How Did Bob Dylan Influence Popular Culture

During an interview with the Los Angeles Free Press in 1965, Bob Dylan said, “All I can do is be me, whoever that is,” (Dylan) which perfectly describes the sentiment you get from his works. During his music career, he has changed many aspects of his image, music style and religion, going so far as to legally change his name from Robert Zimmerman to Bob Dylan. Living during a very fast changing society, his works reflect on the Civil Rights movement and other historically significant events. He is seen as a spokesperson for his generation through his deep and meaningful songs. Bob Dylan uses his pieces to comment on life and humanity, sparking social reforms.
Bob Dylan was born named Robert Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota on May 24, 1941.
His surroundings inspired him to write about important historical moments such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy’s assassination, the Civil Rights movement. Many of his songs are directly written about these events, most notably, “The Death of Emmett Till.”, which was written about the murder of 15 year old Emmett Till, a black boy who was accused of flirting with a white girl. Other songs such as “Blowin in the Wind,” “The Times they are A Changing,” and “A Hard Rains a Gonna Fall” all have political and social meaning behind them. He said that “the folk songs showed me…that songs can say something human.” (Dylan, 86) about his social commentary pieces. Bob Dylan was also a major player in the anti-war protests, sparked by the Vietnam War. His anti-war songs influenced activists, mostly college students who listened to his music. No other artist has had such a profound effect on the cultural evolution in America. He had an incredible influence on social reforms in this generation, as well as inspiring many other famous bands such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton. No one can deny that he was a factor in the revolution of hundreds of thousands of