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How Did Bob Dylan Influence American Culture

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Bob Dylan, one of the most accomplished singer-songwriters in the music world, has greatly influenced and is still influencing American culture and the music world. Over the past several decades, Bob Dylan has produced many inspirational songs with various artistic music styles. As we examine his profound influence on multiple areas of American music culture, it is important to consider different ways Boy Dylan’s music has changed over the past decades. In my opinion, Dylan’s changes can be classified into three phases: the experimental phase where Dylan tries to find his own voice through covering and honoring other great artists’ works across different music genres, the “protest” phase where Dylan expresses his concern about civil rights …show more content…

“One set of love-and-betrayal songs - "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” "Sara," and "Idiot Wind" - spans a ten-year-period, addressing a woman that bears a resemblance to his now ex-wife Sara Lowndes”(O’Dair). Particularly, the song “Sara” directly uses his now ex-wife, Sara Lownds,’s name. Dylan expressed his complexed love for Sara in this song: “…Sara, Sara,/ Sweet virgin angel, sweet love of my life,/ Sara, Sara,/ Radiant jewel, mystical wife…”. In addition, the lyrics also references to "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” and even the Chelsea Hotel where they were staying in at the time. In addition, "Visions of Johanna”, which many people consider as one of Dylan's masterpiece, has been suspected to be associated with his former lover Joan Baez. Even though people were disappointed at Dylan at first for stopping writing “protest” folk songs, people later argues Blonde on Blonde and Desire, the two albums contain these songs with Dylan’s personal life, as some of Dylan’s best albums and the greatest rock albums. However, it is arguable whether Dylan stopped writing “protest” songs, or Dylan just conveyed his concerns on civil rights more vaguely and

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