The only John Lennon song that Bob Dylan never liked

During this momentous first contact between arguably the best songwriters of a generation, Dylan introduced the Fab Four to cannabis and his talent for inspiring conversation. Paul McCartney recalled an evening of uncontrollable giggling and wild conversation that left him so stoned he was convinced he had discovered the meaning of life.

Years later, in a promotional video for Ryan McCartneyhis 2016 compilation album, McCartney recounted the memorable evening. “I could feel myself climbing up a spiral path as I spoke to Dylan,” he said. “I felt like I was figuring everything out, the meaning of life… I thought, ‘I got it!’ and wrote the key to everything on that piece of paper.”

McCartney also told Mal Evans about his secret discovery and asked him to write it down on a piece of paper so he could keep it safe and reflect on it later. “Mal gave me the piece of paper the next day,” McCartney continued. “And it said, ‘There are seven levels.’ Well, there you have it, the meaning of life…”

Even though these legendary musicians didn’t quite solve the mystery of life that night, Dylan certainly left a lasting impression on the Beatles. As 1965 progressed, the band began to re-establish themselves with more haunting, often abstract and dejected lyrics. Rubber core was a special turning point, even if it went against Dylan’s grain.

After hearing the folk-tinged “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),” Dylan became angry because he believed Lennon had derived it from his style. “What is that? It’s me, Bob. He’s doing it to me,” Dylan exclaimed when he heard the song. Rubber core in 1965. “Even Sonny and Cher are kidding me, but, damn it, I made it up.” Dylan responded by attacking Lennon in his song “4th Time Around,” which includes the lines, “I never asked for your crutch / Now don’t ask for mine.”

Relations between Dylan and the Beatles improved over time. Dylan became particularly close with George Harrison in the late 1960s. However, he always seemed to be suspicious of Lennon, who was a direct competitor in the world of postmodern poetry. Even after the Beatles split in 1970, there seemed to be a bitter feeling between the two.

In his 1970 solo song “God,” Lennon listed a lot of things he didn’t believe in. Among the participants was Dylan himself: “I don’t believe in Zimmerman.” After the arrival of Lennon/Plastic Ono Bandhe sat down for an interview with Jann Wenner in which he talked about “God”. “Dylan is rubbish. Zimmerman is his name,” he said. “Look, I don’t believe in Dylan and I don’t believe in Tom Jones either, for that matter. Zimmerman is his name. My name is not John Beatle. It’s John Lennon. Just like that.”

Of course, this was not an attack on Dylan, but an aura of bitterness was palpable. In an interview with Scott Cohen, Dylan also acknowledged that there was dissonance between him and Lennon. After calling Sigmund Freud a “fraudster” who “started a lot of nonsense with psychiatry,” Dylan referenced Lennon’s early single “Mother” while explaining his views on parenthood.

“A lot of people have problems with their parents until they’re 50, 60, 70. They can’t get away from their parents,” Dylan said. “I never had those problems with my parents.” Instead, the Minnesota songwriter maintained a more distant relationship with his parents, especially after he dropped the family name.

He went on to explain that he could not understand Lennon’s experience. “Like John Lennon in ‘Mother’: ‘Mother, I had you, but you never had me.’ I can’t imagine that. I know that a lot of people feel that way. There are certainly a lot of orphans in the world. But that is not my experience.”

It’s unclear if Dylan brought Lennon into the conversation with ill feelings. However, the Beatle is often criticized for abandoning his first son, Julian, after leaving his first wife, Cynthia. “I identify strongly with orphans, but I was raised by people who believe that fathers, married or not, should be responsible for their children, that all sons should be taught a trade, and that parents should be punished for their children’s crimes,” Dylan added, suggesting that he would have had a problem with Lennon’s actions.

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