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Original Drafts of “Mr. Tambourine Man” Fetch Over Half a Million at Auction

Bob Dylan’s iconic track “Mr. Tambourine Man,” a cornerstone of 1960s folk-rock, is once again making headlines, but this time due to the sale of its original lyrics rather than a musical recording. Recently, three typewritten drafts of the song’s lyrics were auctioned off for an impressive $508,000.

The auction, hosted by Julien’s Auctions in Nashville, highlights an ongoing fascination with Dylan’s artistic legacy, particularly following the release of the biopic A Complete Unknown, which details Dylan’s ascension to fame in New York during the 1960s.

These two sheets of aged paper contain the evolution of the song’s lyrics. While not the final version, they reveal intriguing aspects of Dylan’s songwriting process, with handwritten annotations and adjustments that illustrate the song’s development. One of the drafts closely resembles the final arrangement, yet still showcases notable differences. For both enthusiasts and scholars, these drafts represent a rare opportunity to explore how one of the 20th century’s most influential musicians refined his art.

“It’s absolutely mind-blowing, and confirmation that this is how genius works,” commented Richard Thomas, a Harvard classics scholar who teaches a course on Dylan’s work, in an interview with Ali Watkins of the New York Times.

The drafts originated from the personal collection of Al Aronowitz, a notable rock journalist and a close friend of Dylan in the 1960s. Dylan composed “Mr. Tambourine Man” during early 1964 at Aronowitz’s residence in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. During his stay, Dylan worked on the lyrics at the kitchen table while listening to Marvin Gaye’s “Can I Get A Witness.”

After Dylan’s departure, Aronowitz discovered a wastebasket filled with crumpled sheets—wasted drafts of the song. However, following Aronowitz’s death in 2005, the whereabouts of these lyrics remained unknown, leading his family to believe they had been lost. Myles Aronowitz, Al’s son, eventually located the pieces after a thorough examination of family archives.

“This was family lore,” Myles recounted in an interview with David Browne of Rolling Stone in December. “My father often spoke about it, but he had no idea where they ended up. He thought perhaps they were misplaced or taken. It was a long process going through archives, page by page, until we found them.”

The sale from the Aronowitz collection yielded a total of $1.5 million, with numerous items drawing impressive prices. Highlights included a Fender Telecaster from 1983 that belonged to Dylan, which sold for $222,250, and a 1968 original oil painting by Dylan, which fetched $260,000.

“My family and I are thrilled with the auction results,” Myles declared, as reported by Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone. “These artifacts signify the intimate connection my father had with someone as monumental as Bob Dylan, along with other legendary artists of his era.”

Looking to the future, Myles and his wife aim to hold another auction and ideally donate the entire collection to a library or museum, according to Ali Watkins of the New York Times.

Originally released in 1965 on Dylan’s album Bringing It All Back Home, “Mr. Tambourine Man” stands as a landmark piece in the folk-rock movement. While the Byrds’ rendition topped the charts in 1965, Dylan’s own version remains a celebrated highlight of his extensive discography.

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www.smithsonianmag.com