1974 · Behind the Songs
A lullaby, a rocker and a father’s wish.
“Forever Young” is Bob Dylan’s blessing — a song he wrote for his children and recorded twice, as if one version could not hold everything he wanted to say. It appears two times on Planet Waves: once as a gentle lullaby, once as a tougher, faster rocker.
Dylan recorded Planet Waves in November 1973 in California with the Band — the musicians who had backed him since the mid-1960s. Both versions of the song carry the same wish list for a child: may you grow up brave and kind, may your hands always be busy, may your feet always be swift. It is the rare Dylan song with no irony at all: a father talking straight to his children.
The song was never released as a single, yet it became a standard — sung at graduations, covered by many, and played at countless family milestones. Where most blessings are spoken once, Dylan’s gets sung back to him, year after year, by everyone who ever needed to hear it.
What to listen for: the two versions side by side — the lullaby’s tenderness against the rocker’s resolve; the Band’s warm backing; and Dylan’s voice, softer than usual, meaning every word.