Born Robert Zimmerman on May 24, 1941, the young man from Duluth, Minnesota, would go on to become the most influential songwriter of all time. Who is he? It’s Bob Dylan. Before he became Dylan, before he moved to New York City, and before he went electric, he was Robert Zimmerman.
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Another famous Robert in the world of rock music is one Mr. Robert Plant, the banshee-voiced frontman for the British-born classic rock band Led Zeppelin. Though both of these men are alive and touring today in their own individual projects, they have never collaborated on a song, as far as anyone knows.
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That’s why we reached out to ChatGPT to see what the artificial intelligence system might spit out when prompted with the idea to write a duet in the styles of the two music icons.
“Two Souls Unchained”
(Verse 1 – Bob Dylan Style)
Well, I was wanderin’ down that dusty road,
With my guitar and my tales of woe,
The wind was howlin’, the sun was low,
In this world so cold, where the stories grow.
(Verse 2 – Robert Plant Style)
I heard a voice that echoed through the night,
A mystical sound, a guiding light,
It was a man with a voice so bold,
Singing stories of silver and stories of gold.
(Chorus – Bob Dylan and Robert Plant)
Dylan:
I said, “Hey there, stranger, won’t you sing with me?
Two troubadours together, wild and free.”
Plant:
He said, “I’m Robert Plant, and I’ve roamed this land,
With Led Zeppelin’s thunder and a mighty band.”
(Verse 3 – Bob Dylan Style)
I strummed my guitar, and I sang my song,
‘Bout a changing world, where we all belong,
With a harmonica cryin’, like a lonesome dove,
I sang ’bout freedom, and the power of love.
(Verse 4 – Robert Plant Style)
He sang of times when the levee breaks,
And stairways to heaven, no one forsakes,
With a voice that soared, like an eagle’s flight,
He told of battles in the dead of night.
(Chorus – Bob Dylan and Robert Plant)
Dylan:
We sang together, under the starry sky,
Two legends united, reaching so high.
Plant:
In a world of music, where the spirits soar,
We harmonized, and we begged for more.
(Bridge – Bob Dylan Style)
Dylan:
And as the night grew darker, and the fire burned low,
We shared our stories, both high and low.
With a whiskey in hand and a twinkle in the eye,
We sang of life’s truths, no need to ask why.
(Bridge – Robert Plant Style)
Plant:
The road may be long, and the night may be cold,
But with music in our hearts, we’ll never grow old.
With a howl in our voices, and a spark in our soul,
We’ll keep on singing, and we’ll never let go.
(Chorus – Bob Dylan and Robert Plant)
Dylan:
We said our goodbyes as the dawn broke through,
Two troubadours parting, as old friends do.
Plant:
But in the echoes of our songs, we’ll forever remain,
Two voices in the wind, two souls unchained.
(Outro – Bob Dylan and Robert Plant)
Dylan:
So here’s to the journey, the stories we’ve told,
In the styles of Dylan and Plant, fearless and bold.
Plant:
With music as our guide, and the road as our friend,
We’ll keep on singing, until the very end.
Final Thoughts
Asking AI to write a song in the styles of two of the greatest musicians, artists and songwriters of all time is merely a fun exercise. It’s meant to stimulate your mind and help you imagine what a duet like this would sound like. So, don’t read into the accuracy here too much. That aside, there is just a great amount of joy thinking about Plant and Dylan up there onstage.
Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
