Hello blog. My fellow classmates are probably aware that this is the third blog post we’ve had to write in Professor Santos’ class thus far. It was easy for me to decide on what I was going to write about for the last two posts because they were based on personal experiences/knowledge in which I could connect in some way to a discussion from class. I didn’t have to think much about what my options were for topics because an idea just clicked, but I knew I had to come up with something today. Then, a thought stumbled upon my brain. Would our generation appreciate the message Bob Dylan portrayed through his music just as much now as it was then and what about his music may people not like as much now? Would the connection to his music be equally strong?
For starters, I believe Dylan’s music would be just as appreciated and influential now if he spoke of the current issues of our time such as gun violence and racial segregation, which has been around since the beginning of time. The obstacles our nation faces today are just as serious as the ones we dealt with in the mid to late 1900’s. Songs that speak up will be moving to a body of people regardless of the era.
As far as the type of music Bob Dylan creates compared to what the general population enjoys listening to today, the two stand apart. Although there are definitely people who continue to listen to Dylan’s folky approach, I see them as being older individuals who may be more educated on his success and who were living in the time period when his music was most prominent (as much of a stereotype that may be). Nowadays, music is all about rap/hip-hop, pop and EDM. You probably won’t be hearing as many young adults with their windows down listening to Bob Dylan.
However, our ability to connect to the music of an artist such as himself regardless of the style he chooses would be equivalent to what it was 50+ years ago. Behind the ethnic tunes are words that will take you back to moments of despair and words from the heart, although it is possible that “heartfelt” was not the case in many of Dylan’s songs. We briefly discussed in class about how the underlying message was often staged which can make the music seem less authentic. Ultimately, Bob Dylan’s music was nothing like that of others when his career began which makes him so unique even to this day.
I really enjoyed reading your blog post this week, mainly because it was different. It made me think about how if certain musicians didn't become famous when they did, would they still have in another time? If their career was based on the music they produced and if they were only successful because of the surrounding events.
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