3 Songs That Unabashedly Take Aim at Bob Dylan

Though ranking talent objectively is almost impossible, almost everyone can agree that Bob Dylan should be considered among the top 5 songwriters of all time. As a general rule, it’s best not to make enemies with the top person in your field. Yet, the three songs below blatantly mock Dylan, for one reason or another. Revisit these sonic insults below.

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[RELATED: 3 One-Hit Wonders That Sound Like Bob Dylan but Actually Aren’t]

“Talk To Me” (Joni Mitchell)

Joni Mitchell has made her issues with Bob Dylan quite clear over the years. Overarchingly, those issues pertain to Dylan’s lack of authenticity. “Bob is not authentic at all,” she once said. “He’s a plagiarist, and his name and voice are fake. Everything about Bob is a deception. We are like night and day, he and I.”

Mitchell reiterated those feelings on “Talk to Me.” Many listeners have come to see this song as a takedown of Dylan and the mystery he seemed hellbent on fabricating.

Are you gagged by your ribbons? / Are you really exclusive or just miserly? / You spend every sentence as if it was marked currency / Come and spend some on me, Mitchell sings in “Talk to Me.”

Mitchell was clearly not very impressed by the attitude Dylan brought to the folk scene. However, that same attitude gave him legions of fans and the respect of almost every other artist in their circle. You can’t please them all, but Dylan pleased most.

“A Simple Desultory Philippic” (Simon and Garfunkel)

“A Simple Desultory Philippic” is one of the most famous tracks that poked at Dylan’s style. Paul Simon attempted to affect The Bard’s unique vocal pattern and songwriting style for this referential hit.

He’s so unhip that when you say Dylan / He thinks you’re talking about Dylan Thomas / whoever he was, the lyrics read. Simon didn’t mean to try on Dylan’s style as a pure diss; in fact, it was more of a social commentary about the ’60s as a whole. However, he did acknowledge the connection to Dylan, saying, “One of my deficiencies is that my voice sounds sincere. I’ve tried to sound ironic. I don’t. I can’t. With Dylan, everything he sings has two meanings. He’s telling you the truth and making fun at the same time.”

“Serve Yourself” (John Lennon)

The Beatles and Dylan were known to be friendly as their stars rose alongside one another. However, John Lennon decided to put that friendship in danger in his posthumously released “Serve Yourself.”

This song was a parody of Dylan’s born-again anthem “Gotta Serve Somebody”. Lennon turns that idea on its head, taking a markedly anti-religious stance.

Given that this song was released after Lennon’s tragic murder, it’s likely Dylan didn’t think too much about his contemporary biting back at him. Moreover, if anyone knows anything about laying your feelings bare in songwriting, no matter who it offends, as Lennon did in this song, it’s Dylan.

(Photo by Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)