Legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan might have another award to put on the mantlepiece soon, as the counter-culture extraordinaire is said to be in contention to be awarded France's highest honour; the Legion d'Honneur. His decoration has apparently been approved by the Legion d'Honneur's council and is now among a list of nominees up for the prestigious award.

There was controversy surrounding Dylan's selection, with his marijuana use and opposition to the Vietnam War being the key factors in any deliberation behind the decision. The committee's grand chancellor, Jean-Louis Georgelin, admitted in French newspaper Le Monde that he had initially turned down the nomination, citing an unspecified or elaborated on "controversy" as being the would-be factor that prevented him considering Dylan, however his head has apparently been turned and Dylan now stands a good chance of being handed the award.

In an open letter published in Le Monde on Sunday (June 2), Georgelin demonstrated his change of heart by calling the folk legend an "exceptional artist" known in his native United States and across the globe as a "tremendous singer and great poet," fonly briefly alluding to any 'controversies.' The satirical Le Canard Enchaine had brought Dylan's omission to the fore last week, accusing Georgelin of throwing out the nomination because of Dylans's pot use and stern opposition to the Vietnam War.

Should his nomination prove successful and he is officially awarded the Legion d'Honneur, he would become the third musician to be bestowed with the award, following the footsteps of one time regular pot-head Paul McCartney and French singer Charles Aznavour. Dylan was given the United States top civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in May 2012.

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The singer would become the third artist to be given the award

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