Two pages of drafted lyrics for Bob Dylan’s iconic song “Mr. Tambourine Man” sold for a staggering $508,000 (approximately RM2.3 million) at an auction in Nashville. Hosted by Julien’s Auctions, the event featured 60 items tied to the legendary singer, including music sheets, photographs, a guitar, pencil sketches, and an oil painting created by Dylan. Nearly $1.5 million (approximately RM6.9 million) was generated from in-person and online bidding, with the lyrics accounting for one-third of the total sales.
The yellow sheets of paper featured three drafts of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” a 1965 track from Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home album. The song, which originally appeared as the lead acoustic track, became even more famous when The Byrds’ cover topped both the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and the U.K. Singles Chart. Dylan’s handwritten annotations on the drafts added to their value.
According to the auctioneer, Dylan wrote the original drafts at late music journalist Al Aronowitz’s home in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, shortly after his breakup with girlfriend Suze Rotolo. Aronowitz detailed the moment in a 1973 article, describing Dylan seated at a breakfast bar, typing on a portable typewriter amid a haze of cigarette smoke, while Marvin Gaye’s “Can I Get a Witness” played on repeat in the background.
Aronowitz recalled finding a wastebasket filled with crumpled drafts that Dylan had discarded. Almost throwing them away himself, Aronowitz instead saved the papers, smoothed them out, and preserved them in a file folder.
Years later, Aronowitz’s son Myles discovered the drafts while sorting through his father’s extensive collection of 250 boxes. “He never threw anything away,” Myles said, noting the drafts had become “family lore” and were believed to be lost.
Two additional items accounted for another third of the auction’s total sales. A 1968 oil-on-canvas painting signed by Dylan fetched $260,000 (approximately RM1.2 million), while a custom 1983 Fender guitar he owned and played sold for $225,000 (approximately RM1.03 million).
Dylan, now 83, continues to captivate audiences, with his life and career being immortalized in the upcoming biopic A Complete Unknown. The film, starring Timothée Chalamet, chronicles Dylan’s meteoric rise in the early 1960s. Chalamet, who spent years preparing for the role, learned to play the guitar and harmonica and refined his singing skills to portray the 10-time Grammy winner.
Speaking about the experience, Chalamet called it “a sort of magical experience.”
With moments like this auction and the continued fascination with Dylan’s life and work, his legacy remains as enduring as ever.
Source: People Magazine