We called the 1960s, the greatest decade in America, because of the social movement. People from different classes had done something for themselves, such as the civil rights movement, the youth movement, anti-war movement, the women’s movement and so on.
The civil rights movement began when black people spontaneously protested segregation laws and created organizations to make the protests successful. The spontaneously action of one woman, Rosa Parks, who sat down in the white men’s seats in the middle of the bus, was believed to be the true beginning of the civil rights movement. When African American protested against segregation, students formed a “counter-culture”, women was against discrimination, there was a strength power of people to ask for their own rights to let the society more impartial.
Bob Dylan used his arm, music to support these movements. I want to introduce Bob Dylan who is one of the greatest singers in the 20th century. However, his influence in China was less than The Beatles and Rolling Stones. Almost every foreign teacher would ask us, “do you know Bob Dylan”, then cost a long time to introduce him, from which I knew Bob was a big star in America.
Born May 24th, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, Bob Dylan was destined to be a star. His original name, however, was not Bob Dylan. His first name was Robert Allen Zimmerman, but changed it later, when he began to record. But long before Bob Dylan's recording days he was a young man with the ambition to be a musical icon. And it all began in the early forties.
In 1961 is when Bob Dylan made his break through. It is at this time that he was offered a recording contract with Columbia Records. Dylan's first album was to be simply called "Bob Dylan". The album was nothing of what it was expected to be. Dylan had not played his own music on this album, instead he played many traditional folk songs. For his next album, Dylan would turn all of this around. And soon began his era.
Dylan's next album was called "Free Wheelin' Bob Dylan", and it was a masterpiece. The album contained only his own songs and this is what was to make Bob Dylan legendary. The album contained some of the most durable folk songs of the sixties. Such are that of: "A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall", "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and "Blowin' In The Wind". These three songs almost sum up all of Bob Dylan' folk career was. Simply fantastic.
Now I want talk about political in Dylan’s music with his typical “blowing in the wind”. Blowing in the Wind：
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand
How many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they are forever banned
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind
How many years must a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea
How many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free
How many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky
How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry
How many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind
I want to explain this song was for civil movement, not for the anti-war movement. “Blowing in the Wind” was created by Bob Dylan in 1962. The year of 1965 was the delimitation of anti-war songs.
From the lyrics, “How many roads must a man walk down, Before you call him a man”, you know in that time the black both adults and children were called “boy”, a discriminating name, but “man”. Apparently Dylan was singing for the rights of African-American. This feeling also connected with Dylan’s self background. Dylan was born in Jewish family. Because of this Dylan could really understand the unequal attitude to African-American and sympathized to them. From boy to man, African-American cost much to grow up. In the decades, they used the non-violence way and violence way to quest for own rights, to against the segregation. They lost their blood and life, but to leave for their human rights. From this song, I sank in a deep emotion. Dylan asked nine “how many” questions, I knew the weight of peace. “The answer is blowing in the wind.” Why the answer is blowing in the wind? I thought wind was a necessary natural material wherever people could feel. Maybe the answer could spread all over the world by wind, or people who could really understand these movements got the significance at anywhere. There was a great power for folk music to reflect politics, which was a voice for the lowest classes.
Dylan's next album dished out the same kind of protest songs. It was called "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and the title cut was it's main driving force. Some other good songs on the album were that of: "The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll", "Boots of Spanish Leather" and "Restless Farwell". This was a sign of things to come. Bob Dylan was getting tired of being given the throne for protests songs. He came to hate it. And a "Restless Farwell" was his way of saying goodbye to folk.
We honored Dylan and these songs, because he expressed some real thing in public and helped the people who really needed help. Whenever the government supported or opposed, Dylan and his songs in 1960s was blowing in the winds. These songs encouraged these African-American people to fight, to gain own rights.
