Bob Dylan’s ‘Roll on John’, a tragic tribute to John Lennon
John Lennon and Bob Dylan may quite rightly be considered two of the most gifted songwriters the world has ever known; their careers may have budded and blossomed at similar points in life, and their unique perspectives on what life is really all about may well have enjoyed some notable crossover moments, however, they weren’t always such close pals. However, when Lennon tragically died in 1980, at the hands of Mark Chapman, a cataclysmic loss was felt across the entire globe, including Dylan.
In truth, while they certainly shared the odd barbed song — famously jousting over Lennon’s newly acquired songwriting style — and even saw Paul McCartney claim that Lennon was “jealous” of Dylan on occasion, the du had a connection that few others could attest to hold. Lennon and Dylan operated as kindred spirits, partly impacted by their aforementioned shared vision of world affairs but more succinctly affected by their shared experiences of fame, fortune and folly.
While a lot has been written in retrospect of their impact, it’s fair to say that The Beatles and Bob Dylan shared a one-way relationship, one which saw the Fab Four admire Dylan’s unique talent for lyrical flair and craftsmanship. Dylan, meanwhile, would only really look to The Beatles for commercial tips and radio airplay promotion. There can be no doubt, The Beatles idolised Bob Dylan.
The group and Dylan would remain friends with more than a hint of competitive edge throughout their career, with Lennon and Dylan, in particular, never fully seeing eye-to-eye for too long, especially when stoned in a taxi. The bespectacled Beatle rubbed the American icon up the wrong way on more than one occasion. He made the Beatle change how he approached writing songs, and Lennon took on a more reflective and expressive sound to emulate Dylan, a decision the singer-songwriter didn’t take all that well, especially when, having found God, Lennon chose to viciously attack him on the song ‘Serve Yourself.’ But, when Lennon was slain in front of his home in 1980, things changed, perspectives were forever altered, and Dylan was as shocked and pained as the rest of us.
While many of Lennon’s close friends penned tributes or joined in on concerts for the singer as a mark of respect, Dylan chose to hold his tribute to the icon close to his chest. In fact, it wouldn’t be until the 2012 album Tempest that Dylan would finally share his touching tribute ‘Roll on John’. Using a reference to Chuck Berry’s famous ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, a favourite musician of Lennon’s, Dylan recounts the tragic murder of the Beatle. Asked why he wrote the song by Rolling Stone, Dylan responded: “I just felt like doing it, and now would be as good a time as any.”
As well as Berry, Dylan also references two Beatles songs in the track, singing “Come together right now,” from ‘Come Together’ and the line “I read the news today, oh boy,” from the Sgt. Pepper classic ‘A Day in the Life’. It’s one of the few times Dylan took direct influence from The Beatles.
“We were all about the same age and heard the same exact things growing up,” recalled Dylan when reflecting on his and Lennon’s relationship. “Our paths crossed at a certain time, and we both had faced a lot of adversity. We even had that in common. I wish that he was still here because we could talk about a lot of things now.”
Listen to bob Dylan’s tragic tribute to John Lennon, ‘Roll on John’ below.
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