--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What always attracted me to [Bob] Dylan…" description: "\"What always attracted me to [Bob] Dylan, and what has sustained me as a Dylan listener, or has always continued to surprise me, is his voice, the way h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/greil-marcus-10438_bob_what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-an_1781512.jpg" --- # What always attracted me to \[Bob\] Dylan, and what has… ![“What always attracted me to [Bob] Dylan, and what has sustained me as a Dylan listener, or has always continued to surprise me, is his voice, the way he sings, the way he wraps his voice around certain words, the way he backs off from melodic moments, the way he moves forward to grab something in…” quote by Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/greil-marcus-10438_bob_what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-an_1781512.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/greil-marcus-10438_bob_what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-an_1781512.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/greil-marcus-10438_bob_what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-an_1781512.jpg) > “What always attracted me to \[Bob\] Dylan, and what has sustained me as a Dylan listener, or has always continued to surprise me, is his voice, the way he sings, the way he wraps his voice around certain words, the way he backs off from melodic moments, the way he moves forward to grab something in a song that, were anybody else performing it, they would have no idea it was even there.” [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. His vocal delivery transforms ordinary lyrics into vivid, unexpected moments, making each song uniquely his. **In simple terms:** His voice reshapes songs uniquely. Key Takeaway Listen for vocal nuances that change meaning. Themes music artistry interpretation Mood analytical appreciative Type critical descriptive When to use this quote - concerts - song analysis - music criticism Key Concepts aesthetics performance voice dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does vocal style alter your perception? - What makes a voice distinctive? A Different Perspective Subjectivity of interpretation can vary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attracted Bob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attracted-bob-1866611/) [Bob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/) [Bob dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob-dylan/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dylan/) [Dylan Listener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dylan-listener-1866609/) [Dylan Sustained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dylan-sustained-1866610/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Listeners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listeners/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Moving forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-forward/) [No idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-idea/) [Performing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performing/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Surprise me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise-me/) [Sustained Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sustained-dylan-1866608/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wraps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wraps/) ## Related quotes > [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [Lord, catch me off guard today. Surprise me with some moment of beauty or pain so that at least for the moment, I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/lord-catch-me-off-guard-today-surprise-me-with-some-moment-of-beauty/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [I love anyone who surprises me and makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-love-anyone-who-surprises-me-and-makes-me-laugh/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [There are no rules when it comes to love. I just try to let love surprise me because you never know who you’re going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/there-are-no-rules-when-it-comes-to-love-i-just-try-to-let-love-2/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [A lot interests me - but nothing surprises me particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/a-lot-interests-me-but-nothing-surprises-me-particularly/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [I don't think the government is out to get me or help someone else get me but it wouldn't surprise me if they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-don-t-think-the-government-is-out-to-get-me-or-help-someone-else/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [If I've learned anything in twenty-nine years, it's that every human being you see in the course of a day has a problem that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/if-i-ve-learned-anything-in-twenty-nine-years-it-s-that-every-human/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [It surprises me how often we hold ourselves back until we have no choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/po-bronson/it-surprises-me-how-often-we-hold-ourselves-back-until-we-have-no/) [Po Bronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/po-bronson/) > [I find no change of consequence in grown people, I do not miss the dead. It does not surprise me to hear that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-find-no-change-of-consequence-in-grown-people-i-do-not-miss-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There are no rules when it comes to love. I just try to let love surprise me because you never know who you’re going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/there-are-no-rules-when-it-comes-to-love-i-just-try-to-let-love/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [I love the sea's sounds and the way it reflects the sky. The colours that shimmer across its surface are unbelievable. This, combined with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer/i-love-the-sea-s-sounds-and-the-way-it-reflects-the-sky-the-colours/) [John Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer/) > [What surprises me is when people give me their mobile number. The other day, someone on a bus asked if I swear. I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-parker/what-surprises-me-is-when-people-give-me-their-mobile-number-the/) [Christopher Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-parker/) > [What surprises me most in architecture, as in other techniques, is that a project has one life in its built state but another in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-rossi/what-surprises-me-most-in-architecture-as-in-other-techniques-is-that/) [Aldo Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-rossi/) > [GOOD AS NEW was born out of the idea of writing a play where the stakes were high and the collisions were of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/good-as-new-was-born-out-of-the-idea-of-writing-a-play-where-the/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [It doesn't surprise me that aspect of the black nationalist movement, the cultural side, has triumphed because that is the aspect of the movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/it-doesn-t-surprise-me-that-aspect-of-the-black-nationalist-movement/) [Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/) ## More by Greil Marcus > [As I write, Johnny Rotten's first moments in "Anarchy in the U.K." - a rolling earthquake of a laugh, a buried shout, then hoary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/as-i-write-johnny-rotten-s-first-moments-in-anarchy-in-the-u-k-a/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [Elvis' early music has drama because as he sang he was escaping limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/elvis-early-music-has-drama-because-as-he-sang-he-was-escaping-limits/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [You're going to react to a painting in a way that the painting demands you react.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/you-re-going-to-react-to-a-painting-in-a-way-that-the-painting/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [No failure in America, whether of love or money, is ever simple; it is always a kind of betrayal, of a mass of shadowy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/no-failure-in-america-whether-of-love-or-money-is-ever-simple-it-is/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [ “\[Listening to a song\] one could experience a freedom from one's physical body, and from one's social body - the mask you wore to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/listening-to-a-song-one-could-experience-a-freedom-from-one-s/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [Records that were the sound of somebody - more often than not, a she - speaking with a voice that had never been heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/records-that-were-the-sound-of-somebody-more-often-than-not-a-she/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [I never could understand - it was impossible for me to get my head around - what the furor was, what the sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-never-could-understand-it-was-impossible-for-me-to-get-my-head/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [There is no pop category, let alone any infinitely gene-sliced genre name, to contain the lead in Rihanna's voice in 'Needed Me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/there-is-no-pop-category-let-alone-any-infinitely-gene-sliced-genre/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [I'm a fan of Oliver Stone. I like his movies, I like his excess, and I think he has a great capacity for empathy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-m-a-fan-of-oliver-stone-i-like-his-movies-i-like-his-excess-and-i/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [Bob Dylan continues to release odd and unsettling records, and to do odd and unsettling things on stage. So the term 'still' seems meaningless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/bob-dylan-continues-to-release-odd-and-unsettling-records-and-to-do/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [When you're writing criticism or thinking critically, to draw a very limited minor conclusion from solid evidence is really not thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/when-you-re-writing-criticism-or-thinking-critically-to-draw-a-very/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [My ideal reader is somebody who trips over a copy of my book on the sidewalk; then they pick it up and read as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/my-ideal-reader-is-somebody-who-trips-over-a-copy-of-my-book-on-the/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [I don't know that there's a division between American and British, European, South American, Asian sensibilities when it comes to rock n' roll or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-don-t-know-that-there-s-a-division-between-american-and-british/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [We fight our way through the massed and leveled collective safe taste of the Top 40, just looking for a little something we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/we-fight-our-way-through-the-massed-and-leveled-collective-safe-taste/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [“Banishing the love song, people discovered what else there was to sing about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/banishing-the-love-song-people-discovered-what-else-there-was-to-sing/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) [Explore all 65 Greil Marcus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) ## More Bob quotes > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I think anyone that grew up in the '70s and '80s grew up with Bob Barker and Wink Martindale and I think that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/i-think-anyone-that-grew-up-in-the-70s-and-80s-grew-up-with-bob/) [Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/) > [ Except in these latter-day songs, \[Bob\] Dylan is a grizzled old prophet who's already been to hell and back. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/except-in-these-latter-day-songs-bob-dylan-is-a-grizzled-old-prophet/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [Over the past 50 years Bob Hope employed 88 joke writers who supplied him with more than one million gags, and he still couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-murphy/over-the-past-50-years-bob-hope-employed-88-joke-writers-who-supplied/) [Eddie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-murphy/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [I was very engaged by the folk music movement.Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Peter, Paul and Mary. And then I sort of discovered world music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-was-very-engaged-by-the-folk-music-movement-bob-dylan-joan-baez/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [ The most recent incarnation of \[Bob\] Dylan has been the traveling journeyman/ charlatan who sings roots music, snarls dark lyrics that make "All Along… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/the-most-recent-incarnation-of-bob-dylan-has-been-the-traveling/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [Well. We’ll just have to hope that this wasn’t a loup-garou, I guess.” “If it was a louper, you’d know,” Bob said wisely. “In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/well-we-ll-just-have-to-hope-that-this-wasn-t-a-loup-garou-i-guess-if/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [Because of my tremendous respect for Bob Barker and for the show's high standards of professionalism I consider this a tremendous honor that few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-west/because-of-my-tremendous-respect-for-bob-barker-and-for-the-show-s/) [Randy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-west/) > [That's who I wanted to be like was Bob Dylan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/that-s-who-i-wanted-to-be-like-was-bob-dylan/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Everybody who I ever cared about has told me that they like my music: Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Al Green, The Spinners, Smokey Robinson.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/everybody-who-i-ever-cared-about-has-told-me-that-they-like-my-music/) [Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/) > [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/) [Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/) > [Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-spectator-sport/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [Listen, the story of the United States is this: One kid, without anything, walks out of his house, down the road, with nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-bone-burnett/listen-the-story-of-the-united-states-is-this-one-kid-without/) [T Bone Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-bone-burnett/) > [I figure if I keep my health, I have no intention of retiring. I love to work. I want to be like Bob Hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-figure-if-i-keep-my-health-i-have-no-intention-of-retiring-i-love/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) [Browse all 886 Bob quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What always attracted me to [Bob] Dylan, and what has sustained me as a Dylan listener, or has always continued to surprise me, is his voice, the way he sings, the way he wraps his voice around certain words, the way he backs off from melodic moments, the way he moves forward to grab something in a song that, were anybody else performing it, they would have no idea it was even there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Greil Marcus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-and-what-has-sustained-me-as-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bob" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-and-what-has-sustained-me-as-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/greil-marcus-10438_bob_what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-an_1781512.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/greil-marcus-10438_bob_what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-an_1781512.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/greil-marcus-10438_bob_what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-an_1781512.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What always attracted me to [Bob] Dylan, and what has sustained me as a Dylan listener, or has always…” — Greil Marcus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Greil Marcus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What always attracted me to [Bob]...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-and-what-has-sustained-me-as-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-and-what-has-sustained-me-as-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```