A voice like sand and glue: Five songs written to attack Bob Dylan
Certain pitfalls come with being a superstar, and you don’t get much more famous than Bob Dylan. The way he wrote music was unlike anything that anyone had done before. He could hold a mirror up to the world around him and reflect, for good and for foul, giving listeners insight into what they might not have been aware of before listening to the song and reaffirming the views of those familiar with what was being sung about.
Throughout his career, Dylan constantly tried to push himself creatively. He was always willing to try out new styles and sounds to broaden what he was already becoming affiliated with and push himself. While that attitude is admirable, given he was so firmly planted in the spotlight, any road he went down was highly patrolled, and some heavily scrutinised his actions.
Many musicians who weren’t a fan of his work or didn’t enjoy a particular angle that he was taking would voice their discontent within their music. As such, several songs are written as attacks on Bob Dylan rather than as an homage to him.
There is no doubt that Dylan would be subject to criticism given how famous he and his music became; however, it is surprising to see how many of his contemporaries took Umbridge with him in their music. Simon & Garfunkel, Bowie and Mitchell are just a few performers who have used their platform to mock and poke holes in Bob Dylan.
Five songs written to insult Bob Dylan:
‘A Simple Desultory Philippic’ – Simon & Garfunkel
Starting with an equally big name in folk music: Simon & Garfunkel, who were, in some instances, known to be quite jealous of Dylan. This is seen clearer than ever in their track ‘A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara’d Into Submission)’, a parody of Bob Dylan’s music.
Simon uses his analytical eye to look at the lyrics and dissect Dylan’s songwriting style. He mocks the bard for frequently throwing in obscure lines and referencing pop culture.
‘Serve Yourself’ – John Lennon
John Lennon also swiped at Dylan with his song ‘Serve Yourself’, a parody of his ’79 track ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’. It was a dig at Dylan’s religious beliefs, which is interesting coming from Lennon, who played with different religions and spiritual beliefs throughout his life.
“There’s too much talk about soldiers and marching and converting,” said Lennon, discussing the track, “I’m not pushing Buddhism because I’m no more a Buddhist than I am a Christian, but there’s one thing I admire about the religion: there is no proselytising…” While the Beatle can certainly be considered a fan of the troubadour, this song is definitively a kick in the teeth.
‘Talk To Me’ – Joni Mitchell
When Joni Mitchell was compared to Bob Dylan in an interview, she refuted the claim. “We are like night and day, [Dylan] and I,” she said, “Bob is not authentic at all. He’s a plagiarist, and his name and voice are fake. Everything about Bob is a deception.” She reaffirmed her thoughts in the song ‘Talk To Me’ where she says, “Are you really exclusive or just miserly? / You spend every sentence as if it was marked currency.”
While Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan are likely connected as bedfellows by most music lovers, the two folk heroes didn’t enjoy the best of relationships. This track is a testament to those problems. Seemingly written while the duo shared a tour bus as part of the Rolling thunder Revuew, the stormy lyrics are a poignant attack.
‘Stuck In The Middle With You’ – Steelers Wheel
Stealers Wheel had a hit with their song ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’, which was initially written as a joke, parodying Bob Dylan and ridiculing a music industry cocktail party. It was a strikingly decisive track aimed directly at one of the music industry’s biggest names.
“Clowns to the left of me / jokers to the right” was a direct reference to the kind of people the band were used to bumping into. Much to their surprise, the joke song was one of their most successful, thanks to its catchy chorus and infectious pop arrangement.
‘Song for Bob Dylan’ – David Bowie
Finally, David Bowie once had a pop at Bob Dylan on his unsubtly named track, ‘Song for Bob Dylan’. In the track, he starts in a condescending tone, addressing the singer by his full name, saying, “Now, hear this, Robert Zimmerman, I wrote a song for you.” He then critiques Dylan’s musical ability, saying his voice is “Like sand and glue.”
“There’s even a song – ‘Song for Bob Dylan’ – that laid out what I wanted to do in rock,” explained Bowie. “It was at that period that I said, ‘okay (Dylan) if you don’t want to do it, I will.’ I saw that leadership void.”
He added: “Even though the song isn’t one of the most important on the album, it represented for me what the album was all about. If there wasn’t someone who was going to use rock ‘n’ roll, then I’d do it.” This was the moment David Bowie made it clear that he was not just a showman; he was an artist capable of changing society and one willing to take down the former holders of such esteem.
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