On this day (July 20) in 1965, Bob Dylan released “Like a Rolling Stone” as a single from Highway 61 Revisited. Despite being longer and more wordy than the average pop song, it became an international hit, landing in the top 10 in 10 countries. Moreover, it was Dylan’s first major hit on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 2.
The mid-1960s saw Dylan changing his musical approach. He flirted with rock instrumentation on half of Bringing It All Back Home before going all-in an the electric sound with Highway 61 Revisited. “Like a Rolling Stone” helped him further break out of the acoustic singer/songwriter box in which he’d been placed. Critics praised the new direction, but many fans were unsure, to say the least.
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Columbia Records wasn’t initially happy with “Like a Rolling Stone.” Its six-minute runtime made it twice as long as most singles. Additionally, it is much more wordy than most commercially successful songs at the time. Then, there was the rock and roll sound that clashed with the songs that solidified Dylan in the early years in his career. In short, the song went against everything Columbia wanted out of a single. So, they were hesitant to release it.
When the label relented, the single went into heavy rotation on stations across the United States and around the world. Before long, it was an international hit. Moreover, it served as a gateway to his back catalog for countless listeners.
The Song Doesn’t Represent a Link Between Bob Dylan and the Stones
Some see the title of “Like a Rolling Stone” and think that Bob Dylan took the title from the Rolling Stones. On the other hand, some believe that the Stones took their name from this song. Neither is true.
According to Songfacts, Dylan took inspiration from Hank Williams’ 1949 single “Lost Highway.” In the song, Williams sings, “I’m a rolling stone, all alone and lost.”
The Stones were also inspired by a much older song. They took their name from the 1950 Muddy Waters song “Rollin’ Stone.”
[RELATED: The 3 Best Songs From Bob Dylan’s 1965 LP ‘Highway 61 Revisited’]
Interestingly, the magazine Rolling Stone also got its name from that Muddy Waters song. The publication placed “Like a Rolling Stone” at the top of its “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list in 2004 and 2010.
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