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Like a Rolling Stone
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==Legacy== The song's sound has been described as revolutionary in its combination of electric guitar licks, organ chords, and Dylan's voice, at once young and jeeringly cynical.<ref name="Gray413">{{harvnb|Gray|2006|p=413}}</ref> Critic [[Michael Gray (author)|Michael Gray]] described the track as "a chaotic amalgam of blues, impressionism, allegory, and an intense directness in the central chorus: 'How does it feel{{' "}}.<ref name="Gray413"/> The song had an enormous impact on popular culture and rock music. Its success made Dylan a pop icon, as [[Paul Williams (Crawdaddy)|Paul Williams]] notes: {{blockquote|Dylan had been famous, had been the center of attention, for a long time. But now the ante was being upped again. He'd become a pop star as well as a folk star ... and was, even more than the Beatles, a public symbol of the vast cultural, political, generational changes taking place in the United States and Europe. He was perceived as, and in many ways functioned as, a leader.<ref name="Performing artist">{{harvnb|Williams|1991|p=155}}</ref>}} [[Paul Rothchild]], producer of [[the Doors]]' first five albums, recalled the elation that an American musician had made a record that successfully challenged the primacy of the [[British Invasion]] groups. He said, <blockquote>What I realized when I was sitting there is that one of US—one of the so-called [[Greenwich Village|Village]] hipsters—was making music that could compete with THEM—[[the Beatles]], and [[The Rolling Stones|the Stones]], and [[the Dave Clark Five]]—without sacrificing any of the integrity of folk music or the power of rock'n'roll.<ref>{{harvnb|Marcus|2005 (1)|pp=144–145}}</ref></blockquote> The song had a huge impact on [[Bruce Springsteen]], who was 15 years old when he first heard it. Springsteen described the moment during his speech inducting Dylan into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1988 and also assessed the long-term significance of "Like a Rolling Stone": {{blockquote|The first time I heard Bob Dylan, I was in the car with my mother listening to [[WMCA (AM)|WMCA]], and on came that snare shot that sounded like somebody'd kicked open the door to your mind ... The way that Elvis freed your body, Dylan freed your mind, and showed us that because the music was physical did not mean it was anti-intellect. He had the vision and talent to make a pop song so that it contained the whole world. He invented a new way a pop singer could sound, broke through the limitations of what a recording could achieve, and he changed the face of rock'n'roll for ever and ever.<ref name="Bruce springsteen">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1197784,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614165954/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1197784,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 14, 2006 |title=Bob Dylan at 65 |last=Corliss |first=Richard |date=May 24, 2006 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=May 12, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Bauldie|1992|pp=191–192}}</ref>}} Dylan's contemporaries in 1965 were both startled and challenged by the single. [[Paul McCartney]] remembered going around to [[John Lennon]]'s house in [[Weybridge]] to hear the song. According to McCartney, "It seemed to go on and on forever. It was just beautiful ... He showed all of us that it was possible to go a little further."<ref name="Heylin205">{{harvnb|Heylin|2003|p=205}}</ref> [[Frank Zappa]] had a more extreme reaction: "When I heard 'Like a Rolling Stone', I wanted to quit the music business, because I felt: 'If this wins and it does what it's supposed to do, I don't need to do anything else ...' But it didn't do anything. It sold but nobody responded to it in the way that they should have."<ref name="Heylin205"/> Nearly forty years later, in 2003, [[Elvis Costello]] commented on the innovative quality of the single. "What a shocking thing to live in a world where there was [[Manfred Mann]] and [[the Supremes]] and [[Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)|Engelbert Humperdinck]] and here comes 'Like a Rolling Stone{{'"}}.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Elvis |last=Costello |title=What I've Learned |journal=Esquire |date=September 2003}}</ref> Although CBS tried to make the record more "radio friendly" by cutting it in half and spreading it over both sides of the vinyl, both Dylan and fans demanded that the full duration of the recording should be placed on one side and that radio stations play the song in its entirety.<ref name="Crossroads p145.">{{harvnb|Marcus|2005 (1)|p=145}}</ref> The success of "Like a Rolling Stone" was influential in changing the music business convention regarding the length of singles, whereby they were restricted to durations of less than three minutes. In the words of the magazine ''Rolling Stone'', which took its name from the song and the 1950s blues song "[[Rollin' Stone (Muddy Waters song)|Rollin' Stone]]",<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Wenner|first=Jann|author-link=Jann Wenner|date=November 9, 1967|title=A Letter from the Editor|magazine=Rolling Stone|page=2}}</ref><ref name="Deep">{{Cite book|last=Palmer|first=Robert|url=https://archive.org/details/deepblues00palm/page/104|title=Deep Blues|publisher=Penguin Books|year=1981|isbn=0-14-006223-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/deepblues00palm/page/104 104]|url-access=registration}}</ref> "No other pop song has so thoroughly challenged and transformed the commercial laws and artistic conventions of its time, for all time."<ref>''Rolling Stone'', page 66, issue number 963, December 9, 2004</ref> Richard Austin, of [[Sotheby's]] auction house, said: "Before the release of Like a Rolling Stone, music charts were overrun with short and sweet love songs, many clocking in at three minutes or less. By defying convention with six and a half minutes of dark, brooding poetry, Dylan rewrote the rules for pop music."<ref name="Sale">{{cite news|title=Bob Dylan Like a Rolling Stone lyrics to go on sale|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27229983|access-date=May 4, 2014|newspaper=BBC News|date=May 1, 2014}}</ref> In 1966, Dylan told [[Ralph Gleason]]: "Rolling Stone's the best song I wrote."<ref>"The Children's Crusade" by Ralph Gleason, reprinted in {{harvnb|McGregor|1972|p=187}}</ref> In 2004, speaking to [[Robert Hilburn]], Dylan still felt that the song had a special place in his work: "It's like a ghost is writing a song like that, it gives you the song and it goes away. You don't know what it means. Except that the ghost picked me to write the song."<ref>Hilburn, Robert, "How To Write Songs and Influence People" (interview from 2004), ''Guitar World Acoustic'', February 2006, quoted in {{harvnb|Polizzotti|2006|pp=32–33}}</ref> More than 50 years since its release, "Like a Rolling Stone" remains highly regarded among commentators. James Gerard, writing for ''[[AllMusic]],'' characterized the song as "one of the most self-righteous and eloquent indictments ever committed to wax", and declared it significant for beginning a new phase in Dylan's career as a songwriter and performer.<ref>{{Citation |title=Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan - Track Info {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/like-a-rolling-stone-mt0033221747 |language=en |access-date=2023-01-04}}</ref> In an analysis of Dylan's vocal performance in "Like a Rolling Stone" published in ''[[Far Out (magazine)|Far Out]],'' Sam Kemp highlighted the ironic quality his delivery lent the song, while also praising the ambiguity of the lyrics.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-14 |title=Bob Dylan's isolated vocals on 'Like A Rolling Stone' |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/bob-dylans-isolated-vocals-like-a-rolling-stone/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref> "Like a Rolling Stone" generally ranks highly in polls of the greatest songs ever written, measured by reviewers and fellow songwriters. A 2002 ranking by ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' and a 2005 poll in ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' both rated it as Dylan's number one song.<ref>{{cite web |title=Uncut – Top 40 Dylan Tracks|work=Uncut |date=June 2002 |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/uncut.htm#Dylan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209230455/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/uncut.htm#Dylan |url-status=usurped |archive-date=February 9, 2006 |access-date=October 16, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Mojo">{{cite web |title=100 Greatest Dylan Songs|work=Mojo |date=November 2005|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo_p4.htm#Bob%20Dylan%20Songs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060214175208/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo_p4.htm#Bob%20Dylan%20Songs |url-status=usurped |archive-date=February 14, 2006 |access-date=October 16, 2009}}</ref> As for his personal views on such polls, Dylan told [[Ed Bradley]] in a 2004 interview on ''[[60 Minutes]]'' that he never pays attention to them, because they change frequently.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Dylan Looks Back|series=60 Minutes|series-link=60 Minutes|air-date=December 5, 2004}}</ref> Dylan's point was illustrated in the "100 Greatest Songs of All Time poll" by ''Mojo'' in 2000, which included two Dylan singles, but not "Like a Rolling Stone". Five years later, the magazine named it his number one song.<ref name="Mojo" /><ref>{{cite web |title=100 Greatest Songs of All Time|work=Mojo |date=August 2000|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo.html#100%20Greatest |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051207104904/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo.html#100%20Greatest |url-status=usurped |archive-date=December 7, 2005 |access-date=November 5, 2009}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' picked "Like a Rolling Stone" as the number two single of the past 25 years in 1989,<ref>{{cite web |title=The 100 Best Singles of the Last 25 years|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html#singles |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211024228/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html#singles |url-status=usurped |archive-date=February 11, 2006 |work=Rock List Music |access-date=May 9, 2010}}</ref> and then in 2004 placed the song at number one on its list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]".<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html#500Songs| archive-url = https://archive.today/20110718180414/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html#500Songs| url-status = usurped| archive-date = July 18, 2011| title = The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time| access-date = May 2, 2010|work= Rock List Music}}</ref> In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' again placed "Like a Rolling Stone" at the top of their list of "500 Greatest Songs Of All Time".<ref name="RollingStonelist">{{cite magazine|title = Bob Dylan, 'Like a Rolling Stone' – 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/bob-dylan-like-a-rolling-stone-20110516|access-date = January 3, 2016|magazine = Rolling Stone|archive-date = September 8, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150908170729/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/bob-dylan-like-a-rolling-stone-20110516|url-status = dead}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' then re-ranked it at number 4 in their 2021 "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.<ref name="Rolling Stone">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/bob-dylan-like-a-rolling-stone-3-1225334/|title=Like a Rolling Stone ranked No. 4 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=15 September 2021 |access-date=16 September 2021}}</ref> In 2006, [[Pitchfork Media]] placed it at number 4 on its list of "200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".<ref name="Pitchfork">{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/6405-the-200-greatest-songs-of-the-1960s/2/|title=The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s—Part Five: #20-1|work=Pitchfork.com|date=August 18, 2006|access-date=November 21, 2011}}</ref> In 2020, ''[[The Guardian]]'' and ''[[GQ]]'' ranked the song number one and number two, respectively, on their lists of the 50 greatest Bob Dylan songs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/09/bob-dylans-50-greatest-songs-ranked|title=Bob Dylan's 50 greatest songs – ranked!|first=Alexis|last=Petridis|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=April 9, 2020|access-date=April 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/bob-dylan-songs|title=The 50 best Bob Dylan songs of all time|first1=Charlie|last1=Burton|first2=Bill|last2=Prince|work=[[GQ]]|date=June 15, 2020|access-date=April 17, 2022}}</ref> On June 24, 2014, [[Sotheby's]] sold Dylan's original hand-written lyrics of "Like a Rolling Stone" at a New York auction devoted to rock memorabilia.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="Sale"/> The lyrics were sold for $2 million, a record price for a popular music manuscript.<ref name="Sale"/><ref name =BBCLARS>{{cite news| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28009344| title = Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone lyrics fetch $2m record| date = June 24, 2014| access-date = June 24, 2014| work = BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/shortcuts/2014/jun/25/bob-dylans-original-lyrics-like-a-rolling-stone| title = How does it feel – to own Bob Dylan's original lyrics to Like a Rolling Stone?| author = Dowling, Tim| date = June 25, 2014| access-date = June 26, 2014| work = theguardian.com}}</ref>
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