Bob Dylan’s favourite songs by The Rolling Stones: “Truly the greatest rock and roll band in the world”
While Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones have been critical of many others from their generation, they have nothing but mutual respect for each other’s craft. Both acts are more than 60 years deep into their respective careers and are two of the few survivors from the 1960s heyday.
The Rolling Stones and Dylan have not only experienced seismic shifts in the musical landscape but were instrumental in driving much of that change. Without these legendary acts, the entire history of contemporary music would be vastly different. Their influence extends beyond their iconic catalogues to the numerous artists they have inspired, shaping the sound and direction of music for generations.
Whether an artist knows it or not, they have likely been influenced by Dylan or The Rolling Stones on a subconscious level. Although there were singer-songwriters before Dylan, including Woody Guthrie, who he modelled himself on, the ‘Blowin’ In The Wind‘ performer established the well-trodden blueprint. Similarly, the Stones were far from the first group to start playing the rhythm and blues. However, they are unmatched in terms of longevity at the highest level, and in the live arena, they helped pioneer massive stadium tours, which other groups keenly followed in their footsteps.
Despite their musical differences, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan share more in common than what sets them apart. Given Dylan’s prestigious standing in the music industry, it’s rare for him to open for other acts. However, in a testament to his respect for the Stones, he agreed to support them during their 1998 tour across South America, highlighting his admiration for their work.
Notably, across the jaunt, the Stones paid tribute to Dylan each night by performing a cover of his iconic track ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, with the man himself joining them on stage for the song. Additionally, at the 1988 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, Dylan performed alongside stars like Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel in celebration of The Rolling Stones’ induction, further cementing the mutual respect between these legendary artists.
“The Rolling Stones are truly the greatest rock and roll band in the world and always will be,” Dylan once famously said of his contemporaries. It’s an accurate statement, and few are more equipped to issue a compliment of this stature than Dylan. Moreover, he then went a step further, adding, “The last, too. Everything that came after them, metal, rap, punk, new wave, pop-rock, you name it… you can trace it all back to the Rolling Stones. They were the first and the last and no one’s ever done it better.”
The admiration between Dylan and The Rolling Stones is undeniably mutual. Dylan expressed his belief that they are the greatest rock and roll band of all time, and in 2016, guitarist Keith Richards shared his deep respect for Dylan, stating, “I’d work with Bob anywhere. I’d work with Bob in hell or heaven. I love him.” This mutual admiration highlights the profound connection between these legendary artists.
Frontman Mick Jagger, meanwhile, shared this sentiment when he told the crowd at the Desert Trip Festival in California, where they co-headlined the event in 2016: “I want to thank Bob Dylan for an amazing set. We have never shared the stage with a Nobel Prize winner before. Bob is like our own Walt Whitman.”
Although Dylan has become a man of few words in recent decades, his feelings for The Rolling Stones remain as strong as ever. In 2020, as Dylan geared up to release Rough and Rowdy Ways, the legendary songwriter spoke about his kinship with the English group and even named his favourite songs by the group. During an interview with The New York Times, he revealed: “Maybe ‘Angie,’ ‘Ventilator Blues’ and what else? Oh yeah, ‘Wild Horses'”.
All three tracks are classics in their own right and occupy a special place in Dylan’s heart. However, they aren’t without controversy. Ever since the Stones shared ‘Angie’ in 1973, its meaning sent the rumour mill into overdrive regarding the muse. Jagger later ended the speculation, revealing it was an ode to Richards’ daughter, despite not being born when the song was released. In his autobiography Life, he explained that he simply liked the name, which fit perfectly into the song: “In those days, you didn’t know what sex the thing was going to be until it popped out.”
While the song is still a favourite among the band’s fans, ‘Ventilator Blues’ is a deeper cut than Dylan’s other admissions and proves he’s no part-time Stones supporter. Significantly, the Exile On Main St track is one of only two Stones songs for which former guitarist Mick Taylor is credited as a songwriter, and his fingerprints are etched all over the creation.
Richards once said of creating the beloved anthem: “On’ Ventilator Blues’, we got some weird sound of something that had gone wrong – some valve or tube that had gone. If something was wrong, you just forgot about it. You’d leave it alone and come back tomorrow and hope it had fixed itself. Or give it a good kick.”
His final selection, ‘Wild Horses’, is a track that almost every Stones admirer wouldn’t be able to resist from placing in their top three favourite songs. It’s a track that ascertained The Stones were much more three-dimensional than in their earlier days and signified their evolution.
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