Nobel laureate Bob Dylan (for literature) wrote a large number of songs during his career to date (which is not over) and continues to do so.
I heard “Maggies Farm” on the radio the other day. For some reason I listened more closely to the lyrics than I had in the recent past and transported back to the nineteen sixties (in my mind at least).
This is a basic protest song. The line ” I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more” sets the tone. We are done working for the man, being driven by the esablishment.
Simply put, I ain’t going to take it no more. Full stop. Ah the idealism. of youth. I won’t say I have grown jaded but while the lyrics are still a interesting listen (great song) the sentiment and protest value is somewhat lost on me.
Deserving of the Nobel Prize?
I was struck by the quality of the music, both lyrics and melody. Bob Dylan has done a fantastic job of story telling throughout his life so far, whether sentimental, political or just a intriguing story I do believe the recently awared prize was fully desderved.
More interesting for me though is how my appreciation of his music seems to have grown. (I have been listening to a number of his albums again over the last several months.)
Am I influenced by the publicity and accolades he has been recieving as of late or are my musical tastes maturing? Historically I appreciated Dylan’s music but would never have classified myself a big fan.
I think it’s probably a bit of both, regardless, I am enjoying my morphing musical tastes albeit they still seem rooted in the decades of the sixties and seventies.
