Bob Quote by David Bennun
![“Without music, there is not the faintest chance [Bob Dylan] words would now be garlanded as they are.” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e12/david-bennun-25818_bob_without-music-there-is-not-the-faintest_295494.jpg)
“Without music, there is not the faintest chance [Bob Dylan] words would now be garlanded as they are.”
About This Quote
Source Article: The New Yorker, 2015
Music gives words lasting power; without it, lyrics would lack impact.
In simple terms: Music makes words memorable.
Key Takeaway
Value music’s role in lyric impact.
Themes
art
music
language
impact
Mood
reflective
appreciative
Type
analytical
observational
When to use this quote
- songwriting
- poetry
- advertising
- public speaking
Key Concepts
aesthetic resonance
cultural memory
Questions to Reflect On
- How does music change your perception of words?
- Can words stand alone in poetry?
A Different Perspective
Lyrics can still be powerful without music.
![“First of all, there are those who simply don't care for [Bob] Dylan, or at least, don't think he's that great. Some of the former sound very much as if they are afflicted with the kind of contrarianism inevitably bred by cultural orthodoxy - Dylan is overwhelmingly rated a giant and a marvel, the…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/799/david-bennun-25818_bob_first-of-all-there-are-those-who-simply_1193536.jpg)
![“The [Nobel] prize is for literature.[Bob] Dylan is a songwriter. Here is where the argument starts to get interesting, because here is where it is no longer a question of either cultural orthodoxy or personal taste.” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cfa/david-bennun-25818_argument_the-nobel-prize-is-for-literature-bob-dy_729655.jpg)
![“[Bob Dylan] is principally a recording artist, and if he weren't, it is unthinkable he would have had such an impact. He is to be heard first and read second. Well, what about plays, you could reasonably ask. Is [William] Shakespeare not great literature? Yes, obviously: but his work is great…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0dd/david-bennun-25818_art_bob-dylan-is-principally-a-recording-art_442460.jpg)
![“There's no reason - not yet, anyway - to believe [Bob] Dylan himself endorses such an attitude; or that he would think of himself as a more profound and worthy recipient than, for instance, any of the brilliant Motown or girl-group lyricists who are more likely to be awarded a Nobel prize for…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4bb/david-bennun-25818_abba_there-s-no-reason-not-yet-anyway-to-beli_130714.jpg)
![“Probably the high-watermark of [Bob] Dylan's career came after he plugged in his guitar ("Judas!" one fan shouted during a concert) and exploded American poetry, combining Beat aesthetics, psychedelic imagery, collage techniques.” quote by Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5f3/jay-michaelson-15590_aesthetics_probably-the-high-watermark-of-bob-dylan_54147.jpg)
![“The general sentiment among the Yeas is, no accolade is too high for their man; and the Nobel being, literally, the gold standard among prizes, it is surely his [Bob Dylan] due.” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7b4/david-bennun-25818_accolades_the-general-sentiment-among-the-yeas-is_1029179.jpg)
![“I have seen quite a few folk whom I know to be both fair minded and, as it happens,[Bob] Dylan fans, take up cudgels for this position. To them, it's not necessarily that Dylan doesn't merit the highest honour. It's that he doesn't merit this specific highest honour [Nobel prize], in the way a…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/423/david-bennun-25818_bob_i-have-seen-quite-a-few-folk-whom-i-know_1379291.jpg)
![“The question now becomes about defining your terms. What is literature? Unless we allow it to encompass the oral tradition from which it grew, which means taking it back to Homer and beyond, it demands the written word - poetry and prose. [Bob] Dylan is no slouch at the written word, both in its…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/44f/david-bennun-25818_bob_the-question-now-becomes-about-defining_1554900.jpg)
![“The point is not that [Bob] Dylan doesn't need a Nobel to attest to how good he is (although he doesn't.) It's that pop music, pop music of any kind, doesn't need the Nobel committee to damn it with the faint praise of such an award to its sole chosen representative.” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fee/david-bennun-25818_awards_the-point-is-not-that-bob-dylan-doesn-t_1685357.jpg)
![“Except in these latter-day songs, [Bob] Dylan is a grizzled old prophet who's already been to hell and back.” quote by Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fcd/jay-michaelson-15590_bob_except-in-these-latter-day-songs-bob-dyl_3830.jpg)
![“The most recent incarnation of [Bob] Dylan has been the traveling journeyman/ charlatan who sings roots music, snarls dark lyrics that make "All Along the Watchtower" sound like a Disney tune, hosts an old-school radio show, and turns up in some unusual places, like ads for Chrysler and Victoria's…” quote by Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/734/jay-michaelson-15590_ads_the-most-recent-incarnation-of-bob-dylan_17700.jpg)
