An essay in Listen to This called "I Saw the Light" follows New Yorker music critic Alex Ross to ten Bob Dylan concerts during the fall of 1998. It's a fascinating read, whether you're a devoted Dylan fan or simply curious about the enigmatic performer. If Ross proves to be the ideal guide, surely it's no coincidence that he only came to appreciate Dylan after years of ambivalence. A strange and yet common phenomenon, this--suddenly embracing songs, artists, and whole genres of music despite previously rejecting them--and one that's been on Ross's mind for more than a decade. In an old interview with The Morning News, he told Rosecrans Baldwin, "Back in the days of Feed magazine, Steven Johnson wanted to organize a discussion on this topic: What's going on in the brain when you listen to a song that you think you hate now but will fall in love with three years down the line?"
Surely we could all compile a lengthy Once-Rejected/Later-Loved playlist of our own.
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