Chapter 3 - Dylan, Lennon and Anti-War Protest Music

Summary

Chapter 3 uses a modified version of R. Serge Denisoff’s (1968) Marxist analysis of class consciousness in protest music to explain the differences in Dylan’s and Lennon’s anti-war output during the Vietnam era. It synthesises this with Ron Eyerman and Andrew Jamison’ (1998) theorisation of the ‘movement artist’, offering new explanations for the divergence in Dylan’s and Lennon’s outlook. Dylan’s initial period as a peace campaigner was surprisingly brief, lasting for just over a year, at which point he turned towards more ambiguous anti-war lyrics. Meanwhile, at the height of the Beatles’ international popularity, Lennon began to advocate for universal love but was gradually drawn into militant revolutionary politics. Their work traced a mirror image – just as Dylan retreated from the role of movement artist, Lennon enthusiastically embraced it.