The Influence of Bob Dylan on Music
Answer: Bob Dylan was so influential that even the most infamous leftist terrorist organization in U.S. history — the Weathermen — took their name from a Dylan lyric (“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows” from “Subterranean Homesick Blues“)
(The Question was: How influential was Bob Dylan?)
Less militant parties have also taken a modicum of influence from the man born as Robert Allen Zimmerman, Jr.: in particular, other musicians. So to finally put the spotlight back on the Bard of Duluth, here is a list of artists and bands who have taken their names from Bob Dylan song titles and lyrics.
| John Wesley Harding | “John Wesley Harding” from John Wesley Harding |
| Pavement | “Subterranean Homesick Blues” from Bringing It All Back Home Johnny’s in the basement/ |
| Yazoo (aka Yaz) | “Yazoo Street Scandal” from The Basement Tapes |
| The Black Crowes | “Black Crow Blues” from Another Side of Bob Dylan |
| Hard Rain | “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan |
| Menstrual Boy | “Minstrel Boy” from Self Portrait |
| Violent Femmes | “Violent Femmes” from a secret unreleased, unheard, and completely unknown Bob Dylan demo |
| Vitamin C | “Ballad in Plain D” from Another Side of Bob Dylan |
| BD Boilerplate and the BBQ Bang Boys | from complete Bob Dylan catalog |
| The Rolling Stones | “Like a Rolling Stone” from Highway 61 Revisited |
| Mr. Mister | “Mr. Tambourine Man” from Bringing It All Back Home |
| Casey Jones | “Casey Jones” from Workingman’s Dead |
| The The | “Blowin’ in the Wind” from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan |
| Bob Dylan | “Bob Dylan’s Blues” from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan |
| Hurricane Katrina | “Hurricane” from Desire |