Aretha with no goals, eternally single & one step soft of heaven/ let it be understood that she owns this melody along with her emotional diplomats & her earth & her musical secrets
Bob DylanRead
My songs are personal music, they're not communal. I wouldn't want people singing along with me. It would sound funny. I'm not playing campfire meetings. I don't remember anyone singing along with Elvis, Carl Perkins or Little Richard.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Bob Dylan emphasizes the individuality of his music and the personal connection he feels with his songs.
In this quote, Bob Dylan expresses the idea that his music is deeply personal and serves as an intimate reflection of his experiences and feelings. He contrasts his artistic expression with the notion of communal singing, suggesting that music can be most powerful when it is intimate and does not require audience participation, unlike traditional campfire songs. Dylan's reference to legendary artists emphasizes his belief in the uniqueness of personal art rather than collective experiences.
Themes
MusicPersonalArtistic ExpressionIndividualityAuthenticity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about creativity, quoting Bob Dylan can illustrate the importance of personal expression in art.
More from Bob Dylan
All quotes →If I wasn't Bob Dylan, I'd probably think that Bob Dylan has a lot of answers myself.
Bob DylanRead
Some formulas are too complex and I don't want anything to do with them.
Bob DylanRead
I'm the oldest son of a crazy man, I'm in a cowboy band.
Bob DylanRead
I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes. You'd know what a drag it is to see you.
Bob DylanRead
That's another way of writing a song, of course. Just talking to somebody that ain't there. That's the best way. That's the truest way. Then it just becomes a question of how heroic your speech is. To me, it's something to strive after.
Bob DylanRead
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My voice is unadorned. I don't try for perfection. I try to be honest and truthful and soulful with the voice I have. If I make mistakes in notes, or there are cracks in notes, I don't fix them. That's the way it is.
Neil DiamondRead
How I envy writers who can work on aeroplanes or in hotel rooms. On the run I can produce an article or a book review, or even a film script, but for fiction I must have my own desk, my own wall with my own postcards pinned to it, and my own window not to look out of.
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In the best of all possible worlds, directors would obsess about the quality of their storytelling, and not the details of their technical methods.
Roger EbertRead
Work is what you do for others, liebchen. Art is what you do for yourself.
Stephen SondheimRead