Like a Rolling Stone - Definition and Overview

Like a Rolling Stone is a song by Bob Dylan, from the album Highway 61 Revisited. First issued in 1965, it represents, in its length (6 minutes), style and scoring, one of the most influential of Dylan's songs.

The lyrics take an unsympathetic tone to its 'female' victim (How does it feel/ how does it feel/ to be on your own...) which borders on misogyny; but this is moderated by the clear impression that the song, and its image of its subject's fall from grace and into isolation, are in part self-addressed.

In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine created a list of the top 500 songs of all time. Like a Rolling Stone was #1 on this list. Following the publication of the Rolling Stone article, Columbia Records reported that song was almost canned because of the song's length and the company's fidelity to then mainstream genres like jazz and pop, among other reasons.