Bob Dylan: Pop Songwriter

Some people, famously, go to Bob Dylan concerts and complain about him not playing the songs they want him to play, which I've always thought is a bit silly, because it is a bit silly.

Equally, it's not like if someone wants Dylan to "play the hits", "the hits" don't exist.

It's something I oddly never really noticed but Bob Dylan wrote a lot of pop songs. He wrote a lot of songs which people have turned into pretty basic big hits.

There are a surprising number of hooks and big choruses.

Some of Bob Dylan's pop songs are quite untransferable - eg I Want You and Like a Rolling Stone - people have covered them, but really and truly, there's not much point, they're his and his alone - lyrically, there's not much you can do with them. But there are quite a lot of his songs which have quite universal, generic sentiments, and people have had their merry way with them.

Almost none of these are the Bob Dylan songs I love, so it's not necessarily surprising I hardly noticed this until recently, but anyway, maybe some people go see Bob Dylan hoping that this will be the setlist.

Mighty Quinn

This Wheel’s on Fire

To Make You Feel My Love

Mr Tambourine Man

All Along the Watchtower

Just Like a Woman

It Ain’t Me Babe

Lay Lady Lay

If Not for You

Forever Young

Knockin on Heaven’s Door

I Shall Be Released

Ring Them Bells

Tears of Rage

Blowin’ in the Wind

Baby Stop Crying

I Threw It All Away

I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight

The Man In Me

Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine

Maggie’s Farm

You Ain’t Goin Nowhere

Rainy Day Women

Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You

If You Gotta Go, Go Now

New Morning

All I Really Wanna Do
What Good Am I