The one singer who left Bob Dylan feeling nostalgic for his music
“I was very influenced by Dylan,” said Bruce Springsteen when talking about his influences and how much the music of Bob Dylan meant to him. “I always say he’s the father of my country. He initially provided me with a picture of a country I recognised. One that feels real, feels like the truth.”
His love for Dylan went beyond just listening to him; he also wanted to make music that affected people the way that Dylan’s music affected him. “I want people to get the same experience from listening to one of my records as I had when I listened to Highway 61 Revisited,” he said, “The idea that something was revealed to them that was fundamentally true and essential, and gave you a view of your world, your country, your town, your neighbours, your family.”
Springsteen certainly achieved this with his music. In many of his songs, he talks about cities, people, and politics in a way that perfectly reflects the world around him. He is able to provide insight into topics that people might otherwise struggle to explain, and it’s truly inspiring.
Of course, another part of Bruce Springsteen’s music is playing exciting covers. His live shows consist of not only playing his own classics but also taking suggestions from the audience and playing music from other artists who have inspired him. Along with the E Street Band, he looks for songs that will challenge them and that reflect the kind of musicians they are.
As such a big fan of Bob Dylan, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Bruce Springsteen has covered plenty of his songs. Bob Dylan is one of the most covered artists in the world, as his songs are simple but effective, using easy chords but having incredibly poetic lyrics that make them sound like something unique.
Bob Dylan is notoriously hard to impress, but when he heard Bruce Springsteen’s rendition of ‘Knocking On Heavens Door’, he felt nostalgic for the first time in years. He said he was incredibly moved by how true Springsteen stayed to the original recording and was immediately transported to the place and time he was when he wrote it.
“He did that song like the record, something I myself have never tried. I never even thought it was worth it,” said Dylan, “Maybe never had the manpower in one band to pull it off. I don’t know, but I never thought about it. To tell you the truth, I’d forgotten how the song ought to go.”
He continued: “I’m not a nostalgic person, but for a second there it all came back, Peckinpah, Slim Pickens, Katy Jurado, James Coburn, the dusty lawless streets of Durango, my first wife, my kids when they were small. For a second it all came back … it was that powerful.”
This is the power of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, as they can play their own songs to perfection and elevate covers to another level. It’s truly something to behold, but anyone with the power to make Bob Dylan feel nostalgic is really on to something.
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