10 Best Bob Dylan Songs

Here are my favorites:

1. Don’t Think twice it’s Alright
2. Rainy Day Women
3. Highway 61 Revisited
4. Queen Jane Aproximently
5. Maggie’s Farm
6. Lay Lady Lay
7. The Man in Me
8. Masters of War
9. Like a Rolling Stone
10. Subterranean homesick blues

Not in order:

All Along the Watchtower
Highway 61 Revisted
A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Like a Rolling Stone
Forever Young
Not Dark Yet
Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Outlaw Blues
Visions of Johanna

Absolute no 1, though considered mainstream:

Like a Rolling Stone

from there:

Ballad of a Thin Man
Desolation Row
Queen Jane Approximately (you can tell i’m a highway fan)
Just Like A Woman
The Times they are a-changing
Mr. Tambourine Man
Stuck inside of mobile with the memphis blues again
Masters of war
the man in me

Tangled up in Blue is my favourite. Idiot Wind is somewhere up there too.

In no particular order:

1. Like a Rolling Stone
2. Subterranean Homesick Blues
3. Visions of Johanna
4. Idiot Wind
5. I’m Not There
6. High Water (for Charley Patton)
7. Shelter from the Storm
8. Desolation Row
9. Cold Irons Bound
10. Blind Willie McTell

jesus, this is hard to narrow down.

in no particular order:
1. cold irons bound
2. stuck inside of mobile with the memphis blues again
3. it takes a lot to laugh, it takes a train to cry
4. oxford town
5. in my time of dyin’
6. boots of spanish leather
7. subterranean homesick blues
8. tangled up in blue
9. two soldiers
10. not dark yet
and one for good measure: changing of the guard

I love Bob Dylan, but why is there a thread of Bob Dylan top 10 lists in a movie forum?

I couldn’t pick just ten but interestingly enough two of my all time favourite Dylan songs were not originally on any album:

Series of Dreams
Blind Willie McTell

A few of my other favourites (from the Blood On The Tracks album):

Buckets of Rain
Simple Twist Of Fate
Shelter From The Storm

And from the Bringing It All Back Home album:

It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

I love Bob Dylan but I only have four of his albums so I don’t know his music all that well. This is a rough list in alphabetical order:

4th Time Around
A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
Girl From The North Country
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
Like A Rolling Stone
Most Likely You Go Your Way And I’ll Go Mine
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
Visions of Johanna
Workingman’s Blues #2

stuck inside of mobile with the memphis blues again
it’s all over now baby blue
love minus zero
knockin’ on heaven’s door
tangled up in blue
desolation row
queen jane approximately
not dark yet
everything is broken
all the tired horses

Any talk of Bob Dylan’s great songs must tip the hat to Visions of Johanna, his masterpiece.

1. Visions of Johanna
2. Idiot Wind
3. Like A Rolling Stone
4. Masters of War
5. She Belongs to Me
6. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
7. Tangled Up in Blue
8. Isis
9. Simple Twist of Fate
10. Subterranean Homesick Blues

1. It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
2. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
3. Who Killed Davey Moore
4. Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again
5. Spanish Harlem Incident
6. Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues
7. Ballad of a Thin Man
8. Black Diamond Bay
9. Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat
10. The Mighty Quinn

It’s hard to think of 10 Dylan songs I’m all that anxious to hear ever again.

Still, I’m stunned to see that no one’s yet listed my all-time fave, The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll—which, aside from the doggerel that comprises the chorus, (“And you who philosophize disgrace…”) is likely the finest song of his early period.

Other than that, I’ll take Sooner Or Later and Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands off of Blonde On Blonde, and The Groom’s Still Waiting At the Altar, and leave the rest alone.

Dylan owes Pennebaker a world of thanks for making him the center of the most affecting artifact from the mid 60’s; for my money, Don’t Look Back is a more rewarding investment of one’s time than any Dylan song or album on its own.

EDIT: Luke’s post wasn’t up when I began writing mine.

Wow, this is an incredibly hard one. But here are some of my favorites:

Desolation Row
Like A Rolling Stone
Ballad of a Thin Man
Things Have Changed
Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
One More Cup of Coffee
Just Like a Woman
Queen Jane Approximately
I Dreamed I Saw Saint Augustine
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

Blind Willie McTell
Hurricane
Jokerman
Things Have Changed

For some reason Dylan never clicked with me. His earlier work I enjoy, but I’ve always preferred Neil Young.

Bob Dylan’s Dream

Here are the lyrics:

While riding on a train going west
I fell asleep for to take my rest
I dreamed a dream that made me sad
Concerning myself and the first few friends I had

With half damp eyes I stared into the room
Where my friends and I spent many an afternoon
We together weathered many a storm
Laughing and singing till the early hours of the morn

By the old wood stove our hats were hung
Our words were told, our songs were sung
Alone, with nothing, we were satisfied
Joking and talking about the world outside

With hungry hearts through the heat and the cold
We never much thought we could get very old
We thought we could live forever in fun
But the chances really were a million to one

As easy it is to tell black from white
It was all that easy to tell wrong from right
And our choices were few so the thought never hit
That the road we all traveled would ever shatter or split

Now many a year has passed and gone
And many a gamble has been lost or won
And many a road taken by many a first friend
And each one I’ve never seen again

I wish, I wish, I wish my friend
That we could sit simply in that room again
Ten thousand dollars at the drop of a hat
I’d give it all gladly if our lives could be like that

Argh Bob’s 10 best songs is realllly tough. I’m going to cheat and do 12. In no particular order:

It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
I Want You
Just Like A Woman
If You See Her, Say Hello
Positively 4th Street
Girl From the North Country (Nashville Skyline version)
Queen Jane Approximately
Like A Rolling Stone
Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again
Mr. Tambourine Man
Tangled Up In Blue
Gates of Eden

blind willie mctell
standing in the doorway
angelina
ring them bells
idiot wind
dark eyes
every grain of sand
where are you tonight? (journey through dark heat)
love minus zero/no limit
mississippi

This changes on an almost daily basis for me, but here’s my current top 10.

Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
Idiot Wind
Mississippi
Workingman’s Blues #2
Sara
Shooting Star
Not Dark Yet
Like A Rolling Stone
My Back Pages
Huck’s Tune

In The Garden (Bob Dylan in Concert, 1986)
Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again
Queen Jane Approximately
Desolation Row
Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Went To See The Gypsy
Just Like A Woman
Most Likely You Go Your Way And I’ll Go Mine
Visions of Johanna

1 It’s All Over Now Baby Blue
2 Stuck Outside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
3 Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
4 Cold Irons Bound
5 I Want You
6 Tangled Up in Blue
7 Boots of Spanish Leather
8 One More Cup of Coffee
9 Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
10 Lay Lady Lay

How about 5 best Dylan albums?

1) Highway 61 Revisited
2) Blood on the Tracks
3) Blonde on Blonde
4) Bringing it All Back Home
5) Desire

No particular order:

Black Diamond Bay
Marchin’ to the City
Desolation Road
Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
One More Cup of Coffee
Series of Dreams
Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat
Like a Rolling Stone
Idiot Wind

And for albums..

No particular order:

Bringing it All Back Home
Tell Tale Signs (bootleg series 8)
Highway 61 Revisited
Live 1966 (bootleg series 4)
Blood on the Tracks

here’s 9

“Like a Rolling Stone”
“Tombstone Blues”
“It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry”
“From a Buick 6”
“Ballad of a Thin Man”
“Queen Jane Approximately”
“Highway 61 Revisited”
“Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”
“Desolation Row”

1. Visions of Johanna

…went slightly overboard, but with over 500 to choose from, I couldnt stop at 10…

Abandoned Love : circa DESIRE
Blind Willie McTell : circa INFIDELS
Desolation Row : HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED
Every Grain Of Sand : SHOT OF LOVE
I’ll Keep It With Mine : circa BLONDE ON BLONDE
I’m Not There : circa THE BASEMENT TAPES
If You See Her, Say Hello : BLOOD ON THE TRACKS
Isis : DESIRE
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue : BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME
Like A Rolling Stone : HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED
Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll : THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’
Masters Of War : THE FREEWHEELIN’ BOB DYLAN
Mr. Tambourine Man : BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME
Ring Them Bells : OH MERCY
Visions Of Johanna : BLONDE ON BLONDE
With God On Our Side : THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’

Surely, just as impossible with an artist as prolific and as important as Dylan to limit to ten – just like one’s ten favorite films. Here is a quick list, with many of the usual suspects, as mentioned above.

1. The Times They are a Changin’
2. Mr. Tambourine Man
3. Just Like a Woman
4. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
5. Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
6. All Along the Watchtower
7. Tombstone Blues
8. Ballad of a Thin Man
9. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
10. Lily, Rosemary & the Jack of Hearts

The quintessential Dylan