Like a Rolling Stone Totally Explained

Everything about Like A Rolling Stone totally explained

"Like a Rolling Stone" is a song by Bob Dylan from the album Highway 61 Revisited. Based on a short story written by Dylan, the song was recorded and released as a single in 1965. It is one of Dylan's best-known and most influential songs.
It has received criticism by Dylan fans for its harder rock sound, a noticeable difference from Dylan's earlier folk music. However, the song changed the music world and pop culture, as well as Dylan's image and iconic status. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it the greatest song of all time. In his 1988 speech inducting Dylan into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bruce Springsteen remembered about the song, "The first time I heard Bob Dylan, I was in the car with my mother listening to WMCA, and on came that snare shot that sounded like somebody had kicked open the door to your mind".

Recording

The basis of "Like a Rolling Stone" was a twenty-page story written by Dylan. It was, according to him, "just a rhythm thing on paper all about my steady hatred, directed at some point that was honest." The song was originally written in 3/4 (waltz) time, and with a length of 1:36, was much shorter than the released 4/4 version.
   The song was recorded by Dylan on June 15, 1965, and concluded the next day. The recording took place in Studio A of Columbia Records in New York City, and was produced by Tom Wilson.
   The musicians included Mike Bloomfield on guitar, Al Kooper on organ, Paul Griffin on piano, Josef Mack on bass, and Bobby Gregg on drums. However, Wilson wasn't present at the time when Kooper sat down with his guitar with the other musicians. By the time Wilson returned, Kooper was away in the control room. Wilson moved Griffin from hammond organ to piano. Kooper then went to Wilson, saying that he'd a good part for the organ. Wilson belittled Kooper's organ abilities but, as Kooper later said, "He just sort of scoffed at me....He didn't say no—so I went out there." Wilson agreed when he saw Kooper on the organ.
   On the first day of recording, five takes of the song were done; however, the song was never completed in its entirety. There was no sheet music; the recording was utter chaos.
   On day two of recording, two rehearsal takes and fifteen takes were completed. Take four would be the master take, the take that would appear on the Highway 61 Revisited album. Take four was the only time that the song was ever "found". After this take was completed, Wilson said happily, "That sounds good to me." In the last take, the musicians lost the beat after "tricks for you", and poorly finished the rest of the song, ending the session. During the playback, Dylan asked Wilson to turn up the organ in the mix. Wilson replied, "Hey man, that cat's not an organ player." Dylan was beginning to tire of Wilson: "Hey, now don't tell me who's an organ player and who's not . . . Just turn the organ up," he ordered. According to Kooper, "that was the moment I became an organ player!"

Release and live performances

"Like a Rolling Stone" was released as a 45 rpm single on July 20, 1965. The song's six-minute length caused Columbia Records to reject its release as a single. Bob Johnston, Dylan's new producer, released the song anyway. Despite its length, it became Dylan's biggest hit to that date, When released, the first two verses and two refrains were put on one side of the vinyl, while the rest of the song was put on the other side. That way, if an emcee wanted to play the whole song, he or she could simply flip the vinyl over.
Dylan first performed the song live at the Newport Folk Festival on July 25, 1965. Mike Bloomfield, Dylan's guitarist, said that the singer wore "rock'n'roll clothes". The audience denounced Dylan for his use of electric guitars; they felt that it marked his entry into the world of, as Bloomfield puts it, "greasers, heads, dancers, people who got drunk and boogied.", Biograph, The Essential Bob Dylan, and Dylan. An early, incomplete studio recording was included on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991, and The Band's Rock of Ages.

Theme

The song's lyrics don't clearly identify the subject; one common school of thought centers on Edie Sedgwick, an actress and model. Sedgwick is often identified as a figure in other Dylan songs of the time, particularly "Just Like a Woman" from Blonde on Blonde. However, Dylan is believed to have begun an association with Sedgwick in the autumn of 1965, after "Like a Rolling Stone" was recorded, while a Sedgwick biography places their first meeting in Christmas 1964. Joan Baez has also been considered a possible target of Dylan's words.

Cover versions

Many artists have covered "Like a Rolling Stone". Johnny Thunders' version appears on his album Born Too Lose: The Best of Johnny Thunders. The Four Seasons covered the song on their album The 4 Seasons Sing Big Hits by Burt Bacharach/Hal David/Bob Dylan. The Rascals recorded "Like a Rolling Stone" on their eponymous album The Young Rascals. Pop artist Cher covered the song on her album The Sonny Side of Cher. Jimi Hendrix played a version live at the Monterey Pop Festival. Judy Collins covered "Like a Rolling Stone" in her album Judy Sings Dylan... Just Like a Woman. The Rolling Stones performed the song on their Stripped album.
The song has also been covered in various languages. Lars Winnerbäck did a performance of the song in Swedish called "Som en hemlös själ", literally "Like a Homeless Soul". Articolo 31 covered an Italian version called "Come una Pietra Scalciata".

Legacy

The song has influenced popular culture and pop music across the United States. The success of the single's release, following other successful Dylan singles and covers, made Dylan a pop icon, in addition to his status as a folk singer.
Many aspects of the song influenced music that followed. Dylan's raw voice, which is compared to Muddy Waters', displays the "personal accusation"
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine declared "Like a Rolling Stone" the greatest song of all time, declaring, "No other pop song has so thoroughly challenged and transformed the commercial laws and artistic conventions of its time." When asked about the accolade in his 2004 interview with Ed Bradley on 60 Minutes, Dylan was bemused, saying he never paid attention to such polls, as they changed frequently:
� Bradley: "But as a pat on the back, Bob..."

Dylan: "This week it is. But, you know, who's to say how long that's gonna last?"

Further Information

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