Forever Young (Bob Dylan song)
Encyclopedia
"Forever Young" is a song by Bob Dylan
. The song first appeared (in two different versions) on Dylan's 1974 album Planet Waves
.
, Bill Flanagan
had the following to say about "Forever Young":
recorded a song titled "Forever Young
", which was released as a single and included on his Out of Order
album in 1988. The song was remarkably similar to the Bob Dylan song of the same title, sharing not only a similar melody but many of the same lyrics. Stewart agreed to share his royalties with Dylan.
of the song, "Forever Young (Continued)" was featured in a Pepsi
commercial, with will.i.am
rapping a verse. The advertisement ends with the slogan "Every generation refreshes the world".
uses the second version of this song, "Forever Young," (2:49), on the album Planet Waves, as its theme song.
"Forever Young" is one of seven Dylan songs whose lyrics were reset for soprano
and piano (or orchestra) by John Corigliano
for his song cycle
Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan.
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. The song first appeared (in two different versions) on Dylan's 1974 album Planet Waves
Planet Waves
Planet Waves is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's 14th studio album, released by Asylum Records in January 1974....
.
Analysis
In the notes for the 2007 album titled DYLANDylan (2007 album)
Dylan is a greatest hits collection by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The collection was released on October 2, 2007 by Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings with worldwide distribution through Sony BMG...
, Bill Flanagan
Bill Flanagan
Bill Flanagan is an American author and television executive. He was born in Rhode Island in 1955 and graduated from Brown University in 1977. His books include Written in My Soul , Last of the Moe Haircuts , U2 at the End of the World , and the novels A&R , New Bedlam and Evening's Empire .As...
had the following to say about "Forever Young":
Rod Stewart
Rod StewartRod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
recorded a song titled "Forever Young
Forever Young (Rod Stewart song)
"Forever Young" is the second single released by Rod Stewart from his Out of Order album in 1988. The song was a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #12.The song is a re-write of a Bob Dylan song of the same title...
", which was released as a single and included on his Out of Order
Out of Order (Rod Stewart album)
Out of Order is the 15th album by Rod Stewart, released in 1988. It features the hit singles "Lost In You", "Forever Young", "My Heart Can't Tell You No" and "Crazy About Her"...
album in 1988. The song was remarkably similar to the Bob Dylan song of the same title, sharing not only a similar melody but many of the same lyrics. Stewart agreed to share his royalties with Dylan.
2009 Remix
In 2009 a remixRemix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of the song, "Forever Young (Continued)" was featured in a Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
commercial, with will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
rapping a verse. The advertisement ends with the slogan "Every generation refreshes the world".
In popular culture
The 2010 television series ParenthoodParenthood (2010 TV series)
Parenthood is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Katims and produced by Imagine Television and Universal Media Studios. The first season premiered on March 2, 2010 on NBC...
uses the second version of this song, "Forever Young," (2:49), on the album Planet Waves, as its theme song.
"Forever Young" is one of seven Dylan songs whose lyrics were reset for soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
and piano (or orchestra) by John Corigliano
John Corigliano
John Corigliano is an American composer of classical music and a teacher of music. He is a distinguished professor of music at Lehman College in the City University of New York.-Biography:...
for his song cycle
Song cycle
A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a single entity. As a rule, all of the songs are by the same composer and often use words from the same poet or lyricist. Unification can be achieved by a narrative or a persona common to the songs, or even, as in Schumann's...
Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan.
English
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, live version on The Last Waltz - Harry BelafonteHarry BelafonteHarold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
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in San Francisco. - Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
with the Jerry Garcia Band - Rebbie JacksonRebbie JacksonMaureen Reillette "Rebbie" Brown is an American singer professionally known as Rebbie Jackson . Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, she is the eldest child of the Jackson family of musicians...
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, on Couldn't Have Said It BetterCouldn't Have Said It BetterCouldn't Have Said It Better is a 2003 album by Meat Loaf.Only for the third time in his career, Meat Loaf released an album without any songs written by Jim Steinman... - Audra MaeAudra MaeAudra Mae is an American singer-songwriter from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Audra Mae is the great-great-niece of Judy Garland, who was her great-grandmother's sister....
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, on Swept Away - Rod StewartRod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
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(While ostensibly a different song, the Stewart song actually used the same melody and many of the same lyrics as the Dylan song. Stewart conceded it was the same song by agreeing to share composer royalties with Dylan.) - Soweto Gospel ChoirSoweto Gospel Choir-History:The Soweto Gospel Choir was formed in Soweto, South Africa by David Mulovhedzi and Beverly Bryer, two choir directors. The 30+ member ensemble blends elements of African gospel, Negro spirituals, reggae, and American popular music...
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on Steve Jobs (former Apple CEO) memorial concert in October 2011
Other languages
- Morten HarketMorten HarketMorten Harket is a Norwegian musician, best known as the lead singer of the Norwegian synthpop/rock band A-ha, which released nine studio albums and topped the charts in several countries after their breakthrough hit "Take on Me" in 1985. A-ha disbanded in 2010. Harket has also released four solo...
covered the song in Norwegian under the translated title "Evig Ung" - André HellerAndré HellerFranz André Heller is an Austrian artist, author, singer and actor.- Biography :Heller was born in Vienna into a wealthy Jewish family of sweets manufacturers . His almost daily visits to the Café Hawelka were in his opinion a key element in the development of his literary orientation...
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covered the song in Austrian German under the translated title "Für immer jung" - The German band BAPBap (German band)Bap is a German rock group. With ten albums reaching the number one in the German record charts, Bap is one of the most successful rock acts in their home country....
covered the song in Kölsch, a German dialect spoken in CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. - Benny Holst covered the song in Danish under the title "Til Evig TId"
- The song was translated into Hebrew by Yair LapidYair LapidYair Lapid is an Israeli journalist, author, TV presenter, and news anchor.-Biography:He is the son of politician Yosef Lapid and author...
and performed by Rami Kleinstein under the title "Tza'ir Lanetzach" (צעיר לנצח)