The only musician who makes Paul McCartney jealous

The Beatles, including McCartney, have openly discussed how Bob Dylan single-handedly made them rethink their approach to songwriting. Dylan made each member of the band look in the mirror and add meaning to the words they delivered perfectly. As a direct result of his influence, they refined their sound and began skillfully weaving stories into their songs.

Lennon went through a self-created Dylan period that spawned such Beatles classics as “Norwegian Wood” and “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away.”

Their American contemporary inspired McCartney in the same way. They met for the first time in New York on August 28, 1964, a date now etched in music history. It is known that on that fateful day, Dylan introduced the great four to marijuana for the first time, which also changed their approach to songwriting.

Music journalist Al Aronowitz was responsible for this a meeting of musical giants. At the time, Dylan’s stock was high thanks to Free Bob Dylan and The times they are changing leading to him being called the voice of a generation, even if he didn’t dominate the charts. The Beatles, meanwhile, were a four-man hit factory who couldn’t stop churning out number one records but wanted to add substance to their work.

Recalling that special night, McCartney once commented, “It was a crazy honor to meet him, we had a crazy party the first night we met. I thought I found the meaning of life that night.”

Dylan remains the only artist who makes McCartney feel star-struck. As a rule, other musicians lose their cool in McCartney’s company, but Dylan gave him the same feeling when they first met. Even now, those emotions return when they meet again. In 2019, McCartney said of Dylan’s intimidating presence: “There’s one or two people I’d be really nervous about. Bob Dylan made me think, “Oh my God, what am I going to say?” I saw him, we did Coachella… I got to talk to Bob and he was really nice. I don’t know why I was nervous, but with some people it seems.”

In addition, in 2020, McCartney told Uncut about one trait in Dylan’s personality that makes him jealous, admitting, “I always like what he does. Sometimes I wish I was a little more like Bob. He’s legendary… and he doesn’t care! But I’m not like that.”

McCartney made this remark shortly after the release of Dylan’s album, Rough and rough wayswhich also impressed him. “I thought it was really good. He writes really well. I love his singing – he’s gone through the standard albums as a complete singer. But, yeah, I like his stuff,” he said, before adding, “People ask me who I’m a fan of, and Bob Dylan and Neil Young are always on the list.”

As McCartney put it, Dylan “didn’t give a damn,” which has given him the courage of his convictions over the years. Whether he was intentionally singing his hits in a different key during live performances or going electric at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Dylan never liked crowds; it’s just not part of his nature. At the same time, McCartney can’t help but try to put a smile on people’s faces and not worry about what others think, which also made him a musical great. If one of them tried to be like the other, it would be inauthentic, and these two different ideologies can coexist harmoniously.

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