Record:I Want You / Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

Bob Dylan broke ranks with folksingers to become a rock-and roll-performer in 1965. This 45 rpm single, released in 1966, documents Dylan's transition with "I Want You," with "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" on the B-side. "I Want You" first appeared on Blond on Blond (1966) and "Blues" came out on "Highway 61 Revisited" (1965). While not Top Ten hits, the two tracks typify much of Dylan's work: intellectual, complex, and inspired by classic literature and poetry. Other artists might have sung only love songs, but Dylan wrote about war, peace, religion, and other social issues of the day. In "Blues," Dylan writes about American youths going to Mexico for booze and prostitutes. As of 2000, Dylan was still playing both songs routinely in concert.