Today (May 24) marks the birthday of the Voice of a Generation: Bob Dylan. Born Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941, he’s put out 39 studio albums, 96 singles, 18 EPs and more since his career began in the early 60s.
His prolific output has spawned countless mimics, all with the intention of honoring his legacy and harnessing his inspiration to create more art that fosters change in the world… but one imitator stands out above the rest.
The 2007 comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story stars John C. Reilly as the titular character who takes us on a hilarious romp through the history of rock n’ roll while skewering musical biopics like Walk the Line and Ray. At one point in the film, Dewey Cox enters his ‘protest phase,’ and writes about… well, we’re having a hard time deciphering the gibberish. Is the “toaster oven” a metaphor for “the establishment”? Is the “mouse” meant to represent injustice? And what do Dewey’s parents think of his protest songs?
Reilly’s homage to Dylan, while goofy, is so accurate in tone and structure that you can’t help but laugh. Plus, the two of them share a birthday, which makes this spoof feel even more fitting.
Bob Dylan: The Best Versions Of His 80 Best Songs
Bob Dylan: his voice isn’t for everyone, but you can’t deny his songwriting ability. In his six decades of making music, he’s been covered by a huge range of artists, including Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Vedder, Stevie Wonder, Heart with Layne Staley, U2, Elvis Presley, Tim Armstrong of Rancid, Silversun Pickups, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and many more. There’s a reason why he recently sold his music publishing for a rumored nine-figure deal.
With that in mind, we thought we’d celebrate his birthday with a list of the best versions of his 80 best songs. So, it’s a mix Dylan’s versions, and a few of his live performances as well and lots of covers by the aforementioned artists.
And yes, we know that some Dylanologists will be mad that some of the “classics” are missing (we just don’t love “Just Like A Woman” or “Mr. Tamborine Man” as much as everyone else). We love some of the material from the second half of his career as much as the music from his more celebrated first half. We love the covers, and we gave them extra points in some cases for introducing his music to younger generations. And with that, let’s start with number eighty.
