Bob Dylan’s Oxford Town Impacts All Around
analytical Essay
1145 words
“Two men died beneath the Mississippi moon.” Don’t fret the death mentioned because this is an influential quote from Bob Dylan’s song Oxford Town. This is a song about a Mississippi student trying to enroll into college, which led to raised emotions of his rights to being admitted. Bob Dylan, the artist who wrote and sang the song, influenced many people of all ages with his music. His music was commonly written on highly debated and touchy topics such as segregation and the Vietnam War. Overall, Bob Dylan was at the head of the impacts of music at the time, which could ultimately lead to resolutions of major issues. Bob Dylan’s great skills with music influenced many people, which resulted in a song that is not commonly known, but is immensely effective called Oxford Town.
Although Dylan was immensely talented, he had to start somewhere. Dylan was born Robert Allan Zimmerman and in the city of Duluth, Minnesota. His family moved around to adjust for jobs which caused Dylan to not like where he lived therefore he ran away more various times before finally leaving home at 18. He lived off of the roads with minimal education, but focusing on his love and passion for music (The H.W. Wilson Company). At this time and so on in his life, Dylan’s songs would hit the topics that were stressed at the time. His songs were labeled as social protest songs with the genre of Folk and later forming to Folk-Rock (ABCCLIO Interactive). Bob Dylan’s major success came once he was found and represented by a “folk-music critic of New York Times, Robert Shelton” (The H.W. Wilson Company). Dylan began his fame in the world playing his guitar, harmonica, or piano and even created the stage name Bob Dylan during his years shortly after high school (ABCCL...
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...sage, for people to begin to take notice and reason out actions of civil equality between not only blacks and whites but all people. Dylan stands by his belief of the relevance that his songs, even Oxford Town, are to the society during the time written and future years for as long as it is heard. To conclude Dylan’s ballad, his influences are neither gone, nor disappearing, but he continues to ask in the lyric, “Why doesn't somebody investigate soon” (Oxford Town).
Works Cited
ABCCLIO Interactive. Bob Dylan. 1 January 2001. 22 April 2014 .
Doyle, Jack. Only A Pawn in Their Game. 13 October 2008. 25 April 2014 .
Oxford Town by Bob Dylan. n.d. 25 April 2014 .
The H.W. Wilson Company. "Dylan, Bob." 1972. Ebsco Host. 21 April 2014 .
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how bob dylan's song, oxford town, influenced many people of all ages with his music. his music was commonly written on highly debated and touchy topics such as segregation and the vietnam war.
- Explains that dylan was born robert allan zimmerman in duluth, minnesota. his family moved around to adjust for jobs which caused him to not like where he lived; his songs were labeled as social protest songs with the genre of folk.
- Analyzes how dylan's song, oxford town, was created because of a magazine called broadside. the song grew in popularity due to its relevance to the race, violence, and civil rights issues at the time.
- Explains that the lyrics of oxford town are only touched upon with the relations of this one incident.
- Analyzes how dylan's lyrics provide a sense of emotion from one point of view, but overall give background information and influence to the whole society on all civil rights violence.
- Describes doyle, jack. only a pawn in their game.
- Analyzes how dylan's song, oxford town, touches on several topics of the event and leaves a lasting effect on those who listen to the lyrics.
Related
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- Bob Dylan Influenceexplanatory essayBob Dylan started his life as Robert Zimmerman from Duluth, Minnesota and raised in Hibbing from the age of six. He first learned how to play guitar and harmonica, deciding to start a band called the Golden Chords in high school. After graduating in 1959, Bob Dylan would go on to study art at University of Minnesota. It would be his time at college when would start to perform folk music at coffee houses under the name, Bob Dylan. He drew his inspiration and even last name from poet Dylan Thomas. Blues musicians like Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie would influence Dylan’s music. In the Summer of 1960, Dylan would meet blues artist Jesse Fuller where Dylan would pick up the harmonica rack and guitar combination (allmusic.com). By the time of his return, Bob Dylan had grown substantially as an artist and now was determined to become a professional.
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- Explains that bob dylan started his life as robert zimmerman from duluth, minnesota, and raised in hibbing. he first learned how to play guitar and harmonica, deciding to start a band called the golden chords in high school.
- Describes how dylan's gruff charm would win him an impressive fanbase. john harmond found bob dylan and signed him in the fall of 1961.
- Explains that bob dylan's album, full of only original songs, would become huge in the u.s.’s folk community.
- Explains that dylan's songwriting skills had ascended jis new york peers. his songs were inspired by poets like arthur rimbaud and john keats. another side of bob dylan made his new musical additions evident.
- Describes how dylan gifted the byrds with " mr.tambourine man" for their debut album. inspired by such sounds, dylan continued to experiment with his own brand of folk-rock.
- Explains that dylan's new inspirations were drawn from the british invasion. his new album bringing it back home features acoustic pieces, but it was clear rock was his new terrain.
- Explains that dylan's number two hit "like a rolling stone" would be his real breakthrough into the pop audience in 1965.
- Describes how dylan hired the hawks, now known as the band, to be his backing group. they became dylan's most famous backing band because of their intuitive chemistry and "wild thin mercury sound."
- Explains that dylan's motorcycle accident in 1966 was ambiguous, but it was pivotal in his career. after the accident dylan decided to stay home and raise his family with his wife.
- Describes how bob dylan's music was a mix of genres drawn from different times of his life. the basement tapes became the most widely distributed bootleg album.
- Explains that rock music had changed with the introduction psychedelic revolution. dylan's john wesley harding was a hit, ranking number two on the charts.
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- Explains that dylan would go back and forth between bad reviews, remaining dormant, and many "comebacks". then in 1988, he would do the "never-ending tour", which would spill into the late 90's.
- Describes how dylan spent his 90's painting and performing live concerts. after receiving a grammy for best traditional folk album on his record world gone wrong, he released greatest-hits album and released another completely original material until 1997 with time out of mind.
- Opines that bob dylan's contributions to rock music will live on. his nasally voice and six minute hits forced music out of its norms and opened the doors for more unconventional artists.
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- Opines that the outpouring of tribute shown today is testament to that miracle and for that they thank god.
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- Urges everyone to hold their new baby close to them, squeeze the hand of their loved one, and gently kiss their children on their cheek. life and all that goes with it is over before you know it.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that dylan thomas is well known for his philosophical poetry, critical writings, and essays. his strict childhood and middle age life, which was filled with drinking, played a part in shaping his work.
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In this essay, the author
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1524 wordsRead More - Kevin Young’s For the Confederate Deadanalytical essayAs I gazed across the book isles and leaned over carefully to pick one up out of the old dusty vaults of the library, a familiar object caught my eye in the poetry section. A picture in time stood still on this book, of two African American men both holding guitars. I immediately was attracted to this book of poems. For the Confederate Dead, by Kevin Young, is what it read on the front in cursive lettering. I turned to the back of the book and “Jazz“, and “blues” popped out of the paper back book and into my brain. Sometimes you can judge a book by it’s cover, I thought. Kevin Young’s For the Confederate Dead is a book of poems influenced by blues and jazz in the deep rural parts of the south.
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719 wordsRead More