A Bob Dylan expert has revealed the meaning behind one of Tim Walz’s favourite songs, after Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate in the US election. In 2021, the Democratic vice presidential nominee contributed to a feature in the Minnesotan Post to mark the legendary singer-songwriter’s 80th birthday by choosing what he believed was one of his best songs. “As a dad, ‘Forever Young’ has always been my favorite Dylan song,” he wrote.
“A timeless message from a dad to his son.” The song, from Dylan’s 1974 album Planet Waves, describes a father’s hopes for his child’s future and was written as a lullaby for his son, Jesse. Harvard University professor Richard F Thomas is one of the foremost experts on Dylan, having written a number of books on the musician including 2017’s Why Bob Dylan Matters.
He also teaches a freshman seminar about Dylan, the latest of which is due to begin this autumn. Thomas told The Independent that he had been reading about Walz following his nomination and was “unsurprised” to learn that he is a Dylan fan. “[’Forever Young’] is about the hope of a parent for a child, or the hope we have for anyone we love,” he explained.
“Behind its simple and clear beauty, part of that beauty is the sadness that informs great art, the knowledge that youth is fleeting. “Bob Dylan has always known that. Listen to ‘Bob Dylan’s Dream’, reflecting on the friends of his youth – whom he saw a year or two before.
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