"She knows there's no success like failure
And that failure's no success at all."
Love Minus Zero/No Limit - Bringing It All Back Home - 1965
I've been turning this phrase over in my head for the last two weeks and like many Dylan lyrics it sounds right but it just doesn't hit me quite square yet. My thesis at the moment is that Dylan is saying that perhaps there is no such thing as true success for we are only successful when we push ourselves to the point where we fail in our achievements. And, at that point, you are not succeeding but merely able to comprehend your own shortcomings. Not sure I agree or even that Bob agrees but interesting thought on a dreary day.
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I'm a firm believer that more than half of songs labeled "Dylan love songs" have nothing to do with a girl. I believe this key line is a strong reflection of how Dylan felt early in his career. Failing opened new lines of inspiration and creativity while success completed trampled the private mystique he yearned to hold onto.
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