred to me, “What are the emotional effects of Bob Dylan’s lyrics on members of The Songwriter’s Circle NYC?” As I tried to find an answer to this question, through personal interviews and academic research, I discovered that the healing powers of this deeply emotional and transformative artform, songwriting, can motivate people to pursue their dreams and express themselves artistically. This is why it’s important to know how musicians have been influenced by other musicians.
The Songwriting Circle NYC:
Bob Dylan’s songs deeply affected many members of the NYC Songwriter’s Circle. As a successful effort to provide a creative haven for songwriters (like that kid in Illinois), New York City club owner Ken Gorka, had the idea of starting the Songwriter’s Circle for up-and-coming (and later multi-Grammy winning) songwriters to express their raw ideas and voices. Later in 1991, Tina Shafer, a voice coach and singer-songwriter, put this idea into reality by hosting and booking the monthly showcase. Luckily, The Songwriter’s Circle, commonly nicknamed “The Circle,” has accomplished its mission. With regular artists including Gavin DeGraw, John Oates, and Norah Jones (just to name a few), “The Circle has been heralded as one of the best showcases in New York for discovering talent” (Michaels).
The New York Songwriter’s Circle is composed of some of the finest writers of the last three decades. “The philosophy of The Songwriters Circle is always to support great original songs in a live format” (Michaels). Original songs sound much different coming from the writer than from the radio. This is the beauty of songwriting. It showcases every emotion and channels it into a group of phrases crafted ever-so-perfectly to mean something different to everyone in the room. It is argued by many that Bob Dylan is the king of songwriting and that all ‘good’ modern writers have been taught to fit his standards.
“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”:
Bob Dylan is more than a musician -- he is a poet. He wrote such visual pieces of work that have influenced millions of people. Through “enigmatic songwriting,” Bob Dylan “redefined the bounds of literature” (Sisario).
1965: A goodbye song to his village-folk scene, “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” is a story of transition and following your calling.
Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
Strike another match, go start a new
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
Because of such relatable lyrics that took the listener on a journey, Dylan was a major influence on many people. Songwriters in particular were drawn to his music because he captured their journey. Rob Mathes shared with me in an email the influence Dylan has had on his life, and a particular phrase he wrote stood out, “I was given a new lease on life as a writer because of the sheer verbal acuity within Dylan’s work. His lyrics were always surprising and spoke of things in a way that was wise beyond his years. His use of metaphor and his word play was just extraordinary in every way.” I think these words, describing Dylan, jumped off the page because they capture what every writer wants the listener to feel while experiencing their story.
Rob Mathes is a well accomplished and educated Emmy-winning, Grammy, Tony and Drama Desk Award nominated arranger/composer, music producer/director and singer/songwriter (Mathes). Greatly influenced by Dylan, Mathes was aware of his calling to be a songwriter from the early age of seven. In his own words, “Bob Dylan is a huge influence on almost everyone of my generation. In my case, his work is even more crucial.” Mathes’s discovery of Bob Dylan Biography flipped his world upside-down overnight.
My Interpretation of the verse:
The verse above, from “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” carries a message of hope in letting go. It states, “Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you.”
I hear this as a direct awakening to accept the successes I have made and push away the worries I hold inside. It doesn’t necessarily matter HOW I got here; it matters that I am here. The end of the verse sings, “Strike another match, go start a new, and it’s all over now, Baby Blue.” This stanza is encouragement for the one who hasn’t quite made it yet, the one still playing in the little amphitheatre, the one living out of a guitar case. Dylan is making it okay to start over. He comforts the listener with, “It’s all over now,” the worries shall be lost. Let your mind and heart be found.
“Blowin’ In The Wind”:
“I was actually most afraid of death in those first years around New York, when I started writing all of those songs and everyone started calling me a genius,” Dylan told Robert Shelton. “I knew it was bull, because I hadn’t written what I had wanted to” (Sablich). Bob Dylan’s status of a “genius” was not one he had ever imagined. Dylan, like almost everybody else, went to New York to pursue his dreams. His dreams hit him upside the head faster than he had expected. He has a god-given-gift for songwriting. But even those of such excellence face challenges and question their actions.
1962: “Blowin’ in the Wind” is Dylan’s song of questions and doubts. It is an “answering prayer” not only to his own worries but also to those of his fans dying to hear him.
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
How many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
How many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Dylan’s lyrics in “Blowin’ in the Wind” resonate strongly with the life of songwriter Lisa Loeb, who is the only artist to have a #1 single while not signed. Nominated for many prestigious awards, “Lisa was the first artist to come out of the New York Songwriter’s Circle as a commercial success” (Michaels). Growing up in Dallas, Texas, music was always a part of Loeb’s life, and she had the desire to be a songwriter by the age of six, “making more of a concerted effort when [she] was fourteen and had a guitar” (Loeb). In an email interview with Loeb, she stated that her approach to the power of songwriting is, “I write music to express myself, to teach, because it feels good, because I love crafting lyrics and the puzzle of putting music and lyrics together. There’s something really satisfying about it. Also, growing up, I loved listening to music and especially connected to bands who wrote their own music with mysterious lyrics, like David Bowie.”
Though she didn’t listen to a lot of Bob Dylan growing up, unlike Rob Mathes, Loeb respects Dylan’s ability to tell a story in his lyrics and shares, “Dylan is one of the people who is a great role model for telling stories that others can understand without being too broad.” She has had trouble with writing lyrics that are not abstract, but Dylan has set a firm foundation for her to follow.
My Interpretation of the verse:
In “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Dylan builds the writing up by asking questions so large they are nearly impossible to answer. Throughout one’s life, she will run upon struggles and hurdles that she can’t jump over. Bob Dylan provides support to his listeners by opening up their eyes to the air beneath their noses and metaphorically states, “the answers are blowin’ in the wind.” Sometimes we overthink the simple things and end up stressing ourselves over the what-ifs. “Blowin’ in the Wind” is everybody's “answering prayer.”
“The Times They are A-Changin’”:
Bob Dylan uses his amazing talent of songwriting to address issues prominent in the world and affecting his life.
1963: A protest song about the harsh realities of change and “devils in success,” “The Times They are A-Changin’” is one of Bob Dylan’s masterpieces.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who that it's namin'
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
The generational “time’s are a-changin’.” Nick Deutsch was born too late to experience firsthand the cultural context from which Dylan’s lyrics emerged. Despite this, he still admires Dylan’s innate ability to tell an intricate story using metaphors and melodies. When asked to explain his thoughts on the songwriting process, Nick said, “I would argue that the folk/americana/country tradition carries the weight of good lyric writing, and that’s usually where I find myself listening to gather inspiration. I honestly believe Country music is king when it comes to narrative storytelling” (Deutsch). This exemplifies the power of a song being heard by the heart -- not just the ears -- and followed by the imagination. Lyrics of a song make listeners feel as if they are a part of a world bigger than themselves, something extraordinary and dream-like.
Deutsch, who is thirty years old, is a singer-songwriter living in NYC and has dreams of making it big. From 2011 to 2014, he was honored with multiple songwriting awards. With roots in the pop genre, Deutsch has a different view on the artform. He is greatly influenced by “life in the city” and has pointed out, “I am constantly surrounded by different people and musical influences. It’s also extremely difficult making any form of art in a city due to the expense of simply living in one. This is certainly nothing new for artists, but it becomes a defined narrative for a lot of artists living here” (Deutsch). Young musicians dreaming of making it big were “introduced to the city through song” (Solnit 16) during their quest to fulfill their dreams. Artists, workers, designers, and musicians all had the same desire to dream in the city that never sleeps and experience the effervescent energy of being surrounded by creativity.
My Interpretation of the verse:
In “The Times They are A-Changin’,” Dylan constantly returns to the simple, deep truth of change. Verses like the one above can provide all listeners, especially artists, with hope and faith. It’s like he’s telling fellow songwriters to not worry about critics, because “the loser now, will be later to win, for the times they are a-changin’.” Dylan even spends the whole last verse on this exact theme:
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’
From a songwriter’s point of view, Dylan’s lyrics inspire me to express myself during hard times, to not take negative criticism to heart, and to keep pursuing my dreams. By emphasizing that our lives aren’t set in stone, Dylan can inspire songwriters to keep moving forward, to simplify their worries, and make change happen.
Reflections:
Through the morals of moving on, searching for answers, and changing views of society, Bob Dylan affects members of New York City’s Songwriter’s Circle. However, the emotional effect his lyrics of these songs (“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and “The Times They are A-Changin’”) had on Rob Mathes, Lisa Loeb, and Nick Deutsch was not as prominent as the effect Dylan’s character and style had on their music. These songs brought life to the views that Mathes, Loeb, and Deutsch have on the power of songwriting. The songs bring out the color in between lines of their stories. But the lyrics of the songs do not reflect any “emotional effect” on the writers -- Dylan’s character did that; this proves it is not what you make that matters -- it is what you become, and what you inspire others to achieve. I can tell you, Dylan’s goal of being an inspiration through art has been met -- at least once.