All I Really Want to Do

Bob Dylan

About All I Really Want to Do

"All I Really Want to Do" is a song written by Bob Dylan and featured on his Tom Wilson-produced 1964 album, Another Side of Bob Dylan (see 1964 in music). It is arguably one of the most popular songs that Dylan wrote in the period immediately after he abandoned topical songwriting. Within a year of its release on Another Side of Bob Dylan, it had also become one of Dylan's most familiar songs to pop and rock audiences, due to hit cover versions by Cher and the Byrds.


Year:
2013
4:02
58 
#2

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I ain't lookin' to compete with you
Beat or cheat or mistreat you
Simplify you, classify you
Deny, defy or crucify you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you

No, and I ain't lookin' to fight with you
Frighten you or uptighten you
Drag you down or drain you down
Chain you down or bring you down
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you

I ain't lookin' to block you up
Shock or knock or lock you up
Analyze you, categorize you
Finalize you or advertise you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you

I don't want to straight-face you
Race or chase you, track or trace you
Or disgrace you or displace you
Or define you or confine you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you

I don't want to meet your kin
Make you spin or do you in
Or select you or dissect you
Or inspect you or reject you
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you

I don't want to fake you out
Take or shake or forsake you out
I ain't lookin' for you to feel like me
See like me or be like me
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you

 Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer


Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan ( /ˈdɪlən/; born Robert Allen Zimmerman; May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and artist. He has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly reluctant figurehead of social unrest. A number of Dylan's early songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'", became anthems for the US civil rights and anti-war movements. Leaving his initial base in the culture of folk music behind, Dylan's six-minute single "Like a Rolling Stone" has been described as radically altering the parameters of popular music in … more »

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Written by: BOB DYLAN

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


4 facts about this song

Song Composition and Artist Interpretations
1. "All I Really Want to Do" is a song written by the renowned American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. 2. This song was a track from Bob Dylan's 1964 album "Another Side of Bob Dylan". 3. Bob Dylan's version was not released as a single, but it was covered by several other artists and some of these cover versions became hits. 4. In Dylan's original, the song has a free-flowing and idiosyncratic feel, reflecting the artist's transition from protest singer to a more personal, introspective style of songwriting.
Cher's Version
5. The famous American singer and actress Cher covered the song the very same year in 1965. 6. Her interpretation was radically different - it was arranged in the style of the then-popular folk rock genre, featuring jangly guitars and a strong backbeat. 7. In the United States, Cher's version peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 8. It was her second solo hit single, helping to cement her burgeoning solo career after she initially found fame as part of the duo Sonny & Cher.
The Byrds' Version
9. The American rock band The Byrds also covered "All I Really Want to Do" in 1965. 10. Their version was closely modeled on Dylan's original, with folk rock arrangements that were typical of the band's sound. 11. Their version became a bigger hit than Cher's in the UK, reaching No. 4 on the singles chart. 12. However, in the United States, it peaked at only No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Cultural Impact
13. Cher's single of "All I Really Want to Do" was influential in introducing a wider audience to Bob Dylan's music. 14. The song has been described by critics as an effective feminist anthem, with its lyrical emphasis on respect for women's autonomy. 15. Multiple versions of the song, including those by Cher and The Byrds, have been included in various film and television soundtracks over the years.

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