The singer Bob Dylan called an “overwhelming artist”
Some singers have an impact that goes far beyond the soundwaves they put out into the world. Their words extend beyond easy rhymes and catchy choruses, finding their grounding in real emotion that can cut through even the most dense instrumentation. The nuances of their voice give those words life, the ability to find its way from your radio or record player and into your soul. Perhaps the most pertinent example of this kind of singer is Nina Simone.
Born out of blues and jazz, Simone used her talent for singing as a vehicle for change. Channelling her pain, pride and power into song, her deep vocals were always filled to the brim with feeling and authenticity. No matter how much jazz instrumentation swells around her, Simone’s striking tones always take centre stage.
The sheer power and raw emotion in her voice ensured that her music could never pass you by. Instead, it grabbed the attention of millions and turned it towards the civil rights movement, towards protest, freedom and empowerment. It also managed to grab the attention of fellow protest songwriter and all-time great, Bob Dylan, who once deemed Simone an “overwhelming artist”.
During his MusiCares acceptance speech, Dylan took the time to share his admiration for Simone, remembering how he occasionally ran into her at Village Gate, a club in New York. “She was an artist I definitely looked up to,” he stated before describing her as a “very strong woman, very outspoken and dynamite to see perform”.
His description of Simone is certainly correct. Her artistry was overwhelming to witness, even on record, flooded with emotion and talent of an unparalleled level. Dylan, too, could be considered an “overwhelming” artist in his own way, a real master of words who could turn the frustrations of a generation into poetic folk compositions. Just as Simone’s voice is overwhelming, so too is Dylan’s talent for lyricism.
Dylan may have looked up to Simone, but his admiration for the soul singer was not one-sided. Throughout her career, Simone would lend her own overwhelming talent to Dylan’s words, covering some of his most enduring tracks, from ‘The Times They Are A Changin’ to ‘I Shall Be Released’. Between her vocal prowess and Dylan’s musings, they’re some of the most overwhelming pieces of music ever created in the best way possible.
Dylan may have taught her his songs to Simone once, sitting “directly” opposite her in a dressing room, but he was still stunned by her decision to do so, taking it as the greatest validation of his work. “That she was recording my songs validated everything that I was about,” he acknowledged.
The folk legend might have a mammoth reputation of his own, but it’s easy to see why he was so moved by Simone’s renditions of his work. She was not only one of the greatest voices in music history but a protest songwriter herself. As one of the most important figures in the civil rights movement, her covers of Dylan’s work provided a newfound weight to his words.
Both Dylan and Simone are overwhelming artists in their own right. While Simone had the ability to overwhelm with her soulful tones, Dylan’s came from his mastery of words. The melding of the two was a beautifully overwhelming sonic force.
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