Bob Dylan enjoys another wave of recognition with his rise to stardom story told in the film Completely anonymous.
Now, BBC News reports that two pages of old paper containing draft lyrics of one of his most famous songs have been sold at auction for $508,000.
Two yellow sheets of paper contain three typewritten versions of the song's lyrics Mr. Tambourine is a man – It specifically does not include the final version that was recorded at the end – it also shows the folk musician's handwritten notes in the margin.
The sale also included a 1968 oil painting that Dylan painted and signed, as well as one of his vintage guitars, a 1983 Fender Telecaster.
Music journalist Al Aronowitz's account of how the song was written is also included in the sale. Aronowitz recalls how Dylan came to his house and spent the night writing and tweaking song lyrics on his host's typewriter.
The song, believed to have been written in 1964, was released by both Dylan and then The Byrds, the latter making it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and also topping the charts in the UK.
A denim jacket worn by Dylan in the film is also up for sale at Julien's Auctions Hearts on fire (1987) and some of its schematic drafts. In total, the auction house sold items worth a total of about $1.5 million, the BBC reported.
Completely anonymousThe film, directed by James Mangold and starring Ed Norton, Monica Barbaro and Elle Fanning, premieres in December 2024. It has so far grossed $54 million at the box office.
