*Song writing is an art form. Obviously. Not greater, nor lesser, than the writing of prose, poetry, and plays and publishing them in books, which is more or less how literature was defined in the modern world until today.
*Songs are not “poems set to music.” They are lyrics and music written together, to complement and to create a whole effect that may be greater than either part alone. Additionally, and thanks to Dylan, they are entwined with performance–in the case of Dylan, a very personal and singular style of performance.
*That is to say, the lyrics of Bob Dylan are not the work, however inspired, powerful, and important they are. Arguably not even the songs are the work. Red Hot Chili Peppers can cover “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” but no one is giving THAT the Nobel Prize for Literature. It is the inspirational genius of Bob Dylan writing and performing his songs that are the work.
*It takes nothing away from song to say that it is a distinct art form from what we had, until today, traditionally defined as “literature.” Today that term got broader. I’m not saying that’s bad per se, and we certainly can’t go back from here. And that may be a point of celebration for you–especially if you feel song is not taken seriously enough in culture, and calling it “literature” elevates it somehow.
*I might argue that song needs no elevation, as it is a profoundly mature, powerful, and pervasive form of culture whose reach, influence, and commerce almost certainly exceeds that of most literary novels, plays, and poems today. But you may feel differently.
*But even if you think SONG as an art form needed cultural validation, guess who didn’t? BOB DYLAN. This is one of the most celebrated artists on earth. And he is the recipient of some of the most prestigious awards–ironically, since few seem less interested in awards than Bob Dylan.
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