Bob Dylan’s iconic song “Mr. Tambourine Man” has once again made headlines, but this time it’s not for a new recording. The original drafts of the song’s lyrics recently fetched a staggering $508,000 at an auction held by Julien’s Auctions in Nashville. This sale has reignited interest in Dylan’s legacy, especially following the release of the biopic A Complete Unknown, which chronicles Dylan’s journey to fame in 1960s New York.
The two yellowed sheets of paper that sold for over half a million dollars contain three typewritten drafts of the beloved song. These drafts, while not the final version, offer a unique peek into Dylan’s creative process. Handwritten notes and changes in the margins show the evolution of the lyrics, with one draft coming close to the final version but still featuring significant differences. For fans and experts alike, these drafts provide a valuable opportunity to witness how one of the 20th century’s most influential songwriters crafted his work.
Harvard University classics scholar Richard Thomas, who teaches a course on Dylan’s writing, described the discovery as “mind-blowing” and a confirmation of how genius operates, according to the New York Times.
The drafts were part of the personal collection of Al Aronowitz, a well-known rock journalist who was a close friend of Dylan in the 1960s. Dylan reportedly penned “Mr. Tambourine Man” in early 1964 at Aronowitz’s home in New Jersey, typing away on a portable typewriter while listening to Marvin Gaye’s “Can I Get A Witness.”
After Aronowitz passed away in 2005, his family believed the drafts were lost. However, his son Myles Aronowitz played a crucial role in uncovering the lyric pages after years of searching through family archives.
The Aronowitz archive, which also included other memorabilia, sold for a total of $1.5 million. Notable items from the collection included a 1983 Fender Telecaster owned by Dylan, which sold for $222,250, and an original 1968 oil painting by Dylan, which fetched $260,000.
Myles Aronowitz expressed his family’s delight with the auction results, stating that the items were a testament to his father’s connection to musical and cultural history, particularly with Bob Dylan and other iconic artists of the era. He and his wife are planning to organize another auction and eventually donate the entire collection to a library or museum.
“Mr. Tambourine Man,” released by Dylan in 1965 on his album Bringing It All Back Home, became a seminal song in the folk-rock genre. While the Byrds’ cover of the song topped the charts in 1965, Dylan’s original version remains one of his most beloved tracks.
In conclusion, the sale of Bob Dylan’s original lyric drafts has shed new light on the creative process of one of music’s most revered figures. The auction not only provided fans with a unique glimpse into Dylan’s songwriting methods but also highlighted the enduring legacy of “Mr. Tambourine Man” in the realm of rock and folk music.
