JOIN USThe nobility of the lyrics
The internet may be divided over whether singer-songwriter Bob Dylan deserves the ‘Nobel Prize in Literature 2016’ or not but the reality is, as Dylan sang, The Times They are A-Changin’. The recognition that lyrics too are literature is clearly heartening for a large majority with strings attached to music. Closer home, musicians turn vocal about the artiste and his contribution to literature as well as humanity. Is this a new beginning?
Louiz Banks, the man who spearheaded the jazz movement in India, is elated. “This has brought me great joy and happiness. It is historic and unprecedented,” he exclaims. “Dylan’s lyrics are those concerning people, the society, his vision for the future, and he put all these elements together in his songs. He may not be a great singer but his lyrics are anthems.”
“Although I am not a jazz man and I hardly played his music, except the jazz version of Blowin’ in The Wind, I love them all. He sort of inspires the rest of us. He is a poet and the honour is appropriate,” adds the composer.
The debate is looming large and that is on whether lyrics can be poems and whether they can be considered on par with literary works. Meanwhile, violinist, composer and conductor L Subramaniam considers Dylan “so much more than a musician. He has been a voice of generations. I have always known that lyrics are poetry, lyrics are literature and it’s very meaningful that for the first time, a songwriter has received the ‘Nobel Prize for Literature’,” he says while singer Kavita Krishnamurthy Subramaniam adds, “Bob Dylan has always been a creative thinking musician and I’m happy the importance of artistes like him, who have the ability to change society through their words, is now being recognised.”
With the boundaries between literature and music now seemingly blurring and cultural walls being broken, many see it as a new beginning. Grammy-winning musician Ricky Kej cannot hide his excitement and his reverence for the artiste. “The Nobel committee has broadened its view of literature,” he says.
“Dylan’s writing,” he explains, “has been about showcasing honesty in an intelligent manner and sometimes, in profound ways. He is ahead of his time and clearly timeless. His words and music have inspired generations of not just musicians, but also poets, authors, artists and filmmakers. There have been novels dedicated to deciphering the meanings of his songs. No one in my opinion deserves the award more than him because he has used language in a way no one has ever managed to.”
Gary Lawyer, the veteran rocker and the man often described as the Jim Morrison of India, minces no words in his appreciation of the honour and its timeliness.
“Awarding the Nobel to Dylan is kind of paying homage to intellectual, social and emotional music,” he says. Lawyer finds poetry in Dylan’s lyrics and a deep meaning in his music. “The delivery is so unique,” he elaborates. “It covers all aspects of life, from intellectual and social to political and emotional.” However, Lawyer does not believe that this will open a gateway for musicians to win such an honour. “Because there is only one Bob Dylan. As I am a singer, I see the singer in him as opposed to a stylist which is also what he is. But I don’t think he was ever meant to be a humanitarian. Probably, he would laugh it off. In terms of awareness, it is amazing how he put words into his lyrics. As a musician, he also brought in a new style, a product of its kind,” he avers.
“These days, you see a lot of singing in Bob Dylan’s vein. But his music is the nucleus from where it arose. He’s an everchanging chameleon, be it his music or looks. You will probably never know who the real person is,” adds Lawyer.
The answer is not really blowin’ in the wind.