Like a Rolling Stone / Gates of Eden

Shattering the three-minute pop single constraint, 'Like a Rolling Stone' fundamentally altered the course of modern music by marrying folk-literary lyricism with a driving rock band. Bob Dylan delivers a sneering, vindictive vocal performance aimed at a fallen socialite, while Al Kooper's improvised Hammond organ riff provides the song's iconic instrumental hook. The track irrevocably broke Dylan from his acoustic folk-revivalist roots, ushering in the rock era of the 1960s.