Draft lyrics of Bob Dylan’s iconic 1965 song Mr. Tambourine Man have sold for $508,000 (£417,471) at an auction in Nashville, US.
The drafts, written on two yellow sheets of paper, include three typewritten versions of the song along with Dylan’s handwritten notes in the margins.
While not the final version, the third draft on the pages closely resembles the completed lyrics, albeit with notable differences, according to Julien’s Auctions, the event’s organizers.
The drafts were part of a collection of 60 items tied to Dylan’s storied career that went under the hammer.
Other highlights included a 1968 oil painting by Dylan, a 1983 Fender Telecaster electric guitar he owned and played, and personal sketches.
One sketch, initially estimated to sell for $1,500 (£1,233) to $2,500 (£2,054), fetched an astounding $88,900 (£73,057).
The sale also featured music journalist Al Aronowitz’s firsthand account of Dylan crafting Mr. Tambourine Man in Aronowitz’s home, likely in March 1964.
Aronowitz recounted how Dylan spent the night writing and rewriting the song on his typewriter, leaving behind a wastebasket full of crumpled drafts. Aronowitz saved the discarded sheets, smoothing them out and preserving them in a file.
Released in 1965, Mr. Tambourine Man became one of Dylan’s most celebrated songs.
A month after its release, the Byrds’ version hit number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and UK charts, marking the first Dylan-penned composition to achieve such success in both countries.
Other notable auction items included a Levi’s denim jacket worn by Dylan in the 1987 film Hearts of Fire, which sold for $25,400 (£20,874). In total, the auction generated nearly $1.5 million in sales.
The renewed interest in Dylan’s legacy coincides with the release of A Complete Unknown, a biopic chronicling his rise to fame.
Starring Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, the film premiered in December 2024, adding to the enduring fascination with the folk-rock legend.
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