Top 10 Best Songs by Bob Dylan

A cinematic epic of eight minutes about the unjustly convicted boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter. The violin chases the song like a siren. Dylan tells the story like a raging reporter. The outrage leaps out at you. It's fierce, fast and sweeping. One of his most energetic and combative songs.

One of his most romantic songs. "Come sail your ships around me." It's about allowing love in and breaking down your defensive walls. The piano and orchestra make it stately and ceremonial. Dylan sings as a lover, not a preacher. It's a timeless classic about devotion and vulnerability.

Written for the western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. It's dead simple: four chords and a text of a few lines. But the emotion is gigantic. It's the sound of a dying man laying down his weapons. "Mama, take this badge off of me." Melancholic, spiritual and crushingly beautiful.

The ultimate questions-song. How many roads must a man walk? The answer blows in the wind: elusive. It became the anthem of the civil rights movement. The melody is based on an old slave song. Dylan sings with the wisdom of an old soul, while barely twenty. Simple and genius.

The big bang of folk-rock. Six minutes of spewing bile. That first snare crack sounds like a gunshot. The organ wails and Dylan sneers. "How does it feel?" It's about the fall of the elite to the gutter. It's vindictive, arrogant and liberating. The song that changed the rules of pop music forever.

The anthem of a generation. A warning to the old guard: step aside, the youth are taking over. Simple, with just guitar and harmonica. The power is in the lyrics. It's prophetic and timeless. Every time the world is turned upside down, this song becomes relevant again. A monumental protest song.

A psychedelic poem set to music. The lyrics are a surreal trip ("smoke rings of my mind"). The melody is dreamy and hypnotic. It's about the muse, inspiration, or maybe drugs. Dylan sings as if in a trance. It's a song that takes you to another world, far from reality.

Dylan with a low, warm 'crooner' voice we weren't used to. It's a sultry, romantic song with a country atmosphere. The pedal-steel guitar whines softly in the background. It's about intimacy and seduction. A rare moment of pure warmth and calm in his oeuvre.

The forerunner of rap. A flood of words and rhymes at a frantic pace. The famous music video with the cards is iconic. It captures the paranoia and chaos of the sixties. "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." It's cool, fast and rebellious. Dylan at his sharpest.

Perhaps his most covered song in recent years (known from Adele), but the original is of raw beauty. It's simple, direct and vulnerable. In contrast to his often cryptic lyrics, this is a clear promise of unconditional love. Dylan sings it with a tired, lived-in voice that makes it extra authentic.