Top 10 Bob Dylan Songs

It seems impossible, considering the resume of Dylan, but here’s my list of his top 10 tracks.

Freewheelin. Bringing It All Back Home. Highway 61 Revisited. Blonde on Blonde. Blood on the Tracks. The number of Bob Dylan records that have shifted not only the songwriter genre, but the entire music industry in general is staggering. 

There might not be a more influential artist of the 20th century than Dylan. But no, it wasn’t his voice, guitar playing, abilities with the harmonica or performances that made him so special. It was his authentic abilities as a storyteller through song. In fact, his music has been the backbone behind his Nobel Prize in Literature and Presidential Medal of Freedom.

He is more than a music artist; he is a revolutionary. He is an activist. He is the epitome of counterculture. And with this, he has released some of the greatest songs this world has ever heard. Here is a list of his top 10 most impressive works.

10. “Visions of Johanna”

Quite possibly more than any other Dylan song, “Visions of Johanna” dives heavily into the love life of a disgruntled Dylan. Describing a woman named Johanna, who according to the song is an intriguing distant lover, we are introduced to the confusing nature of a lonely man who is seeking the presence of this mysterious figure. The seven minute track is often considered a masterpiece, and Dylanophilies all over the world declare it his best work.

9. “Shelter from the Storm”

Blood on the Tracks is an album that is beyond personal to a previously secretive Dylan. Written during the time of his estrangement with his former wife Sara, “Shelter from the Storm” provides an analogy of his divorce in which a man was seeking, you guessed it, shelter from a dangerous storm. His prayers were answered when a woman provided him that desired shelter. It’s an emotional song, and is presented in a way to where that shelter is no longer available to him.

8. “The Times They Are Changin'”

A song on his third album, which holds the same name as this highlighted song, “The Times They Are Changin”’ is a nod to the counterculture movement, one in which Dylan believes those outside will never be able to fully grasp. Highlighting critics, congressman and parents, Dylan notes that the shift in culture was an inevitable that little to anyone was capable of preventing. And perhaps, the shift was for the best when considering morality.

7. “Hurricane”

Possibly his most powerful civil rights song, “Hurricane” is completely and fully a story. It tells of a black man within a town who is accused and convicted of murder, despite the insufficent evidence that the town uses as proof. While the message is beyond captivating, it is also his techniques in terms of background vocals and fast paced percussion that keeps listeners fully engaged with the material.

6. “Desolation Row”

A personal favorite of mine, “Desolation Row” is a marathon of music unlike anything seen before. Essentially, the tune is a 12-minute nod to Dylan’s literary influences, whether those be fictional influences such as Biblical characters and Shakespearan protagonists or historical influences such as T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound. Yet beyond this, it’s Dylan’s abilities to incorporate his own poetic lyricism that makes this one such an ambitious classic.

5. “Blowin’ In the Wind”

Released during the prime of the civil rights movement, “Blowin’ In the Wind” would appear to be Dylan’s most recognizable protest song. Countless upon countless attempts have been made to determine exactly what the verse “The answer my friend/is blowin’ in the wind” truly resembles. Yet, the accepted interpretation is that the answer towards the troubling social nature within American culture at the time was simply all around and right in front of them. Either way, as Mavis Staples so perfectly puts it, it was a piece that perfectly embodied the frustrations and ambitions of African-Americans at the time.

4. “Like a Rolling Stone”

Ranked No. 1 on Rolling Stones’ “500 Greatest Songs Of All Time” list, this Dylan classic is mostly celebrated for its musical techniques, as the use of electrical licks and organ chords meshed perfectly with the raspy voice of Dylan. In fact, it is nearly impossible to place this song in a particular genre. It combines blues, folk, and rock, and it is the tune that transitioned Dylan from a folk genius to a musical monarch.

3. “Tangled Up in Blue”

How is it possible to describe a near perfect song? Not only is it such a good listen, but once again Dylan’s lyrics take center stage as it is one of his strongest attempts when working through this idea of multi-dimensional lyricism. Through this, we are told of the complexities of a relationship that can be confounded with Dylan’s incredible imagery, rhyme, tempo and, of course, a tone that can only be understood through intense longing.

2. “Mr. Tambourine Man”

One of Dylan’s most covered songs, and perhaps it is The Byrds cover of this tune that is widely recognized as the best Dylan cover of all time. But, of course, nothing can beat the original. Again, interpretation is highly speculative about this song, yet it is one of Dylan’s most philosophical songs. It seems to appeal to this idea of transcendency, or finding an experience beyond the physical world. In the song, it is Dylan’s focus on Mr. Tambourine that allows him to find both inspiration through art but also through transcendent experience, which is evident with lines such as “take me on a trip upon your magic swirling ship.” 

1. “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall”

It’s a warning song. It’s the tune that is Dylan’s call for an immediate action. Truly, it is his most intense track, but intense in the best possible way. Recorded in a single take, Dylan’s use of verses such as “I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it”, or “Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world”, or “I met a young woman whose body was burning” are used to present one complete idea; the world is in turmoil. But not only in a profoundly sociological lens, but also an environmental lens. The message was ahead of its time, and it is a song that has stood the test of time unlike any other.