We’ve been so busy practicing lately that our blogging has been pretty much nonexistent… but I finally have another song of the day! A song that’s been stuck in my head lately is Mr. Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan. So I was never a big Dylan fan, but the more I listened to his music and learned about him, the more I respected his work. I don’t think you can listen to Dylan songs with normal song expectations. His songs are more like poems with music and his vocals are, well, unique. This song has the usual simplistic acoustic guitar and harmonica found on many Dylan recordings but a very catchy melody. The simplicity of the instrumentation with the complexity of the lyrics and a very good melody make this one of my favorite songs of his.
Besides this being a great song, it was a big part of the beginning of folk rock. Before Bob even put this song on an album, The Byrds did a cover converting it to more of a rock song. It included vocal harmonies and a 12-string electric guitar, setting it apart from the Dylan version. This song was much shorter than the original, and it got immediate radio play and pretty much created the genre of folk rock. I guess I have this song to thank for the genre of many of my favorite songs.
Thanks! »