Question 1

True or false: 'Like a Rolling Stone' was Dylan's first top-10 hit, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Accepted Answer

True. It hit #2 in 1965, blocked from #1 by the Beatles' 'Help!'. It was Dylan's first major commercial breakthrough, despite its unconventional length and sound.

Question 2

True or false: 'Like a Rolling Stone' was initially rejected by Columbia Records for being too long.

Accepted Answer

True. At over six minutes, Columbia execs balked, but producer Tom Wilson leaked a promo copy to DJs. Listener demand forced the label to release the full version.

Question 3

True or false: Like a Rolling Stone's iconic organ part was played by Al Kooper, who had originally been hired only as a guitarist.

Accepted Answer

True. Kooper was a 21-year-old guitarist not scheduled for organ. He snuck to the instrument during the recording session and improvised the famous riff, which became a signature of the song.

Question 4

True or false: Bruce Springsteen called the opening snare hit of 'Like a Rolling Stone' 'the greatest sound in rock history.'

Accepted Answer

False. The quote is often misattributed. Springsteen actually called it 'the snare shot that sounded like somebody'd kicked open the door to your mind' in a 1988 speech.

Question 5

True or false: In 'Like a Rolling Stone', the organ riff was played by a session musician who had never heard the song before.

Accepted Answer

True. Al Kooper, a guitarist, snuck onto the organ. He was just noodling, and Dylan liked the sound so much he turned it up—making it the song's backbone.

Question 6

True or false: Bob Dylan wrote Like a Rolling Stone after a grueling tour of England left him wanting to quit music.

Accepted Answer

True. Exhausted and disillusioned, Dylan nearly retired. He wrote a 20-page 'vomit' of prose in a cabin, which he later pared down into the song's iconic lyrics.

Question 7

True or false: Like a Rolling Stone was recorded in a single take with no rehearsals.

Accepted Answer

False. It took 15 takes over two days. The famous take was the 4th, but Dylan kept scrapping versions before settling on the arrangement we know.

Question 8

True or false: 'Like a Rolling Stone' was banned by the BBC for its allegedly vulgar lyrics.

Accepted Answer

False. No BBC ban existed. The song was played on BBC radio. The myth likely stems from Dylan's earlier 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' being briefly pulled for drug references.

Like a Rolling Stone Trivia Questions