Did Bob Dylan feel like he was in competition with The Beatles?
As far as rock and roll rivalries go, artists of the 1960s do actually have a decent stake in the claim that they had it worst.
Indeed, the slick and glamorous Los Angeles scene of the ‘80s might have liked to pretend that the boxing ring was really theirs to own, but even though it may have been more covert at times, their predecessors of two decades prior had plenty more beef in the pan. Think about it: the British invasion meant that transatlantic ties were more or less severed.
As much as that may not have manifested itself in the brawls and out-and-out threats that would come later down the line, those rivalries were inherent to the ‘60s scene, and could arguably never be seen more clearly than between The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Unquestionably, they were the UK and the US’s biggest rock and roll offerings, but that didn’t come without its tensions.
Well, ‘tensions’ could be used quite liberally in this sense, to be fair. The archetype tells us that two artists of this kind, from opposing sides of the pond, should have had it in the neck for each other. But the reality was that The Beatles wore their copy of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan down to the grooves. In return, Dylan had to confess that the band’s songs “would create an empire”.
In short, although there was much intimidation and occasional irritation between the two parties, especially after The Fabs started trying to emulate Dylan in his irreverent style, the bedrock of their shared relationship was of absolute respect and admiration for each other. Dylan is often a man of so few words, but even this was something he was forced to admit.
When once asked if he would describe his relationship with The Beatles as competitive, Dylan replied: “Yeah. Only to a certain extent, but not really.”
Of course, this could have been him saving face to some degree, but it revealed that beneath the veneer of rivalry, there was no real bite to him. John Lennon was obviously the main eye in the target line, to which Dylan said, “Him and McCartney both, really, they were fantastic singers.”
It exhibited a rare moment of candour from the elusive star as he added: “Lennon, to this day, it’s hard to find a better singer than Lennon was, or than McCartney was and still is.”
Above all else, Dylan proved in this moment that you didn’t need lavish superlatives to make a point – just putting it plainly conveyed the meaning just as well.
Ironically, it was this approach to lyricism that The Beatles were most impressed by and tried to emulate, which left Dylan less than amused. It does seem, with the fullness of time, that McCartney has managed to get his own back, though, as he said recently, “I’ve been to see a couple of Bob’s shows, and honestly, I couldn’t tell what song he was doing. Now, that’s a bit much, because I know his stuff.”
If nothing else, it confirms the overriding sense that the relationship between The Beatles and Dylan always has been, and will never not be, endlessly complicated, even in the heights of their old age. One person can say one thing, and another says another – and in the midst of it all, it’s our job to figure out the truth. It’s an impossible task.
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