Fans of legendary musician Bob Dylan have finally figured out who he wrote a hit song for.
The track in question features on Highway 61 Revisited, a revolutionary album which released 60 years ago. Celebrations for the album prompted fans to dig a little deeper into one of the album’s hit songs.
From there, listeners believe they have worked out who Dylan wrote the song for, with fans speculating it could relate to a model with connections to Andy Warhol.
But others think the song goes a little deeper than that, arguing the meaning of the track is meant to hit a little closer to home than an alleged fling, which Dylan has denied.
Despite this, users of the r/BobDylan Reddit page still believe the song could be tied to the life of Edie Sedgwick, with the details around this time “blurry” according to one listener.
Whether Like a Rolling Stone is related to Sedgwick or, as one listener suggested, Dylan himself, does not steal away from how strong a song it is.
A fan asked: “Bob Dylan wrote the song Like a Rolling Stone about somebody, presumably a girl, who was it?” Another person replied: “Edie Sedgwick. She was a model and actress, famous for her work with Andy Warhol.
“Bob Dylan and Edie are rumoured to have had an affair in ’65 but the details around it are very blurry and Dylan has denied it. Like a Rolling Stone is supposedly about her fall from grace and the way Andy Warhol used her. Other songs from that era are also rumoured to be about her such as Just Like a Woman, Leopard-Skin Pill-box Hat and She’s Your Lover Now.”
A third agreed with this assessment, writing: “Also the song Fourth Time Around may be about Edie (in addition to it being Bob’s annoyed response to Lennon borrowing Dylan’s style in Norwegian Wood).
“The movie Factory Girl is an interesting portrayal of Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol, and Dylan. Apparently Dylan’s lawyers threatened to sue, but I thought the film clearly had Warhol as the villain of the piece. A lot of the lines from Like A Rolling Stone seem to fit Edie’s life.”
Not everyone is convinced the song is about Sedgwick, though, as some point to Dylan as the person the song is about. One fan suggested: “It’s actually about himself.”
Another added: “Disgusted by the nasty character he had become, he knew he had to make a break and change direction.” Highway 61 Revisited would mark a major change for Dylan and sparked major controversy on its release.
The folk singer would use electric instruments for the first time in his career, prompting uproar from his live show audiences. Dylan was called “Judas” in a wild show following the release of the album.
Others believe Like a Rolling Stone is more a comment on American culture and the changes of the time rather than anyone in particular. A fan shared their theory, writing: “Like A Rolling Stone is about a generation in America that is uninterested and unaware of the massive social changes happening in the country.
“The generation is represented as a rich, spoiled young woman (probably inspired by Dylan’s interactions with socialite Edie Sedgwick) so the narrator can speak more directly to them.
“Like A Rolling Stone was about millions of Americans. Dylan may even have included himself in there, leading to the title. His maternal grandmother’s name was Stone. Bob may have been playing with the idea that he, too, was a Stone.”