‘John Wesley Harding’: The Bob Dylan album Bruce Springsteen loved every bit of
It would be much quicker and easier to list all the modern songwriters who haven’t been influenced by Bob Dylan rather than those who have. After all, the folk hero of the 1960s set the gold standard for socially conscious songwriting, and his subsequent discography has explored an insurmountable range of influences, ideas, and sounds. Dylan paved the way for so many no-iconic artists and songwriters, including Bruce Springsteen. Although he quickly diversified his discography, the early days of Springsteen were plagued by comparisons to the Minnesota-born songwriter.
On a surface level, it is easy to see why ‘The Boss’ attracted these comparisons, particularly during his early years. After all, the New Jersey musician came of age during the music revolution of the 1960s, during which Dylan was consistently at the forefront. What’s more, Springsteen’s early style of folk and folk-adjacent offerings, often reflecting socially conscious lyricism and tales of working people, were fairly in line with Dylan’s musical manifesto.
By the time the 1970s rolled around, and Dylan moved away from his typical sound, releasing subversive masterpieces like Self Portrait, the music industry was desperate to find ‘the next Bob Dylan’ and cash in as soon as possible. Springsteen was among the first artists to be given this tag, releasing his debut album in 1973. While ‘The Boss’ has always remained outspoken about his adoration of Bob Dylan, the songwriter was understandably keen to distance himself from those expectations early on.
As a result, Springsteen’s discography became much more diverse in its offerings, something which seemed to suit the New Jersey native. Throughout his career, he has darted from profound self-exploration on records like Nebraska to perpetually misunderstood pop rock colossus records like Born In The USA. Throughout it all, however, Springsteen has remained a staunch Dylan fanatic.
Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert back in 2020, Springsteen spoke adoringly about the folk hero, citing tracks like ‘Visions Of Johanna’ and ‘Ring Them Bells’ as major influences on his own songwriting. However, he also noted the ire of those comparisons between Dylan and himself back in the early days. “I became self-conscious about the Dylan comparison, so I moved away from [that style of songwriting] quickly,” Springsteen shared.
“Looking back, I kind of had my own Dylan-Esque style,” he continued, “And I kind of wish I had never moved away from it so quickly.” Of course, Springsteen would revisit his folk-adjacent roots at multiple points during his career, with a particularly notable instance being 1982’s Nebraska, which featured a stripped-back acoustic-led sound and a wealth of socially conscious and introspective lyricism.
Nebraska took particular influence from Dylan’s 1967 record John Wesley Harding, which remains one of Springsteen’s most beloved albums. Speaking to Stephen Colbert, the songwriter said, “I like all of John Wesley Harding, so it’s hard to pick just one,” when asked for his favourite Dylan anthems. A masterpiece of folk rock, Springsteen’s love of the album should come as no real surprise, but it reflects the all-encompassing influence of Bob Dylan on the landscape of songwriting and performance.
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