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Featured articleBob Dylan is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do so.
Main Page trophyThis article appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page as Today's featured article on May 17, 2004.
In the newsOn this day... Article milestones
DateProcessResult
October 8, 2003Featured article candidatePromoted
August 12, 2005Featured article reviewKept
September 7, 2006Featured article reviewKept
October 28, 2008Featured article reviewKept
In the news A news item involving this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "In the news" column on October 13, 2016.
On this day... Facts from this article were featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "On this day..." column on March 19, 2013, March 19, 2016, March 19, 2017, March 19, 2020, March 19, 2022, and March 19, 2023.
Current status: Featured article


wonderfull SPON.de article (in German)

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Nice article about a very, very loyal long-term fan in (former Eastern) Germany: https://www.spiegel.de/geschichte/bob-dylan-in-oel-wie-das-gemaelde-aufs-konzert-in-ost-berlin-kam-a-52cdc5fa-eef8-4e9f-bced-379d61a1075a

Adapting the tunes and phrasing of older folk songs

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The One I Left: I’ve restored the words "which adapted the tunes and phrasing of older folk songs" to the Lead, referring to "Girl From The North Country" and "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall". I think it’s important that the Lead mentions Dylan first made an impact with these songs (and also "Masters of War", "Blowin’ in the Wind", "With God On Our Side") by marrying new lyrics to traditional melodies and forms. Best, Mick gold (talk) 23:16, 28 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Not sure if that mention is worth of the lead. Seems more appropriate to put in the body of the article.The One I Left (talk) 03:20, 29 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Since the Lead serves as “a summary of the article’s most important contents”, BD’s talent for writing new lyrics to traditional tunes was surely crucial to the early impact he made with "Girl From The North Country", "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall", "Masters of War", "Blowin’ in the Wind", "With God On Our Side" and more. Mick gold (talk) 08:12, 29 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Agree to disagree. I think it's worthy of mention within the article for sure, but mentioning it in the lead seems like puffery.The One I Left (talk) 20:01, 29 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I agree with The One I Left. His use of traditional tunes in those early songs is noteworthy, but it seems out of place in the lead. Jameson Nightowl (talk) 05:50, 4 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I think it belongs in the lead. It is not puffery.--Jack Upland (talk) 02:59, 12 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Singing new lyrics folk songs is far from unique to Dylan in the folk tradition, and a lot of the songs he did base tunes on were themselves adaptations. Plus of course the point made that not far from all his songs are like this. So these are more reasons why to put it in the lead would seem to over-emphasize it. Meerta (talk) 15:35, 1 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

"I'm not sure what "phrasing" is supposed to mean in "adapted the tunes and phrasing of older songs". in any case, Dylan didn't merely use tunes he didn't write; he very often used lyrics and arrangements he didn't write as well. He didn't change (or "adapt") music as often as he altered or added to lyrics. It's significant as well that never credited his borrowings (if that's how you charitably care to characterize them). His records always inaccuratedly cited "Bob Dylan" as the sole source of these melodies, harmonies, arrangements, and lyrics. This wasn't ocassional practice either. Virtually every song on his second album "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", for example, is an alteration of some previously existing song and all are credited solely to "Bob Dylan". In the Cambridge scene, according to "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" (the book, not the song), Dylan was known as "that skinny kid who goes around changing the lyrics to songs". Anyway, my position is that a succinct summary of this information does indeed belong in the lead. It's essential to what Dylan did in the first five years or so of his career, the years in which he established himself and rose to prominence. TheScotch (talk) 06:25, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

A recent edit by Nikkimaria has condensed this phrase to: "adapting older folk songs". Mick gold (talk) 11:45, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The Band

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On March 5, an editor changed "the Band" to "The Band," and another editor reverted. It should be "The Band," as it is at The Band, because "The" is part of the name of the group. In Bob Dylan, most but not all of the 24 mentions of the group do not capitalize "the." I am willing to change them, but I do not want to be reverted, so I'd like to hear from others about this. Maurice Magnus (talk) 13:27, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia has already come to a consensus on this. See MOS:THEBANDMW(tc) 05:11, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I don't see any reference to The Band at MOS:THEBAND. Please quote the reference for me. Thanks. Maurice Magnus (talk) 11:21, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Mid-sentence, per the MoS main page, the word the should in general not be capitalized in continuous prose, e.g.:

This guideline applies for every band, including the Band. It’s what you’ll see on every page besides this, for example, the page Music from Big Pink begins: Music from Big Pink is the debut studio album by the Canadian-American rockband the Band. MW(tc) 22:13, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

You must be referring to "Mid-sentence, per the MoS main page, the word the should in general not be capitalized in continuous prose, e.g.: Wings featured Paul McCartney from the Beatles and Denny Laine from the Moody Blues." Maurice Magnus (talk) 20:55, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah MW(tc) 22:19, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Error in date of birth

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Second paragraph states he was born in 1961, which is incorrect. 107.138.24.31 (talk) 02:51, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

No, you're misreading. It says, "Born in Minnesota. In 1961 he moved." --jpgordon𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇 02:53, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for the clarification. I stand corrected. 107.138.24.31 (talk) 03:07, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 10 April 2025

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In the body it says Dylan was born in 1961. He was actually born in 1941. 47.198.42.97 (talk) 00:42, 10 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

 Not done: It doesn't say at any point in the article that Dylan was born in 1961. Remsense ‥  00:47, 10 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]