To have lived and breathed that era (I am a young 75 now) words can't express how "Like a Rolling Stone" still triggers emotional feelings of that whole decade. I'm born and raised in (old) San Francisco which was the epicenter of so much during that time. Reflecting on the intricacies of the song, now, again at this stage, it feels even more priceless. Thank you Bob for being you.
I love how everywhere I go for the past 10 years, these classics from the 60s and 70 are heard in any place music is being played because it’s still better than anything ever recorded in any era. My late best friend and I always agreed that our generation had the best music and I still believe it.
@@mikehenson819 In 2016 my son took me on an 8 day trip to Scotland and to my surprise this is what their radio stations play. My son said mom you even have your music. It was great. Always smiling 😊
I can go months without listening to Dylan, but each time I find my way back, it hits me hard. It’s not just the lyrics. It’s the phrasing, and the music is so diverse. No words
@@timmoore8773 Maybe you can go forever without listening to Dylan himself, but there is no way you don't listen to his songs. I cannot think of any songwriter whose songs have been covered by more artists and bands than Bob Dylan. According to Alexa, 2,000 artists have covered his songs. Wikipedia says 1500. Whichever, it's still a lot!
To me the sixties were a time of great surprises in music. I'm 75 so I was the perfect age to be surprised and inspired by pop music. However in the last few years pop music is not very surprising at all. That's what the sixties was so good to me.
You nailed it. His voice is ABSOLUTELY perfect for what he sings, and I love your uncontained frustration with all those critics picking such petty nits!! LONG LIVE LYRICS 👊🏼
Tears well every time I hear & sing this song. Memories of where and what was going down when it was first released fill my soul. Like a Rolling Stone not only hits the gut but swats your heart.
I still remember where I was the first time this came on the radio. I was driving in my mom's '61 Bel-Air and almost ran off the road. I knew all of his prior work, especially Times They Are a Changing, but Bob Dylan singing rock and roll was like a paradigm shift. Hearing him blowing that harmonica to a rock beat instead of a strumming acoustic guitar blew the lid off my brain. There was nothing like the 60's. Thanks for the great tribute to this groundbreaking song!
In the summer of 1966 I bought Highway Sixty-One Revisited without even knowing much about Dylan's move over to electric. I was a 22 year old architecture student and the rock scene was very peripheral to my world. I was living in an old house apartment in Terre Haute. Thewell ito evening temperatures were in the 90s for weeks. The humidity hung at near 99 % the whole time. And I'd gone to Kmat to buy a fan. But I just got the record.. I lay in that bed and started up the record on my tiny battery driven Singer portable. My record collection was mostly Bach, Beethoven and other classics, But the cover made me buy it. Now hearing these sounds something sounded like I was listening to music for the first time. Then it happened. Lying there in a hot pool of my own sweat more less miserable. But something thrilling was going on. I sensed a change in the air. For me anyway.. He began You Know There's Something Happening. And then he got to "Do you Mr. Jones.". And it was other worldly. This guy is speaking to me.?! That's my name. Ken Jones. Bob Dylan hooked me in that moment. He sure as hell got my attention anyway. And he's had it more than anybody else ever since. Thanks for your show. tatkhj
I’m a huge Dylan fan. Since I was 10. I preferred him over the Beatles. I’m 70 now. Saw him 3 times. He’s an awesome artist! ❤ Thank you. I got ridiculed for my preference over the Beatles but as a kid I just knew there was more substance in Dylan songs. Yes the feeling is genuine in his voice and so honest.
You're not alone. The first time I heard his voice I said, this guy's the real deal. This is music, not just light entertainment. This is "casting pearls," and we have to decide if we're swine or not. It's take no prisoners music.
I've never bought any of his works. I don't have one record, tape or DC he's done. I have to say, though, having had some great FM radio stations I could listen to, from 1968 through to the early 70s, in the San Francisco Bay Area, the DJs would sometimes play what was then already "old" Dylan songs from the early 60s folk era; so, I learned of him even more so than when he had commercial folk/rock hits from several years later, when I first heard of him.
I’m 60. Dylan was a huge part of my youth, and helped me get through a lot of painful things in my early years. He is a master of poetry and interpretation.
yeh same pretty much the same age dylan records we pretty much grew up with love em or hate em kinda like the smiths 80s was driving what difference does it make came on local radio i watched some of the american series doc. a few months ago was pretty good overall
I'm 60 as well as you, and I've always appreciated Bob Dylan's work. I listened to his music for countless hours on end. I still do. His lyrics are as a voice, which talk to you. The tunes that sticks out most to me are: "Positively 4th Street", "Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again", Sad Eyed Lady of The Lowlands", "Lay, Lady Lay", "Knocking On Heavens Door", "Love Minus Zero, No Limit". However, I do love other songs of his, but those still resonate with me....
I have to add this thought, considering that back in the day, yes most songs were 2 or 3 minutes long on radio. But, all of you know that when you hear a great song: you just want it to go on forever! That's why we hit replay! We just want it to go on and on and never stop! This is one of those songs! Thank you, Bob for being that 'lightning rod' that captures the human soul.
I bought this as a 45 single with all the money I had at the age of 13, I was so blown away. The music, yes, but the lyrics and the voice caught my early teenage angst and screamed. I am 71 now, and by the way, a university teacher and a multi-published poet. At 13, I knew perfection of emotion when I experienced it.
You're 75? LOL...NO! I'M 75!!! (b. 07-04-'49) ;-) ...And I've been a musician/singer since before I was tall enuff to reach the "On" knob on my Mother's Sylvania 4 speed mono phonograph. (now THAT was a sentence!).... g.l. Peace. ☮
@@stormymunday9836 Did you check out the live 75 "bootleg" record. They have the entire thing on UA-cam. A rock version of "Hard Rain", (also on a different video on UA-cam) that will knock your socks off and the best version of Tambourine Man I have ever heard.
When I was 19, I was living in a run down, dirty apartment with no heat in the winter, and a roommate who I was assigned to work with who was a super-sized jerk. Every day was an exercise in misery. I was on my own, with no way home, a complete unknown, like a rolling stone. This song captures the lowest point in my life perfectly.
@@peterermish3017 I got really determined not to fail. I went to school and graduated in accounting and worked really hard as a CPA and later corporate controller. I live in a nice house next to a golf course and my wife spends all of my money. I’m still just as broke, but have heat in the winter and my wife lives in luxury!
Just a crazy thought…if I crash and lose it all, the song will be about my wife!! To be fair, she is a great mom, keeps the house clean and orderly, cooks top notch food, and is in A+ shape. She will land on her feet.
@@Waterfalls2016 "Bob Dylan did attend the Nobel Prize ceremony to receive his award. Initially, he was not sure if he would attend the event, but in the end, he did travel to Stockholm to accept the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016."
@@KentonJoseph Well darn I followed the story for awhile. They were having a hard time getting Dylan to accept. After the award ceremony I saw 3-4 articles talking about him not going. I was really bummed also. I knew Dylan before The Beatles I think. Hey, thanks for letting me know.
So many words to remember in most Dylan songs but "when you ain't got nothin' you got nothin' to lose" is so powerful. My love and respect for Bob Dylan can never be equalled.
Love it Adam. It amazes me that you grasp the influence of this song. I was 9 in 1965 and this song defined that year. What a feeling in the air as a 9 yr old in the SF Valley.
For me, as a kid, Dylan was all about attitude. Expressed in a way I'd never heard. His words rang out with a truth, a sincerity and a soulful penetration. I began to question everything. Thanks Bob Dylan.
We are so privileged to be contemporaries of such musical genius. An inspired lyricist, singer and songwriter whose talent towers above all his contemporaries. Bob Dylan is very special.
‘Never Say Goodbye’ (off Planet Waves) always, always gets me so emotional &.. elated ! Don’t know why - the beautiful heartbreaking lyrics, the soaring music, the rough sketchy throwaway quality of it.. (it always sounds kind’ve unfinished. & I don’t know if he’s ever played it live?). When I mention it, even many Dylan fans say they’ve never heard of it..
Highway 61 Revisited was the first Dylan album I purchased. I knew him more for his folk work, but the opening of Like A Rolling Stone seared right into my heart. Now I am a big Dylan fan, of his own work and the impact he had on other artists.
About to ring in the new year here in Michigan, and glad to have this video as a send off for 2024. I just saw A Complete Unknown a couple days ago - a terrific movie - and am enjoying the public re-discovery of this and other Dylan songs. Bob Dylan later said about his early song writing, that he drew from that well of creativity that others have found, and that he couldn't do it again. But he did it once, and we thank him for that. His evolution from playing the Ramblin' Jack Elliot version of Woody Guthrie, to finding his own voice was a triumph of artistic genius. And nothing spells that out better than Like A Rolling Stone. And yes, it is the greatest rock song ever.
I remember being 16 years old and in my last year at an English boarding school. One of the boys in our 8-boy dormitory came back from the summer holidays with Bob Dylan's Freewheelin album. The rest of us had never even heard of Bob Dylan. We did, in fact know some of his songs, but performed by others. And at that age, at that time, few young people like us took any notice of the song writer. As soon as I heard the album I was captivated. I'd never heard anything like it. It was incredible. It quickly became my favorite album. And today, 59 years later, it still is.
I just saw this show, LIKE A ROLLING STONE is my favorite by Dylan. This was my personal theme song for many years and still causes deep feelings when I hear it. I'm 73 now, but when I was 21 I was a real estate agent.I owned 2 houses and lived in a beautiful home in an ideal neighbor hood. I drove a new car and was living the American dream. It all fell apart and I eventually became an unemployed stoned hippie. This song perfectly describes my life at the time. All better now. LOL Thanks for all the memories Professor. I love your show.
You know, Adam, half the fun of this show is seeing which vinyls are going to make it into the rack behind you each day. Always a nice selection for sure, but my favorite is when there's one I don't recognize and I have to try and figure it out. My fun little Prof of Rock mini-game, lol. Keep up the great work!
I remember the first time I heard the song as a teenager in 1965. My jaw dropped and I knew things had changed. Music would never be the same. To this day, it's my all-time favorite song.
The Jimi Hendrix version of All Along the Watchtower. This what happens when the greatest song writers work meets the greatest guitar playing. Thank you both, Bob and Jimi
This Hendrix album was one of the very first LPs I bought at age 14 in the mid 60’s, solely based on the album cover. I soon bought a Dylan album based on Watchtower.
Love your passion for Dylan, Prof. I have the same since I discovered Dylan's music, the song Tombstone Blues also from Highway 61 Revisted, blaring out of the speakers from my older brother's bedroom. It is difficult to say what your favorite Dylan tune is; he has a song to help you through a tough day, ones to help you celebrate life's little joys, and so many to challenge you intellectually. Dylan will be played and admired forever!
@@purplelove392 When he brings up his dad, it brings MY DAD back to me (my dad passed in 1999 and he was MY music “teacher”). So when he does bring up dad, I start to remember all the music convos I HAD with my dad. He may be 6 years YOUNGER than me, but I still think we’ve had almost the same life experiences.
@@DanieVargas I hear ya. My dad wasn't really into music as much as classic movies, but he honored my love of music. He gave me albums for every occasion and sometimes just because and he let me control the radio as we traversed the country on our family road trips.
My parents loved Bob so much that they named me Dylan. One might assume that I'd get sick of hearing Bob Dylan, but it never happened. Now at 36, I'm just waiting for my kids to be old enough to start to appreciate Bob's work.
For years I thought Jimi Hendrix wrote “All Along the Watchtower” but it was written by Bob Dylan. Dylan may not have a velvet voice but he’s a hell of a songwriter.
Hendrix's cover inspired a term I like to call "Watchtowering" where a cover song is not only so good that it becomes the cover artist's song, but is so superior that it completely overshadows the original. For example when anybody thinks about All Along the Watchtower, it's Hendrix's version people think of, not Dylan's and this was BOB DYLAN we're talking about, Jimi accomplished something extraordinary.
My husband and I didn't have a " song" we had an ARTIST. Thank you for the best episode ❤️. Dylan is a Nobel Laureate. He is a master craftsman. In my opinion, no one sings his songs better.
You're right. I heard Alison Krause cover one of his songs. Now this woman has the voice of an angel but after listening, I thought, dang, Dylan's version is SO much better. It's his conviction, not his vocal tone.
My very tenuous connection is mind-blowing to me, even to this day. In 1976 I met Ronnie James Dio during Rainbow's Australian tour. Then and in 1980's Sabbath tour, Ronnie and I struck up a friendship. Whenever he was in Sydney or I was in LA, he always made time for me. In my 1987 visit, he invited me to The Record Plant during the final week of mixing his current album. A privilege and learning experience beyond price. During down-time one session, just me and Ronnie in the control room and Al Kooper walks in, Ronnie introduced me during their brief conversation. It was a thrill for me because Mr Kooper produced one of my favourite albums, the Tubes' debut.
It's hard for us in 2024 to imagine a song being so influential. Changed how rock musicians thought about their music, how they'd write songs, who could even get into playing music or sing, changed what the industry thought was possible.
Bob is a brilliant songwriter and poet. His lyrics are so impressively thought-provoking. In later interviews, even he says he doesn't know how he was able to write lyrics like he did. It was definitely magical.
I’m just a couple years younger than Bob Dylan. Dylan was born in Duluth, Minnesota. He moved to Hibbing Minnesota, where he had his bar mitzvah when he was 13 years old. I lived in Hibbing at the time. I also went to the University of Minnesota, as did Bob Dylan in 1959 and 1960. Dylan would frequent a restaurant converted to a coffee house called “the Ten o’clock Scholar”, 418 14th Avenue, - just a couple blocks from the East Bank of the University of Minnesota- that was a place for mostly the beatnick generation but also the beginning of the folk music movement in Minnesota which included Bob Dylan. Dylan was born Bob Zimmerman but changed his name to Bob Dylan while at THE SCHOLAR. Bob looked quite a bit different at that time. He had his hair combed back and often wore an embroidered jacket, or shirt I can’t remember which. But he would humbly request that he be allowed to sing from time to time. I don’t remember any titles, but I do remember him singing mostly country western type songs. Then sometime in 1960 Bob Dylan was gone, and I was told by the owner of the 10 o’clock scholar that he had gone to New York. That he wanted to see Woody Guthrie. That’s the last I heard about Bob Dylan until 1965 when he released his hit “Like a Rolling Stone”. I have always loved this song, but I’ve also asked myself why Dylan was asking a question about “how does it feel”? When he could’ve made a song about how it DOES feel. Was he afraid? Was he lost? Was he both? Was he neither? Or did it really matter? The whole tone of this song is muted defiance and anger. A significant Zeitgeist of the time which became only more intense as the counterculture evolved and the Vietnam war escalated. I was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam war and did two years of alternate service in San Francisco. The work I did as a conscience objector played a large part in the writing and passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act in 1992. Bob Dylan had a great deal to do with my decision to become a conscientious objector.
Like A Rolling Stone is perhaps the song that lead me deeply into lyric music. And the organ resonated with me long after the song finished. The song seemed impossibly good.
😎👍 I remember hearing this on the car radio when I was a kid. My mom hated “that guys voice”, but she wouldn’t change the channel because of the hypnotic lyrics. This is such a good song.
Finally some Dylan! Used to think he was on the level of The Beatles then I discovered his music from the 80’s to today, and he’s unquestionably the greatest of all time.
I heard him live in March and even tho he sat behind the piano the whole time, at 83, he sounds better than the greatest of all time! Just mesmerizing .
I do not remember hearing this song until a Friday Night in early November 1967 in the American Youth Activities center in Mainz Germany. To this day I remember walking into the building for the first time and "Like a Rolling Stone" playing on the Juke Box. The only other songs I remember when I first heard them was an A Capella version of The Who's "Substitute" and a cover bands version of The Bee Gee's "You Don't Know What It's Like" on a bus to Austria and a Dance at the Officer's Club later in the year that followed.
Without question, hands down, this has been my favorite song of all time since it hit my ears at 9 years-old. Thank you, Professor, for this in-depth and enlightening discussion. You always bring us interesting trivia and facts that further help us to understand the cultural impact of our times and the greatest era of music from the 20th century.
Had a bout of pleurisy aged nine. Off school for weeks with nothing to do I worked my way through my mother's record collection until I got to Dylan's Greatest Hits. 60 years on I still think he's the GOAT.
My oldest brother turned me into Dylan when I was probably 10-11 yrs old. Like you, Adam, I became fascinated with his lyrics. From Maggie’s Farm to Serve Somebody , his poetry has inspired or consoled me.
Al Kooper said he was invited to attend the recording and watch. Lots of people in and out. He noticed nobody ever played organ so he just acted like he was somebody and went to set behind it. He played the next take. Later listening to the playback Dylan asked where was the organ part so the engineer pushd up the fader to bring it onto the mix. Dylan loved it. History. The song wouldnt be the same without it.
As a boy from Minnesota, living two blocks from Highway 61 and a '65 HS graduate, what could be a better theme song to launch you into the "real" world!! The ultimate "one of us!"
Whenever I hear Like A Rolling Stone? I first heard it on the radio in 1965. My brother and I were fishing in a levee with our Uncle. I asked my Uncle if he was listening to the radio? He said it was background noise. Every time I hear Like A Rolloing Stone? I in my mind? I am fishing with Uncle Everett. Great to be 10 years old in 1965.
I came at Dylan backwards, first loving Blood on the Tracks, then Greatest Hits I and II, and not listening to the folky stuff until college. Always loved LARS, but was a bit too young to get the true weight of its impact. Most of what you said I’d heard before, but you summed it up precisely and with passion-a great addition to your personal catalogue, Professor! As for people hating on his voice, Nashville Skyline and Live at Budokan exist to show you that he could sing sweet and schmaltzy, but that’s not his goal. His raw bleeding vocals expose the truth in the lyrics, and you can hear that resonate in Petty, Springsteen, Knopfler, Joplin, Fogerty…even McCartney.
During the summer of 1965, when I was 13, I would sit at the kitchen table listening to this song. To this day, it's my favorite Dylan song. At the time, I remember thinking that in the future whenever I heard the song, I would remember my 13 year old self, wondering at the glory of this song, as I sat at my kitchen table.
I became a Dylan fan in 1962. I was 11 years old. I bought this album as soon as it came out. I still have it even after all these years and it is still one of my favorites of all time. Glad he parted ways with Pete Seeger.
one thing that just can’t be explained (or exposed) is the feeling , the vibes we got from this song . what a day !!! the times !!!! So glad to be 70 today , or I’d missed it ! Today it just could not happen ( enjoy your Taylor Swift😵💫)
I always loved that story of how Al Kooper wound up in that session. Tom Wilson inviting him as a guitarist. But when he saw Mike Bloomfield walk in ...and he knew Bloomfield was way above him. I mean even Jimi Hendrix had enormous respect for Bloomfield. So Kooper goes slinks back to the control room. Then Paul Griffin their keyboard player suddenly decides he'd rather play piano on it. Kooper, who was a novice on the keys, decides to take a shot and basically bluffed his way into the session chiming in "oh I can play the organ part!" (which was a mild exaggeration.) But he winged his way beautifully through it. Once again, you've put together a brilliant piece on rock history and touched on one of the cornerstone songs of my youth and in this case a song that got me through a tough time in my youth. It's a pity I can only hit the like button once.
Great story. I heard it slightly differently: Kooper arrived as Mike was playing a little warmup. Hearing Mike play, as you say, "he knew Bloomfield was way above him". He had started to unpack his guitar, but quietly closed the case and billed himself as a keyboard player. The way you tell it is more likely true. But this other way is a great R&R story.
@@Uh_Clem combination of the two I suspect. But I love how this session kickstarted a great professional and personal friendship between Kooper and Bloomfield.
This is how I heard the story, except while the frustrated group was taking a break Al Kooper started playing the organ and producer Tom Wilson knew he had a winner. Had Dylan continued to use Tom Wilson on future sessions, he'd possibly had other iconic hits in his catalog by now.
I've heard a similar version of that story, but you provide some interesting details. My understanding is that Kooper was not really a "novice," but had virtually no experience playing a keyboard and basically conned the producer into letting him play the organ on this song. So he faked his way into playing the instrument and figured it out as quickly as he could. Remarkably, Kooper came up with a simple but iconic riff, repeated it throughout with little embellishment or expansion on those few notes and managed to make the organ a prominent and essential part of the instrumentation.
@@suburban60sKid Is that last comment facetious? Obviously, Dylan managed to create many iconic songs over the years, regardless of the producer. Mark Knopfler was one of them, both producing and playing guitar for Dylan after a member of Dylan's crew played "Sultans of Swing" for him and Dylan exclaimed "I want that guy playing guitar on my record". And in recent years, Dylan could have used a more honest and forceful producer, because the stuff he's been turning out is mostly trash, undermining his canon. Much like Neil Young in that respect.
Al Kooper was invited to join in the song (although he came to watch). Was told to ad some organ, since the producer thought he was a multi-instrumentalist, so he winged it and hit gold. That organ is just as great as the lyrics - it made this song great.
"Like a Rolling Stone" is such an incredible song. The way it just rambles from one verse to the next, like he's talking to somebody, let'em know that he sees them for how they really are.
This is the song that first kindled my obsession with Dylan. My mom was a performer, who loved folk music, so we had albums in the house from Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Buffy Saint Marie, and, of course, Dylan. It wasn't until I hit my 20s, though, before I discovered him for myself. And then I was hooked. I've had to explain to friends that Dylan is emulating the sound of some old-time blues artists. And I would play for them songs like Lay Lady Lay to demonstrate.
HI PROFESSOR, i WAS 15 WHEN THIS ICONIC SONG BROKE, IT CHANGED MY LIFE. IT WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING I HAD EVER HEARD. IT WAS MYSTERIOUS, HAUNTING AND ALL KOOPER ON THE HAMMOND B3 JUST CEMENTED THE WHOLE THING. I FIRST HEARD IT ON A HAND HELD 7 TRANSISTOR RADIO ON AN AM STATION SITTING ON A HILSIDE OVERLOOKING THE P&LE RAILROAD IN MCKEES ROCKS, PA. AND YES IN MY OPINION THE GREATEST SONG EVER WRITTEN AND PROBABLY FOLLOWED BY ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER WHICH IS SO POWERFUL FROM AN IMAGING STAND POINT. PROBABLY THE BEST TWELVE LINES EVER WRITTEN. BOTH GREAT SONGS (ALONG WITH MANY OTHERS BY DYLAN). THANK YOU FOR THE BACK STORY OF LIKE A ROLLING STONE (OF WHICH I WAS ALREADY AWARE) BUT THERE ARE MANY THAT WERE NOT. KEEP ON ROCKING THIS CHANNEL, IT IS AWESOME
Love the channel. In an interview Al said he crashed the session he wasn’t invited. He thought he would play guitar until Mike showed up. So since nobody was at the organ he sat down there even though he had never played a Hammond. Also you mentioned the Woodstock concert. It actually happened about an hour and a half away from Woodstock. It was held in Bethel NY after they couldn’t get permission to hold it in Woodstock.
Professor nailed it…authenticity and emotion, best description of Dylan’s voice. I always loved his voice, can’t imagine anyone else singing Desolation Row…Highway 61 one of my favorite albums of all time ❤❤
Odd characters like Napoleon in Rags and their odd proclivities were hallmarks of Dylan’s in that era, like a Picasso painting brought to life. One of my favorites from Blonde on Blonde is the dancing child with his Chinese suit - who had his flute taken. Unparalleled imagery!
When I was 19 I was really into poetry.Getting beyond Dylans voice was a tough obstacle,but I forced myself because I knew he was great.Now I love it.Its like an acquired taste like corn liquor or gasoline 😂. If he ever "clicks"youre in for the greatest catalog of songs ever produced.Most of my friends still dont understand🤣But its ok hes not for everyone.
Same here, I forced myself to listen to his, let's say unconventional vocals and now I find it hard to listen to anybody else singing Dylan songs because his voice and phrasing are so unique
@@derekcollins4801 Bryan Ferry made an album named Dylanesque with only covers from Bob Dylan and I just love it. For me there is no best song or artist only great ones and there are a lot of them depending on my mood because it is music that touches your soul in my humble opinion.
What a wonderful episode! You truly know how to tell a story, Adam, whether about a song lyric, an instrument, or how a song touched you or someone like your Dad, which was especially moving to me when you mentioned that. 🙏🏼🎶
Thanks Adam, another great video. Your comment that you were a “lyrics guy” made me realise that after listening to rock music for over 55 years I am a “melody guy” but will now start to pay more attention to the lyrics. I am pushing 70 but never too old to learn something new I guess.
Al Kooper was invited to the session by Tom Wilson. He showed up with his guitar and after seeing Mike Bloomfield warm up, he lacked it in and went to the control room. When Tom got called away for a phone call Al snuck over to the Hammond. He played his riff and Bob loved it. Had it turned up in then mix.
Like a Rolling Stone, and The Weight -- two of the greatest singles. I was 15 in August, 1965, on vacation with my folks...in San Francisco, strolling through an art gallery on Market St with my Mom, and Like a Rolling Stone came on the speakers, and I can remember it like it was yesterday. The impact was monumental. Like I can remember exactly where I was (in typing class) when the Kennedy assassination was announced to us.
I agree with you, professor, that his voice is perfect for what he sings. That's true for so many artists who aren't technically great singers. Imagine a pristine voice singing Dylan songs. It's been done of course and it sounds good, but it's not the same as having Dylan's particular voice in his songs. And man, your dad sounds great. ❤️
He actually tried this. Listen to original recording of Lay Lady Lay. And this is a bit of speculation, but Bob rewrote Forever Young purposefully using notes from the very bottom of the scale range to the top, maybe in response to critics who were saying he ‘couldn’t sing’. I know about the range because I used to sing it and it was a challenge.
Poll: I've NEVER ASKED THIS...In your opinion... What is the GREATEST SONG OF ALL TIME?
Ode to Joy.
Blowing In The Wind
Kansas "Dust in the Wind"
Dream Weaver- Gary Wright
Like a Rolling Stone.
To have lived and breathed that era (I am a young 75 now) words can't express how "Like a Rolling Stone" still triggers emotional feelings of that whole decade. I'm born and raised in (old) San Francisco which was the epicenter of so much during that time. Reflecting on the intricacies of the song, now, again at this stage, it feels even more priceless. Thank you Bob for being you.
Me too 😊
And timelessness
Everything changed in the summer of '65. You have to had been there.
@@2340Vegas I was there. Changed me forever, for the better, certainly.
you are absolutely right Thanks Bob
I love how, almost 60 years later, we're still listening to, talking about, and analyzing the amazing music created during that era.
I love how everywhere I go for the past 10 years, these classics from the 60s and 70 are heard in any place music is being played because it’s still better than anything ever recorded in any era.
My late best friend and I always agreed that our generation had the best music and I still believe it.
I have been apologizing to kids and grandkids for years for the Boomers using up all of the good music.
@@mikehenson819
In 2016 my son took me on an 8 day trip to Scotland and to my surprise this is what their radio stations play. My son said mom you even have your music. It was great. Always smiling 😊
I'm glad I was there.
@@jeff4310 I think the Baby Boomers were the greatest generation because we had the best music.
I can go months without listening to Dylan, but each time I find my way back, it hits me hard. It’s not just the lyrics. It’s the phrasing, and the music is so diverse. No words
I can go forever without listening, and will 😅
It takes me back to better days.
@@timmoore8773 Maybe you can go forever without listening to Dylan himself, but there is no way you don't listen to his songs. I cannot think of any songwriter whose songs have been covered by more artists and bands than Bob Dylan. According to Alexa, 2,000 artists have covered his songs. Wikipedia says 1500. Whichever, it's still a lot!
@@timmoore8773 Some people dig Taylor Swift, nothing wrong with that.
I can barely go a week without Dylan's music in my opinion he is a far superior lyricist than anyone else in any kind of music
To me the sixties were a time of great surprises in music. I'm 75 so I was the perfect age to be surprised and inspired by pop music. However in the last few years pop music is not very surprising at all. That's what the sixties was so good to me.
I'm 76 and we had really fun music covering many genres. Cast Your Fate to the Wind would never be played today. Would the Motown music be hits?
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Wow many 75 ish aged people leaving comments including mine, I too love Bob Dylan
You nailed it. His voice is ABSOLUTELY perfect for what he sings, and I love your uncontained frustration with all those critics picking such petty nits!! LONG LIVE LYRICS 👊🏼
Tears well every time I hear & sing this song. Memories of where and what was going down when it was first released fill my soul. Like a Rolling Stone not only hits the gut but swats your heart.
I still remember where I was the first time this came on the radio. I was driving in my mom's '61 Bel-Air and almost ran off the road. I knew all of his prior work, especially Times They Are a Changing, but Bob Dylan singing rock and roll was like a paradigm shift. Hearing him blowing that harmonica to a rock beat instead of a strumming acoustic guitar blew the lid off my brain. There was nothing like the 60's. Thanks for the great tribute to this groundbreaking song!
And it sounds so carefree and wonderful.
It was like communism suddenly got a voice when the electric guitar hit dylan and the rest is his story.
❤😊
Grew up 60's early 70's
Me and all my freinds all had bobs
greatest hits vol 1 miss those days..... will move on like a rolling stone
TY profesor
In the summer of 1966 I bought Highway Sixty-One Revisited without even knowing much about Dylan's move over to electric.
I was a 22 year old architecture student and the rock scene was very peripheral to my world.
I was living in an old house apartment in Terre Haute. Thewell ito evening temperatures were in the 90s for weeks.
The humidity hung at near 99 % the whole time. And I'd gone to Kmat to buy a fan.
But I just got the record..
I lay in that bed and started up the record on my tiny battery driven Singer portable.
My record collection was mostly Bach, Beethoven and other classics,
But the cover made me buy it.
Now hearing these sounds something sounded like I was listening to music for the first time.
Then it happened. Lying there in a hot pool of my own sweat more less miserable.
But something thrilling was going on.
I sensed a change in the air. For me anyway..
He began You Know There's Something Happening.
And then he got to "Do you Mr. Jones.".
And it was other worldly. This guy is speaking to me.?!
That's my name.
Ken Jones.
Bob Dylan hooked me in that moment. He sure as hell got my attention anyway.
And he's had it more than anybody else ever since.
Thanks for your show.
tatkhj
Nice story. Thanks for sharing. Dig in there’s more to come.
Beethoven, Bach, and Dylan on that battery operated player back in Terre Haute. What a story!
Terrific comment !
Got that vinyl a few years back in Tuscon at the El Presidio 😎
Cool story, Mr. Jones
I’m a huge Dylan fan. Since I was 10. I preferred him over the Beatles. I’m 70 now. Saw him 3 times. He’s an awesome artist! ❤
Thank you. I got ridiculed for my preference over the Beatles but as a kid I just knew there was more substance in Dylan songs. Yes the feeling is genuine in his voice and so honest.
You're not alone. The first time I heard his voice I said, this guy's the real deal. This is music, not just light entertainment. This is "casting pearls," and we have to decide if we're swine or not. It's take no prisoners music.
I've never bought any of his works. I don't have one record, tape or DC he's done. I have to say, though, having had some great FM radio stations I could listen to, from 1968 through to the early 70s, in the San Francisco Bay Area, the DJs would sometimes play what was then already "old" Dylan songs from the early 60s folk era; so, I learned of him even more so than when he had commercial folk/rock hits from several years later, when I first heard of him.
Dylan is my all time favorite performer and lyricist. I’ve been listening to him for over 45 years and never get tired of his music.
Nice 😎
He may not be the best singer, but he is one of the best lyricists.
I was 14 when I saw and heard Bob Dylan live in Long Beach, CA. I'll be 74 this spring but will never forget that concert.
I LOVE Dylan's voice! It had sooo much Character & Distinction.
I’m 60. Dylan was a huge part of my youth, and helped me get through a lot of painful things in my early years. He is a master of poetry and interpretation.
I'm 59 and I agree.
He is a part of my life.
Uncle Bob.
yeh same pretty much the same age dylan records we pretty much grew up with love em or hate em kinda like the smiths 80s was driving what difference does it make came on local radio i watched some of the american series doc. a few months ago was pretty good overall
59 at the end of this month, and a Dylan aficionado.
I'm 60 as well as you, and I've always appreciated Bob Dylan's work. I listened to his music for countless hours on end. I still do. His lyrics are as a voice, which talk to you. The tunes that sticks out most to me are: "Positively 4th Street", "Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again", Sad Eyed Lady of The Lowlands", "Lay, Lady Lay", "Knocking On Heavens Door", "Love Minus Zero, No Limit". However, I do love other songs of his, but those still resonate with me....
Dylan and the Stones.
I have to add this thought, considering that back in the day, yes most songs were 2 or 3 minutes long on radio. But, all of you know that when you hear a great song: you just want it to go on forever! That's why we hit replay! We just want it to go on and on and never stop! This is one of those songs! Thank you, Bob for being that 'lightning rod' that captures the human soul.
I bought this as a 45 single with all the money I had at the age of 13, I was so blown away. The music, yes, but the lyrics and the voice caught my early teenage angst and screamed. I am 71 now, and by the way, a university teacher and a multi-published poet. At 13, I knew perfection of emotion when I experienced it.
I'm 75 and a child at that time but it's the greatest time 3 or 4 classic songs every week I couldn't stop listening 24 7
You're 75? LOL...NO! I'M 75!!! (b. 07-04-'49) ;-) ...And I've been a musician/singer since before I was tall enuff to reach the "On" knob on my Mother's Sylvania 4 speed mono phonograph. (now THAT was a sentence!).... g.l. Peace. ☮
I’m 68, at least 3-4, it kinda felt like daily I had a favorite new song, or band, kinda sorta;)
75 - arrival in this world August 49 - a teenager in the sixties, THE time for pop music. We were spoilt for choice.
75 what a time to have lived and still be here but where is the optimism now?
I’m 74 I understand. GBY
The word I always use to describe Dylan's voice is 'conviction' He sings with such conviction.
And a mouth full of dog turds
Yes.Especially on his Rolling Thunder Revue.
@kenkaplan3654 Exactly!!! I was originally going to mention the 'Hard Rain' LP specifically but decided to keep my comment short.
@@stormymunday9836 Did you check out the live 75 "bootleg" record. They have the entire thing on UA-cam. A rock version of "Hard Rain", (also on a different video on UA-cam) that will knock your socks off and the best version of Tambourine Man I have ever heard.
He is always way out of pitch
When I was 19, I was living in a run down, dirty apartment with no heat in the winter, and a roommate who I was assigned to work with who was a super-sized jerk. Every day was an exercise in misery. I was on my own, with no way home, a complete unknown, like a rolling stone. This song captures the lowest point in my life perfectly.
Wow, I feel better about myself after reading that.
So, how did everything work out for you?
Dylan had an insight no others had.
@@peterermish3017 I got really determined not to fail. I went to school and graduated in accounting and worked really hard as a CPA and later corporate controller. I live in a nice house next to a golf course and my wife spends all of my money. I’m still just as broke, but have heat in the winter and my wife lives in luxury!
Just a crazy thought…if I crash and lose it all, the song will be about my wife!! To be fair, she is a great mom, keeps the house clean and orderly, cooks top notch food, and is in A+ shape. She will land on her feet.
I grew up in the 60s and to me this was the anthem of the 60s! Thanks Bob great song!
For me also along with Joan Baez, Maryanne Faithful and so me more.
Me too! We were so lucky
Me too
A friend and I always told each other for years “they should give him a Nobel Prize” for his lyrics. You should have seen our faces when they did!
Bob Dylan was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for literature, for his lyrics.
You were SPOT ON! Pat yourselves on the backs!
For any who don't know, Bob Dylan was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for literature for his lyrics.
Sadly he didn’t go to the ceremony to accept it.
@@Waterfalls2016 "Bob Dylan did attend the Nobel Prize ceremony to receive his award. Initially, he was not sure if he would attend the event, but in the end, he did travel to Stockholm to accept the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016."
In 50 years Springsteen’s lyrics will be studied and Dylan forgotten.
@@KentonJoseph
Well darn I followed the story for awhile. They were having a hard time getting Dylan to accept. After the award ceremony I saw 3-4 articles talking about him not going. I was really bummed also. I knew Dylan before The Beatles I think. Hey, thanks for letting me know.
@@philsphan4414
Dylan will never be forgotten and Springsteen won’t even be a close 2nd.
So many words to remember in most Dylan songs but "when you ain't got nothin' you got nothin' to lose" is so powerful.
My love and respect for Bob Dylan can never be equalled.
Love it Adam. It amazes me that you grasp the influence of this song. I was 9 in 1965 and this song defined that year. What a feeling in the air as a 9 yr old in the SF Valley.
For me, as a kid, Dylan was all about attitude. Expressed in a way I'd never heard. His words rang out with a truth, a sincerity and a soulful penetration. I began to question everything. Thanks Bob Dylan.
We are so privileged to be contemporaries of such musical genius. An inspired lyricist, singer and songwriter whose talent towers above all his contemporaries. Bob Dylan is very special.
I'd have to say "Tangled Up In Blue" is my fav Dylan song. It's hard to pick a favorite.
I confess that I thought it was going to be the focus song of this vid
Wow! Thought I was the only one. Kudos.
‘Never Say Goodbye’ (off Planet Waves) always, always gets me so emotional &.. elated ! Don’t know why - the beautiful heartbreaking lyrics, the soaring music, the rough sketchy throwaway quality of it.. (it always sounds kind’ve unfinished. & I don’t know if he’s ever played it live?). When I mention it, even many Dylan fans say they’ve never heard of it..
I used to care but things have changed
@ or in the words of Mose Allison, “I found that things are gettin’ better, just people that are gettin’ worse.”
Highway 61 Revisited was the first Dylan album I purchased. I knew him more for his folk work, but the opening of Like A Rolling Stone seared right into my heart. Now I am a big Dylan fan, of his own work and the impact he had on other artists.
I have never heard a better folk-rock song ever and I am 70 years old.
About to ring in the new year here in Michigan, and glad to have this video as a send off for 2024. I just saw A Complete Unknown a couple days ago - a terrific movie - and am enjoying the public re-discovery of this and other Dylan songs.
Bob Dylan later said about his early song writing, that he drew from that well of creativity that others have found, and that he couldn't do it again. But he did it once, and we thank him for that.
His evolution from playing the Ramblin' Jack Elliot version of Woody Guthrie, to finding his own voice was a triumph of artistic genius. And nothing spells that out better than Like A Rolling Stone. And yes, it is the greatest rock song ever.
I remember being 16 years old and in my last year at an English boarding school.
One of the boys in our 8-boy dormitory came back from the summer holidays with Bob Dylan's Freewheelin album. The rest of us had never even heard of Bob Dylan. We did, in fact know some of his songs, but performed by others. And at that age, at that time, few young people like us took any notice of the song writer.
As soon as I heard the album I was captivated. I'd never heard anything like it. It was incredible. It quickly became my favorite album. And today, 59 years later, it still is.
Like a Rolling Stone will immediately take me back to the summer of 65 crusing Van Nuys Blvd. Spending time in Newport Beach Calif. Awesome song.
Having him with Traveling Wilbury's was so perfect!
I love Tweeter & the Monkey Man.
It's was truly masterful!
@@Whisper_292 For sure! :) btw, did the video jump from a story about the Stones to this one? I got a video not available and then this one showed up
Yes. I think they pulled it, maybe because they posted the wrong video. They've done that before. @thetitleisours1
@@thetitleisours1 By POR replacing it, I imagine.
I just saw this show, LIKE A ROLLING STONE is my favorite by Dylan. This was my personal theme song for many years and still causes deep feelings when I hear it. I'm 73 now, but when I was 21 I was a real estate agent.I owned 2 houses and lived in a beautiful home in an ideal neighbor hood. I drove a new car and was living the American dream. It all fell apart and I eventually became an unemployed stoned hippie. This song perfectly describes my life at the time. All better now. LOL Thanks for all the memories Professor. I love your show.
You know, Adam, half the fun of this show is seeing which vinyls are going to make it into the rack behind you each day. Always a nice selection for sure, but my favorite is when there's one I don't recognize and I have to try and figure it out. My fun little Prof of Rock mini-game, lol. Keep up the great work!
Same here! And I love it where he displays an obscure favorite LP that I love.
Like an onion - or a parfait 🤔 He's got layers of entertainment & information!
Prof will flip them around and open up gatefolds on us too, so you gotta know the albums inside and out to stay with that little game. Good clean fun.
I still have that Elvin Bishop album….top right…I always look to see which ones i have.
Funny, I do the thing.
I recognize all but one (middle right)
I remember the first time I heard the song as a teenager in 1965. My jaw dropped and I knew things had changed. Music would never be the same. To this day, it's my all-time favorite song.
The Jimi Hendrix version of All Along the Watchtower. This what happens when the greatest song writers work meets the greatest guitar playing.
Thank you both, Bob and Jimi
This Hendrix album was one of the very first LPs I bought at age 14 in the mid 60’s, solely based on the album cover. I soon bought a Dylan album based on Watchtower.
Love your passion for Dylan, Prof. I have the same since I discovered Dylan's music, the song Tombstone Blues also from Highway 61 Revisted, blaring out of the speakers from my older brother's bedroom. It is difficult to say what your favorite Dylan tune is; he has a song to help you through a tough day, ones to help you celebrate life's little joys, and so many to challenge you intellectually. Dylan will be played and admired forever!
After listening to your stories about your father, you are blessed to have him as your dad.
I totally agree. miss him every second.
Anytime he mentions his dad, I tear up immediately.
@@purplelove392
When he brings up his dad, it brings MY DAD back to me (my dad passed in 1999 and he was MY music “teacher”). So when he does bring up dad, I start to remember all the music convos I HAD with my dad. He may be 6 years YOUNGER than me, but I still think we’ve had almost the same life experiences.
@@DanieVargas I hear ya. My dad wasn't really into music as much as classic movies, but he honored my love of music. He gave me albums for every occasion and sometimes just because and he let me control the radio as we traversed the country on our family road trips.
I wish my dad was like that. What a role model.
My parents loved Bob so much that they named me Dylan. One might assume that I'd get sick of hearing Bob Dylan, but it never happened. Now at 36, I'm just waiting for my kids to be old enough to start to appreciate Bob's work.
Nice to meet you Dylan.
Smart parents. 😊
For years I thought Jimi Hendrix wrote “All Along the Watchtower” but it was written by Bob Dylan.
Dylan may not have a velvet voice but he’s a hell of a songwriter.
Amen!
perhaps well beyond definition !!!
I like the uniqueness of his voice.
Jimi also covered St. Pepper a day or so after release...live 🤘
Hendrix's cover inspired a term I like to call "Watchtowering" where a cover song is not only so good that it becomes the cover artist's song, but is so superior that it completely overshadows the original. For example when anybody thinks about All Along the Watchtower, it's Hendrix's version people think of, not Dylan's and this was BOB DYLAN we're talking about, Jimi accomplished something extraordinary.
In 1969 my boyfriend was at VMI and soon would graduate and go to Vietnam Nam……. He sang “Lay Lady Lay” to me….oh the memories
My husband and I didn't have a " song" we had an ARTIST. Thank you for the best episode ❤️. Dylan is a Nobel Laureate. He is a master craftsman. In my opinion, no one sings his songs better.
Amen!
Yes he is.
I love his lyrics. They tend to be exceptionally well written. I strongly disagree, however, with making him a Nobel Laureate in literature.
You're right. I heard Alison Krause cover one of his songs. Now this woman has the voice of an angel but after listening, I thought, dang, Dylan's version is SO much better. It's his conviction, not his vocal tone.
Well put
My very tenuous connection is mind-blowing to me, even to this day. In 1976 I met Ronnie James Dio during Rainbow's Australian tour. Then and in 1980's Sabbath tour, Ronnie and I struck up a friendship. Whenever he was in Sydney or I was in LA, he always made time for me. In my 1987 visit, he invited me to The Record Plant during the final week of mixing his current album. A privilege and learning experience beyond price. During down-time one session, just me and Ronnie in the control room and Al Kooper walks in, Ronnie introduced me during their brief conversation. It was a thrill for me because Mr Kooper produced one of my favourite albums, the Tubes' debut.
It's hard for us in 2024 to imagine a song being so influential. Changed how rock musicians thought about their music, how they'd write songs, who could even get into playing music or sing, changed what the industry thought was possible.
I shed a tear. I'm 67 writinging my best music. Thanks for sharing .sharing your story.
Bob is a brilliant songwriter and poet. His lyrics are so impressively thought-provoking. In later interviews, even he says he doesn't know how he was able to write lyrics like he did. It was definitely magical.
I’m just a couple years younger than Bob Dylan. Dylan was born in Duluth, Minnesota. He moved to Hibbing Minnesota, where he had his bar mitzvah when he was 13 years old. I lived in Hibbing at the time. I also went to the University of Minnesota, as did Bob Dylan in 1959 and 1960. Dylan would frequent a restaurant converted to a coffee house called “the Ten o’clock Scholar”, 418 14th Avenue, - just a couple blocks from the East Bank of the University of Minnesota- that was a place for mostly the beatnick generation but also the beginning of the folk music movement in Minnesota which included Bob Dylan. Dylan was born Bob Zimmerman but changed his name to Bob Dylan while at THE SCHOLAR. Bob looked quite a bit different at that time. He had his hair combed back and often wore an embroidered jacket, or shirt I can’t remember which. But he would humbly request that he be allowed to sing from time to time. I don’t remember any titles, but I do remember him singing mostly country western type songs. Then sometime in 1960 Bob Dylan was gone, and I was told by the owner of the 10 o’clock scholar that he had gone to New York. That he wanted to see Woody Guthrie. That’s the last I heard about Bob Dylan until 1965 when he released his hit “Like a Rolling Stone”. I have always loved this song, but I’ve also asked myself why Dylan was asking a question about “how does it feel”? When he could’ve made a song about how it DOES feel. Was he afraid? Was he lost? Was he both? Was he neither? Or did it really matter? The whole tone of this song is muted defiance and anger. A significant Zeitgeist of the time which became only more intense as the counterculture evolved and the Vietnam war escalated. I was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam war and did two years of alternate service in San Francisco. The work I did as a conscience objector played a large part in the writing and passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act in 1992. Bob Dylan had a great deal to do with my decision to become a conscientious objector.
Free Wheelin' Bob Dylan was one of the first albums I ever bought. His body of work is timeless. Thank you for highlighting this song.
Like A Rolling Stone is perhaps the song that lead me deeply into lyric music. And the organ resonated with me long after the song finished. The song seemed impossibly good.
😎👍 I remember hearing this on the car radio when I was a kid. My mom hated “that guys voice”, but she wouldn’t change the channel because of the hypnotic lyrics. This is such a good song.
Way to go Adam! You did a fantastic job on this one. Dylan is the absolute BEST lyric writer of the rock area, which is saying a lot!❤
THanks William! I love doing it.
Finally some Dylan! Used to think he was on the level of The Beatles then I discovered his music from the 80’s to today, and he’s unquestionably the greatest of all time.
Thanks!
Yup.
I heard him live in March and even tho he sat behind the piano the whole time, at 83, he sounds better than the greatest of all time! Just mesmerizing .
I do not remember hearing this song until a Friday Night in early November 1967 in the American Youth Activities center in Mainz Germany. To this day I remember walking into the building for the first time and "Like a Rolling Stone" playing on the Juke Box. The only other songs I remember when I first heard them was an A Capella version of The Who's "Substitute" and a cover bands version of The Bee Gee's "You Don't Know What It's Like" on a bus to Austria and a Dance at the Officer's Club later in the year that followed.
Dylan is a Master! I’ve always loved Desolation Row!!
hell ya!!! that’s one of my favorite songs ever!
Yes sir
Amazing song.
Without question, hands down, this has been my favorite song of all time since it hit my ears at 9 years-old. Thank you, Professor, for this in-depth and enlightening discussion. You always bring us interesting trivia and facts that further help us to understand the cultural impact of our times and the greatest era of music from the 20th century.
Had a bout of pleurisy aged nine. Off school for weeks with nothing to do I worked my way through my mother's record collection until I got to Dylan's Greatest Hits. 60 years on I still think he's the GOAT.
He absolutely is 😊
My oldest brother turned me into Dylan when I was probably 10-11 yrs old. Like you, Adam, I became fascinated with his lyrics. From Maggie’s Farm to Serve Somebody , his poetry has inspired or consoled me.
Al Kooper said he was invited to attend the recording and watch.
Lots of people in and out. He noticed nobody ever played organ so he just acted like he was somebody and went to set behind it.
He played the next take.
Later listening to the playback Dylan asked where was the organ part so the engineer pushd up the fader to bring it onto the mix. Dylan loved it.
History. The song wouldnt be the same without it.
Thanks!
As a boy from Minnesota, living two blocks from Highway 61 and a '65 HS graduate, what could be a better theme song to launch you into the "real" world!! The ultimate "one of us!"
Al Kooper made the song with that incredible riff! And it was a such a spontaneous move. Just magic!
Al Kooper tells the remarkable story in an 8-min clip on YT (Musician’s Hall of Fame interview)
Whenever I hear Like A Rolling Stone? I first heard it on the radio in 1965. My brother and I were fishing in a levee with our Uncle. I asked my Uncle if he was listening to the radio? He said it was background noise. Every time I hear Like A Rolloing Stone? I in my mind? I am fishing with Uncle Everett. Great to be 10 years old in 1965.
I came at Dylan backwards, first loving Blood on the Tracks, then Greatest Hits I and II, and not listening to the folky stuff until college. Always loved LARS, but was a bit too young to get the true weight of its impact. Most of what you said I’d heard before, but you summed it up precisely and with passion-a great addition to your personal catalogue, Professor!
As for people hating on his voice, Nashville Skyline and Live at Budokan exist to show you that he could sing sweet and schmaltzy, but that’s not his goal. His raw bleeding vocals expose the truth in the lyrics, and you can hear that resonate in Petty, Springsteen, Knopfler, Joplin, Fogerty…even McCartney.
It was, indeed, truly transformative. It’s good to know the younger generations are now hip to him.
During the summer of 1965, when I was 13, I would sit at the kitchen table listening to this song. To this day, it's my favorite Dylan song. At the time, I remember thinking that in the future whenever I heard the song, I would remember my 13 year old self, wondering at the glory of this song, as I sat at my kitchen table.
I became a Dylan fan in 1962. I was 11 years old. I bought this album as soon as it came out. I still have it even after all these years and it is still one of my favorites of all time. Glad he parted ways with Pete Seeger.
Dylan makes you feel it !
one thing that just can’t be explained (or exposed) is the feeling , the vibes we got from this song .
what a day !!! the times !!!!
So glad to be 70 today , or I’d missed it !
Today it just could not happen ( enjoy your Taylor Swift😵💫)
Professor, You were all in on this episode. Really enjoyed unpacking the impact this song had on a generation of musicians and listeners. Excellent
Dude, you outdid yourself on this one. Bravo. Masterpiece. Showing the way for many people who will have you to thank for it.
It brings me to tears every time I hear it. It takes me back to a time I was homeless and alone.
I hope you are sheltered, safe, and loved. Godspeed,
❤
Nicely done.. truly one of the most influential songs ever .. Beatles Hendrix (didn’t know those things!) and Bruce .. my favorite!!
I always loved that story of how Al Kooper wound up in that session. Tom Wilson inviting him as a guitarist. But when he saw Mike Bloomfield walk in ...and he knew Bloomfield was way above him. I mean even Jimi Hendrix had enormous respect for Bloomfield. So Kooper goes slinks back to the control room. Then Paul Griffin their keyboard player suddenly decides he'd rather play piano on it. Kooper, who was a novice on the keys, decides to take a shot and basically bluffed his way into the session chiming in "oh I can play the organ part!" (which was a mild exaggeration.) But he winged his way beautifully through it.
Once again, you've put together a brilliant piece on rock history and touched on one of the cornerstone songs of my youth and in this case a song that got me through a tough time in my youth. It's a pity I can only hit the like button once.
Great story. I heard it slightly differently: Kooper arrived as Mike was playing a little warmup. Hearing Mike play, as you say, "he knew Bloomfield was way above him". He had started to unpack his guitar, but quietly closed the case and billed himself as a keyboard player. The way you tell it is more likely true. But this other way is a great R&R story.
@@Uh_Clem combination of the two I suspect. But I love how this session kickstarted a great professional and personal friendship between Kooper and Bloomfield.
This is how I heard the story, except while the frustrated group was taking a break Al Kooper started playing the organ and producer Tom Wilson knew he had a winner. Had Dylan continued to use Tom Wilson on future sessions, he'd possibly had other iconic hits in his catalog by now.
I've heard a similar version of that story, but you provide some interesting details. My understanding is that Kooper was not really a "novice," but had virtually no experience playing a keyboard and basically conned the producer into letting him play the organ on this song. So he faked his way into playing the instrument and figured it out as quickly as he could. Remarkably, Kooper came up with a simple but iconic riff, repeated it throughout with little embellishment or expansion on those few notes and managed to make the organ a prominent and essential part of the instrumentation.
@@suburban60sKid Is that last comment facetious? Obviously, Dylan managed to create many iconic songs over the years, regardless of the producer. Mark Knopfler was one of them, both producing and playing guitar for Dylan after a member of Dylan's crew played "Sultans of Swing" for him and Dylan exclaimed "I want that guy playing guitar on my record". And in recent years, Dylan could have used a more honest and forceful producer, because the stuff he's been turning out is mostly trash, undermining his canon. Much like Neil Young in that respect.
Al Kooper was invited to join in the song (although he came to watch). Was told to ad some organ, since the producer thought he was a multi-instrumentalist, so he winged it and hit gold. That organ is just as great as the lyrics - it made this song great.
Bob Dylan is one of my go to songs when I sing karaoke. This song always gets the crowd singing along.
"Like a Rolling Stone" is such an incredible song. The way it just rambles from one verse to the next, like he's talking to somebody, let'em know that he sees them for how they really are.
@ernesteison7979: That's how I would describe "Positively 4th Street".....one of my favourites.
This is the song that first kindled my obsession with Dylan. My mom was a performer, who loved folk music, so we had albums in the house from Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Buffy Saint Marie, and, of course, Dylan. It wasn't until I hit my 20s, though, before I discovered him for myself. And then I was hooked.
I've had to explain to friends that Dylan is emulating the sound of some old-time blues artists. And I would play for them songs like Lay Lady Lay to demonstrate.
Love Dylan spent a whole summer just reading about and listening to his music. Finally saw him in concert in the early 90's a very magical night
HI PROFESSOR, i WAS 15 WHEN THIS ICONIC SONG BROKE, IT CHANGED MY LIFE. IT WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING I HAD EVER HEARD. IT WAS MYSTERIOUS, HAUNTING AND ALL KOOPER ON THE HAMMOND B3 JUST CEMENTED THE WHOLE THING. I FIRST HEARD IT ON A HAND HELD 7 TRANSISTOR RADIO ON AN AM STATION SITTING ON A HILSIDE OVERLOOKING THE P&LE RAILROAD IN MCKEES ROCKS, PA. AND YES IN MY OPINION THE GREATEST SONG EVER WRITTEN AND PROBABLY FOLLOWED BY ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER WHICH IS SO POWERFUL FROM AN IMAGING STAND POINT. PROBABLY THE BEST TWELVE LINES EVER WRITTEN. BOTH GREAT SONGS (ALONG WITH MANY OTHERS BY DYLAN). THANK YOU FOR THE BACK STORY OF LIKE A ROLLING STONE (OF WHICH I WAS ALREADY AWARE) BUT THERE ARE MANY THAT WERE NOT. KEEP ON ROCKING THIS CHANNEL, IT IS AWESOME
I too was in McKees Rocks when I heard this song for the first time.🇺🇦💙
Love the channel. In an interview Al said he crashed the session he wasn’t invited. He thought he would play guitar until Mike showed up. So since nobody was at the organ he sat down there even though he had never played a Hammond. Also you mentioned the Woodstock concert. It actually happened about an hour and a half away from Woodstock. It was held in Bethel NY after they couldn’t get permission to hold it in Woodstock.
Professor nailed it…authenticity and emotion, best description of Dylan’s voice. I always loved his voice, can’t imagine anyone else singing Desolation Row…Highway 61 one of my favorite albums of all time ❤❤
Amen!
LOVED THIS SONG THE VERY FIRST TIME I HEARD IT, LOVE DYLAN'S VOICE
One of your greatest episodes ever highlighting one of the greatest songs of an era ever ‼️🧐😲😃😁
Odd characters like Napoleon in Rags and their odd proclivities were hallmarks of Dylan’s in that era, like a Picasso painting brought to life. One of my favorites from Blonde on Blonde is the dancing child with his Chinese suit - who had his flute taken. Unparalleled imagery!
When I was 19 I was really into poetry.Getting beyond Dylans voice was a tough obstacle,but I forced myself because I knew he was great.Now I love it.Its like an acquired taste like corn liquor or gasoline 😂. If he ever "clicks"youre in for the greatest catalog of songs ever produced.Most of my friends still dont understand🤣But its ok hes not for everyone.
Great comment. I agree!
...Like Roquefort Cheese
Same here, I forced myself to listen to his, let's say unconventional vocals and now I find it hard to listen to anybody else singing Dylan songs because his voice and phrasing are so unique
@@derekcollins4801 Bryan Ferry made an album named Dylanesque with only covers from Bob Dylan and I just love it. For me there is no best song or artist only great ones and there are a lot of them depending on my mood because it is music that touches your soul in my humble opinion.
What a wonderful episode! You truly know how to tell a story, Adam, whether about a song lyric, an instrument, or how a song touched you or someone like your Dad, which was especially moving to me when you mentioned that. 🙏🏼🎶
I love Kooper's organ on "I Want You"
Undoubtedly, still the greatest song in the history of the Rock Era.
Another awesome Rock n Roll History lesson thanks Professor.
🎶🎤🎸🎸🎹🥁🎶
Thanks Roger!
Bob Dylan is one of my all time favorite artists. I have most of his albums. He's the G.O.A.T.
Thanks Adam, another great video. Your comment that you were a “lyrics guy” made me realise that after listening to rock music for over 55 years I am a “melody guy” but will now start to pay more attention to the lyrics. I am pushing 70 but never too old to learn something new I guess.
Al Kooper was invited to the session by Tom Wilson.
He showed up with his guitar and after seeing Mike Bloomfield warm up, he lacked it in and went to the control room. When Tom got called away for a phone call Al snuck over to the Hammond.
He played his riff and Bob loved it. Had it turned up in then mix.
Dylan's favorite songwriter was Gordon Lightfoot.
Yeah. He was always pulling the p-ss
Professor, that story about your dad made me smile. Only music has that kind of power.
Positively 4th street and Like a Rolling Stone favorites. Had his earlier albums but those two songs hit me after graduating college. Still do.
Thanks Bob , and Professor!
Like a Rolling Stone, and The Weight -- two of the greatest singles.
I was 15 in August, 1965, on vacation with my folks...in San Francisco, strolling through an art gallery on Market St with my Mom, and Like a Rolling Stone came on the speakers, and I can remember it like it was yesterday. The impact was monumental. Like I can remember exactly where I was (in typing class) when the Kennedy assassination was announced to us.
I've always loved it that he could sing out his nose. If Bob can sing, anybody can.
I agree with you, professor, that his voice is perfect for what he sings. That's true for so many artists who aren't technically great singers. Imagine a pristine voice singing Dylan songs. It's been done of course and it sounds good, but it's not the same as having Dylan's particular voice in his songs. And man, your dad sounds great. ❤️
It would not work as well. Probably the only instance where that would be the case.
He actually tried this. Listen to original recording of Lay Lady Lay.
And this is a bit of speculation, but Bob rewrote Forever Young purposefully using notes from the very bottom of the scale range to the top, maybe in response to critics who were saying he ‘couldn’t sing’. I know about the range because I used to sing it and it was a challenge.
Try Lewis Sings Dylan!! Yeah Gerry Lewis just nails it!!
“ It’s the feeling Man!” Love it.
An amazing song from an amazing talent. Like a Rolling Stone is a personal favorite.