If you’re a fan of music, auctions or both, chances are you’ve seen some of the songs available for sale. Not only can these be an entertaining way to make some extra cash but they can also benefit charities of your choice.
Bob Dylan’s iconic hit “Like a Rolling Stone” will be auctioned this summer with estimates ranging between $1 million and $2 million.
John Michael Montgomery – Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)
To truly judge a song by its cover, listen to the entire thing. With so many great choices available in any given genre, selecting which ones to highlight can be daunting if your space is limited. Our list of the best bedroom songs will help you sort through all the noise.
Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone
The lyrics of Like a Rolling Stone capture the social and cultural shift that occurred in the 1960s, making Bob Dylan into rock’n’roll royalty. In it, Dylan poses challenging moral questions about our world’s state. It has become so popular that Greil Marcus wrote its own book as well as having an autographed copy of its lyrics recently sold at auction for millions.
Dylan wrote the song after witnessing Andy Warhol at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. He had been inspired by Hank William’s classic Lost Highway, about a man who falls out of favor with society and is left without connections to it. The powerful lyric reads, “I’m just another rolling stone, all alone and lost.”
Dylan didn’t have a set plan when he recorded this song in June 1965 at his home studio. For two days, he worked on it relentlessly, recording in various takes with different instruments and styles until finally refining it into what we now recognize as “Billy Elliot.”
At first, Dylan attempted to play the song as a waltz with him at the piano. However, this arrangement didn’t quite click and Dylan returned to playing guitar instead. Additionally, a more conventional 4/4 arrangement was attempted, but that too proved unsuccessful. Re-recording of this version – which appears on the album – took place over multiple takes.
Dylan had many attempts at recording this song, which proved to be one of his most challenging efforts. It took Dylan and his band 15 takes to get it perfect in Nashville’s Skyline studio before it finally was completed.
In late September 1965, the song was released and quickly went viral – becoming one of the most popular hits worldwide. To this day it remains one of the best-selling singles ever sold worldwide.
Fleetwood Mac – Dreams
Stevie Nicks wrote “Dreams,” a song about auctions during her breakup with Lindsey Buckingham that became one of Fleetwood Mac’s most beloved hits. The lyrics to this iconic track can be found here.
Lyrics of this song read, “Wrap a circle around your dreams, and wrap one around mine.” The subject matter is an intimate breakup in which Nicks desires to wrap her love around Buckingham’s dreams but he won’t. Written for 1977’s Rumours album, it remains one of Fleetwood Mac’s most beloved hits.
At the time of recording Rumours, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were both involved with other people but it wasn’t healthy for their personal lives. Bassist John McVie had recently separated from his wife Christine McVie, while drummer Mick Fleetwood was going through divorce proceedings; all this made for an extremely trying period for everyone in the band.
Unfortunately, the band began to have financial issues and eventually lost their recording contract with Atlantic Records. This resulted in Lindsey and Stevie parting ways several years later.
After her breakup, Stevie began dating her manager Don Henley. This relationship was short lived but beneficial to Stevie’s career.
With her newly found freedom, she began creating more music than ever before. This allowed her to express herself fully and resulted in some of music’s most iconic works.
In 1977, Fleetwood Mac released their eleventh studio album, Rumours. This record became one of the band’s classics and features songs such as “Dreams,” “Landslide” and “Go Your Own Way.”
The Rumours album was a major success for the band, yet it came at a difficult time in their personal lives. Faced with so much turmoil, they felt compelled to create quality music despite what pain lay ahead.
The band’s most popular song was “Dreams”, which continues to be played today as many enjoy listening while showering or at karaoke night. It helps people relax and clear their minds, with its sweet lyrics that invite singing along loud.
Don McLean – American Pie
Don McLean’s 1971 mega-hit “American Pie” is one of those timeless songs that will always remain relevant and stay in listeners’ hearts. It captures a lost innocence and tells a tale of growing up to rock n roll music.
This song is an exquisite piece of poetry, packed with cultural references and name-checks. It provides a nostalgic glimpse back at the 1950s while also looking ahead into the future.
In the movie, we hear from many people with differing interpretations of what the song signifies. It remains one of the most mysterious songs ever composed, and this documentary takes an intriguing look at it from various perspectives.
One popular interpretation of the song is that it refers to an airplane crash which tragically claimed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and JP Richardson. As a boyhood paperboy himself, Singer-songwriter was moved by this tragic event while delivering newspapers on the day of impact; reading accounts of people’s deaths left him feeling saddened and inspired.
Another version of the song conveys a call to action, encouraging people to take control of their lives. This powerful message hasn’t been forgotten and continues to inspire listeners with each new rendition.
As an ardent fan, I’ve been listening to this song over and over for years. Seeing it live at numerous shows has never failed to move me; its powerful words still inspire me today.
However, it wasn’t until I watched the documentary that I truly understood what this song meant to me. Written during a time of disillusionment, it echoed many of my own sentiments about America at that time.
What makes this song so significant is that it was written during a time of great cultural transformation in America, heralding the start of an era marked by moral decline and the passing away of childhood innocence.