“A complete unknown”: Bob Dylan’s greatest song began accidentally, with a stolen lyric

Bob Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ drew on a line from Hank Williams’ 1949 recording of ‘Lost Highway’, itself written and first recorded by Leon Payne. The connection highlights how musicians reshape earlier material, while Dylan’s song marked a major shift in his career from folk performer to rock star.

Dylan initially wrote the material as a long piece of verse, reportedly ten pages, and later found it taking song form at the piano around the line “How does it feel?”. Despite its six-minute length and radio stations’ initial hesitation, the 1965 release reached number two on the US Billboard charts and strengthened Dylan’s critical reputation. He later said it changed his feelings about continuing to sing and called it the best song he had written up to that point.