Jack Brophy
Melissa Santos
Music and Social Consciousness
2/17/19
Melissa Santos
Music and Social Consciousness
2/17/19
Analysis of Bob Dylan
Just from doing a small google search about Bob Dylan it is pretty clear that most of his music at least the most popular songs were about social change and political change. In the song “Blowin in the Wind” by Bob Dylan it is a very strong message that you might not pick up on if you are not paying your full attention because of the entertainment it creates in a whole. The song “Blowin in the Wind” by Bob Dylan was created in the year 1962. One piece of the song was “how many times must the cannonballs fly, before there forever banned?” This is just one line and probably the most blatant line about political change. I took this as him asking how many times must we make the same mistake and go to war before we realize that it’s not worth it. Another great part of the song that tries to strike social change is “ the answer my friend is blowing in the wind”. This is a great way to wrap up all of the questions he asked prior and basically say that the answers are out there we just aren’t looking or do not want to look.
I think the delivery of the song was very good for the message of it as a whole. The actual music was very soft and intense. It is great music to complement what Bob Dylan is trying to say in the lyrics without taking the spotlight. The main message of this song is about the protest of the Vietnam War. The first line of the song goes “ how many roads must a man walk down, before you can call him a man”, this stands for the beliefs that people held back in the 60s, it was that any man wasn’t a man until he has been through war. You might not pick up on the meaning of these lines until you get some background information but that’s what makes music interesting, the unknown and want you have to picture in your own mind, and what realizations do you come to on your own. Not only is this song about political change referring to the Vietnam War it is also about social change referring to the African American discrimination. A very powerful line was “ Yes n how many times can some people exist, before they are allowed to be free”, this is a line directly referring to the miscare and inequality of the African Americans at this time. “Yes n how many times must a man turn his head, pretending he just doesn’t see?”, this line is very powerful in the fact that is is referring to the rest of the population including himself for looking the other way when it comes to inequality for African Americans, everyone just bats an eye. Another powerful line in this song is “how many years can a mountain exist, before it is washed to the sea?”, and I think that this line, if I am keeping with the ideas that I have pulled so far stands for the pride of the people that are initiating this war. As the second part of the line suggests that all pride will be washed away at some point in history. “Yes n how many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died”, in this line there is no tiptoeing around the subject or creating “symbols” for his message, he wants to be direct and blatant with the message that he wants to get across to his listeners, and I personally think that is the main way that you spark social or political change, not being afraid of standing up for your beliefs, and having heart.
Just from doing a small google search about Bob Dylan it is pretty clear that most of his music at least the most popular songs were about social change and political change. In the song “Blowin in the Wind” by Bob Dylan it is a very strong message that you might not pick up on if you are not paying your full attention because of the entertainment it creates in a whole. The song “Blowin in the Wind” by Bob Dylan was created in the year 1962. One piece of the song was “how many times must the cannonballs fly, before there forever banned?” This is just one line and probably the most blatant line about political change. I took this as him asking how many times must we make the same mistake and go to war before we realize that it’s not worth it. Another great part of the song that tries to strike social change is “ the answer my friend is blowing in the wind”. This is a great way to wrap up all of the questions he asked prior and basically say that the answers are out there we just aren’t looking or do not want to look.
I think the delivery of the song was very good for the message of it as a whole. The actual music was very soft and intense. It is great music to complement what Bob Dylan is trying to say in the lyrics without taking the spotlight. The main message of this song is about the protest of the Vietnam War. The first line of the song goes “ how many roads must a man walk down, before you can call him a man”, this stands for the beliefs that people held back in the 60s, it was that any man wasn’t a man until he has been through war. You might not pick up on the meaning of these lines until you get some background information but that’s what makes music interesting, the unknown and want you have to picture in your own mind, and what realizations do you come to on your own. Not only is this song about political change referring to the Vietnam War it is also about social change referring to the African American discrimination. A very powerful line was “ Yes n how many times can some people exist, before they are allowed to be free”, this is a line directly referring to the miscare and inequality of the African Americans at this time. “Yes n how many times must a man turn his head, pretending he just doesn’t see?”, this line is very powerful in the fact that is is referring to the rest of the population including himself for looking the other way when it comes to inequality for African Americans, everyone just bats an eye. Another powerful line in this song is “how many years can a mountain exist, before it is washed to the sea?”, and I think that this line, if I am keeping with the ideas that I have pulled so far stands for the pride of the people that are initiating this war. As the second part of the line suggests that all pride will be washed away at some point in history. “Yes n how many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died”, in this line there is no tiptoeing around the subject or creating “symbols” for his message, he wants to be direct and blatant with the message that he wants to get across to his listeners, and I personally think that is the main way that you spark social or political change, not being afraid of standing up for your beliefs, and having heart.
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