85 Reasons to Love Bob Dylan
In celebration of Bob Dylan’s 85th birthday, I created a list of 85 reasons to love him. Dylan’s work is so expansive that any list of superlatives, whether focused on his performances, accomplishments, influence, would be incomplete. This is not only true because he continues to add to his body of work, but also because what he’s already given us unfolds and reveals itself in new ways each time we return to it. And, every time we do, we gain a deeper understanding of its scale, its beauty, and its ability to surprise us. Dylan’s canon isn’t a static archive of completed works. It is a living body of art that continues to speak to us in new ways because it can never be exhausted. After seven-decades, he is America’s greatest living artist.
The list is in no particular order, and I invite you to add your reasons to love Bob Dylan in the comments.
1. His commitment to reshaping American folk, blues, and gospel traditions keeps them alive in our contemporary music.
2. The bluesy version of “Blowin’ in the Wind” from The Bootleg Series Volume 11: The Complete Basement Tapes.
3. His longest-tenured band member and the anchor of the band, bassist Tony Garnier.
4. His 1994 Performance in Nara, Japan.
5. The opening line of “Desolation Row.” https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/desolation-row/
6. His 1984 interview with Martha Quinn.
7. His deep understanding of race in America.
8. The lessons he took from Norman Raeben taught him to collapse time into non-linear, visual storytelling that influenced his music and filmmaking.
9. “Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie”
10. He really wants to know “who threw the glass?”
11. His live performances aren’t merely jukebox versions of his songs. They are improvisational and interpretive arrangements, demonstrating that his songs are not fixed objects, but a living practice that he renews with each performance.
12. His 2022 contract rider: https://www.news-gazette.com/arts-entertainment/music/inside-bob-dylan-s-rider-no-recording-performance-entering-venue-during-songs-talapia-trout-dull/article_32cc063c-f3a9-5ca8-961e-a7b7f639a25c.html
13. His sense of humor – including lyrics, dad jokes, press conferences, etc.
14. His message to fans on March 27, 2020. https://www.legacyrecordings.com/2020/03/27/message-from-bob-dylan/
15. His encyclopedic knowledge of history, literature, philosophy, and storytelling elevated lyrics to literature and influenced generations of songwriters.
16. He’s a good father. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/10/arts/dylan-breaks-silence-on-my-dad.html?unlocked_article_code=1.klA.Pc-u.vvd5RxztvpKJ&smid=nytcore-ios-share
17. His eyes are still blue.
18. He kept playing during the “Soy Bomb” incident at the 1998 Grammy Awards.
19. The Philosophy of Modern Song.
20. He invited Scarlett Rivera to join the Rolling Thunder Revue.
21. His support of farmers through Farm Aid. While on stage at Live Aid in July 1985, Dylan commented that he hoped some of the funds raised would go to “pay the mortgages on some of the farms that farmers owe to the banks here.” As a result, Willie Nelson spearheaded the group that organized a concert to raise funds for struggling American farmers.
22. His January 12, 1990 performance at Toad’s Place.
23. The Bootleg Series allows us to see his process and to hear rare and unreleased songs.
24. He showed up for “We Are the World.”
25. His deep friendship with and respect for Patti Smith.
26. The litany of musicians he’s played, collaborated, or toured with.
27. His first Billboard Hot 100 hit came in 2020 when he released “Murder Most Foul.”
28. “Brownsville Girl” written in collaboration with Sam Shepard.
29. His collaborations with Martin Scorsese on No Direction Home and The Rolling Thunder Revue.
30. Shadow Kingdom
31. He adored his mother.
32. His 2015 MusiCares speech. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-grammys-2015-transcript-of-bob-dylans-musicares-person-of-year-speech-20150207-story.html
33. Renaldo and Clara
34. Christmas in the Heart.
35. His collaborations, complicated relationship with, and history with Joan Baez.
36. Great White Wonder was the first bootleg and, thus, created a new market.
37. The “Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love)” video.
38. “That thin, wild mercury sound.”
40. He loves baseball. https://bob-dylan.org.uk/archives/26418 Thanks to Tony Atwood for this great article.
41. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2016/summary/
42. When he was at the height of his career, he took time off to convalesce after his motorcycle accident, to spend time with his family, and redirect his career.
43. His ironwork. https://bobdylanart.com/artworks/categories/8-ironworks/
44. The “Queens of Rhythm.”
45. His performance for Pope John Paul II.
46. His close friendship and collaborations with Johnny Cash.
47. The 1965 San Francisco press conference.
48. Eat the Document.
49. His appearance on Dharma and Greg.
50. In the late 60s, when most artists went psychedelic, Dylan released country albums.
51. His performance on MTV’s Unplugged in 1995.
52. His depth and emotional quality of his singing voice.
53. The punch.
54. The bond he developed with the members of the Band on tour provided the foundation for their “basement laboratory” in which they played traditional roots music, experimented, and wrote together resulting in The Basement Tapes.
55. The backup singers during the Gospel Era (1979-1981).
56. His sartorial choices – polka dots, stripes, leather, Nudie suits, hats, earrings…
57. The Rolling Thunder Revue tour.
58. His wit and wordplay.
59. His late-career music, writing, radio show, performances, painting, films, and sculpture.
60. His cover of “A Rainy Night in Soho” in Dublin, November 2025.
61. His appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1984.
62. Theme Time Radio Hour.
63. His commitment to his artistic development and vision.
64. His philanthropy. philanthropydaily.com/what-can-bob-dylan-teach-us-about-the-giving-pledge/
65. His July 6, 1963, performance at a voter-registration rally in Greenwood, Mississippi.
66. He’s kind to children. Special thanks to Ray Padgett for his great interview that revealed this story.
67. His appearance on Pawn Stars.
68. Don’t Look Back.
69. His work ethic.
70. He’s Lucky Wilbury.
71. The Gospel Era.
72. He was detained by police in Long Branch, New Jersey. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2009/08/bob_dylan_stopped_by_cops_whov.html
73. No Direction Home.
74. When he went electric, he changed the course of music.
75. Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde – the 1960s electric trilogy.
76. “Song to Woody.”
77. His new Patreon in which he posts letters that were never sent.
78. He wishes his friends “Happy Birthday” on social media.
79. His Nobel Prize lecture.
80. The Isle of Wight performance.
81. Live at Budokan!
82. His collaboration with Robert Hunter, “Silvio.” I will die on this unpopular hill.
83. Chronicles: Volume 1.
84. The cover songs he played during the Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour.
85. The community of fans, scholars, and critics he and his work have created.
86. He inspired Infinity Goes Up on Trial!
I love this list. You never have to apologize for "Silvio" to me!