Bob Dylan recorded “Forever Young” on his 1974 album Planet Waves. It’s a classic “paternal love song,” a song inspired by his then four year-old son Jakob, who later became the frontman of The Wallflowers. Countless musicians have since covered this Dylan standard — from Joan Baez and Johnny Cash to Rod Stewart, The Pretenders, Eddie Vedder and even Norah Jones, who sang a poignant version at Steve Jobs’ memorial service last year.
The lyrics of “Forever Young” lend themselves perfectly to a children’s book:
May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young
And so, in 2008, Dylan teamed up with Paul Rogers to publish the illustrated version of Forever Young. The lyrics are the only text; and the illustrations (highlighted in the video above) provide the real narrative, showing a youngster coming of age in the folk scene of 1960s Greenwich Village. The book (available in paper and digital formats) is a pleasure to read to kids. But it’s even better when they read it to you…
Add a comment