THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
358-Bob Dylan-The Times They Are a-Changin.’
1965-Number 9 single.
Best Bit-At 2.36. It appears that the lyrics are as relevant now as they were when Dylan originally wrote them in 1963, and they probably always will be.
Bob Dylan (see also best songs 792-621-103-36 and 7) was born Robert Allen Zimmerman, on May 24th, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota, St. Louis County, United States, he is a singer, songwriter, painter, and artist. Bob Dylan is one of Pop Music’s most prolific live performers, having played well in excess of 3,000 shows. The ‘Never Ending Tour,’ which began on June 7th, 1988, is the popular name given to his touring schedule, and since 1989 he has been accompanied by the American bassist Tony Garnier, who has sometimes been characterised as his musical director. Like many artists who have played the same song to death, they would prefer to introduce some of their other material in to their shows, more often than not to the dismay of many audience members who come to the concert to hear the songs that they know best. Bob Dylan has been accused of unpredictable performances, as he often alters his arrangements and changes his vocal approach. Those who side with Dylan say that he has found a successful way to ‘present his rich legacy of material,’ but others have criticised his live performances for changing ‘the greatest lyrics ever written so that they are effectively unrecognisable,’ and giving so little to the audience that ‘it is difficult to understand what he is doing on stage at all.’
‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ was the only single released from Bob Dylan’s third studio Album of the same name, from February 1964, the song was written by Bob Dylan, and produced by Tom Wilson (1931-1978.) Bob Dylan wrote the songs lyrics between September and October 1963, as a deliberate attempt to create an anthem for change. He has said, ‘This was definitely a song with a purpose. It was influenced of course by the Irish and Scottish ballads, ‘Come All Ye Bold Highway Men,’ ‘Come All Ye Tender Hearted Maidens.’ I wanted to write a big song, with short concise verses that piled up on each other in an hypnotic way. The ‘Civil Rights Movement’ and the Folk music movement were pretty close for a while and allied together at that time.’
‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ was Bob Dylan’s first Album to consist of only original material. Dylan’s friend, the musician, and author Tony Glover (1939-2019) recalled visiting Dylan’s apartment in September 1963, where he saw a number of song manuscripts, and poems lying on the table. Glover reportedly asked Dylan, ‘What is this sh#t man?’ to which Dylan responded,’ Well, you know, it seems to be what the people like to hear.’ This track and it’s parent Album were produced by Tom Wilson (1931-1978) who is considered one of the most important and innovative producers of all time. He is credited with helping Bob Dylan create a more ‘Rock ‘N Roll’ sound, and worked also as producer for other all time greats, including The Velvet Underground, (see also best songs 401 and 165) and Simon & Garfunkel (see also best songs (529-200-96 and 71.)
Shortly after Bob Dylan had recorded ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22nd, 1963. The next night Dylan opened a concert with ‘The Times They Are a-Changin,’ he told his biographer Anthony Scaduto (1932-2017) ‘I thought wow, how can I open with that song? I’ll get rocks thrown at me, but I had to sing it, my whole concert took off from there. I know I had no understanding of anything. Something had just gone haywire in the country, and they were applauding the song, and I couldn’t understand why they were clapping, or why I wrote the song. I couldn’t understand anything. For me it was just insane.’
‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ is a call to action, and became an anthem for the frustrated youth of the day. It summed up the anti-establishment feelings of people who would later be known as ‘hippies.’ Many of the lyrics are based on the ‘Civil Rights movement’ in the United States. Bob Dylan first recorded ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ in October 1963, and then first performed the song at a ‘Carnegie Hall’ concert in New York, on October 26th that year, using it as his opening number. In the liner notes on the Album, Bob Dylan wrote about ‘The Times They Are a-Changin,’ ‘I wanted to write a big song, some kind of theme song, with short, concise verses that piled up on each other in a hypnotic way. This is definitely a song with a purpose. I knew exactly what I wanted to say and who I wanted to say it to.’ The songs final verse, ‘The order is rapidly fadin’/ And the first one now/ Will later be last/ For the times they are a-changin” has a Biblical feeling, and many critics have connected them with lines in the Gospel of Mark, 10:31, ‘But many that are first shall be last, and the last first.
In 2010 handwritten lyrics to the first four verses of ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ jotted on a scrap of paper by Dylan were sold for $422,500 at a ‘Sotherbys’ sale in New York, the lucky bidder was the contemporary art collector Adam Sender.
‘The line is drawn, the curse 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.”