For many years, rhythm n’ blues dominated Popular music. Songs by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley rocked the dance floors. These songs were often no longer than 3 minutes, and the subject matter was usually rather predictable

On the other hand, there was Bob Dylan. In the years leading up to 1965, he had firmly established himself as a folk singer. In what was becoming a dense market at the time, Dylan stood out with his gravelly voice and insightful poetry. In just two years, he had polished a myriad of standards that would have lasted many others a lifetime – classics such as Blowin’ In The Wind, Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright, The Times They Are-a Changin’, It Ain’t Me Babe, etc led to him being quickly labelled as the ‘voice of a generation’. Songs like A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall were credited with altering perceptions of how lyrics should be written. Dylan’s stream-of-consciousness style of writing was something he continued to develop into his next phase.

Bob Dylan, 1964 – image taken from Pinterest

The moment Dylan ‘went electric’ remains an iconic moment in music history, mainly due to its very punk-like qualities. He brought a rock n’ roll band to a folk festival – one which he had performed for multiple times in the past. In doing this, not only was he announcing his transition from folk to rock – he had also inadvertently spliced the two genres together. 

Alongside this announcement came what would later be known as Dylan’s ‘electric trilogy’ of albums, which kicked off with Bringing It All Back Home in 1965 and continued with Highway 61 Revisited just a few months later, and concluded with the 1966 double-album Blonde On Blonde. It was here where Dylan threw away whatever pop conventions remained. This was epitomised with the single release of Like A Rolling Stone (taken from Highway 61 Revisited). A medium that was once relegated to three-minute bops accepted Dylan’s six-minute sneering ramble with bewilderment and amazement. Paul McCartney is quoted here: “it seemed to go on and on forever. It was just beautiful … He showed all of us that it was possible to go a little further”.

Bob Dylan, 1966 – image taken from Esquire

Dylan is often credited as the artist who kicked off the ‘album era’, as he was among the first to prioritise the quality of his albums rather than just his single releases. His influence quickly spread – he opened the doors to the concept that pop music can take any form the artist wishes. He also proved that one does not need to have a technically proficient voice to be paid attention to. This has continued to carry over to as far as Billie Eilish. A multitude of artists broke out in the wake of his peak who claimed to be inspired by him. Among them include David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell and even The Beatles. Soon enough, artists from all walks of life were given the inspiration to reach the spotlight and write and perform as they please. 

This freedom would go on to be extended by the work of The Beatles which soon followed.