
“Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan, widely considered one of the greatest songs in music history:
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🎤 1. Background & Release
Released: July 20, 1965
Album: Highway 61 Revisited
Writer: Bob Dylan
Length: 6 minutes and 13 seconds – unprecedented for radio at the time
Label: Columbia Records
This song marked a turning point in Dylan’s career and in rock history. It saw Dylan shift decisively from acoustic folk to electric rock, shocking audiences (especially at the Newport Folk Festival, 1965).
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📝 2. Lyrics & Meaning
“Like a Rolling Stone” is a scathing commentary on a woman who once lived a life of luxury but now finds herself lost and alone.
Opening line:
"Once upon a time you dressed so fine / You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?"
– sets the tone of faded glamour and downfall.
The chorus: "How does it feel / To be on your own / With no direction home / Like a complete unknown / Like a rolling stone?"
– is one of the most quoted in rock music history.
The lyrics challenge false identity, privilege, and self-delusion. It’s angry, poetic, and raw, capturing 1960s cultural tensions.
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🎸 3. Musical Style
Combines folk rock, electric blues, and garage rock.
The organ riff by Al Kooper and guitar work by Mike Bloomfield were groundbreaking.
Dylan’s aggressive, almost spoken-word vocal delivery helped define a new direction for rock lyrics.
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🏆 4. Cultural Impact
Regarded as one of the most important songs in rock history:
Ranked #1 on Rolling Stone’s original “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list (2004 & 2010).
Ranked #4 on the updated 2021 list, behind Aretha Franklin, Public Enemy, and Sam Cooke.
Helped legitimize rock music as a serious art form.
Inspired countless artists, from The Rolling Stones to Bruce Springsteen to Patti Smith.
Featured in major films, documentaries, and hall-of-fame collections.