Behind Bob Dylan and Joan Baez’s Complicated Relationship and the Songs They Wrote About Each Other

Bob Dylan and Joan Baez had a complex, rocky relationship in the early 60s and into the mid-70s. She was a muse, a duet partner, and frequently the other woman. But she was talented and skillful in her own right as a separate artist from Dylan. Throughout their relationship, they wrote eight songs for each other in a sort of call and response. Here’s a look at their affair through just four of those songs.

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“To Ramona” by Bob Dylan (1964)

“To Ramona” came out during a time when Bob Dylan was moving away from his folk beginnings. He was going electric and turning inward, writing more introspective and personal songs. “To Ramona” paints a picture of two lovers going in opposite directions. Allegedly, this could have been about Dylan and Joan Baez beginning to focus on different things.

“But it grieves my heart, love / To see you tryin’ to be a part of / A world that just don’t exist,” the song states. It’s possible that this was Dylan pleading with Baez to give up the belief that music could make a difference or heal the world. “It’s all just a dream, babe / A vacuum, a scheme, babe / That sucks you into feelin’ like this.”

“To Bobby” by Joan Baez (1972)

In response years later, Joan Baez wrote “To Bobby“. Baez’s retorts to Dylan’s songs came after their relationship had gone south. When they were together, the focus was mostly on his work and their duets. However, “To Bobby” addresses the shifting beliefs in “To Ramona” and in a way is Baez’s own plea.

“Do you hear the voices in the night, Bobby? / They’re crying for you,” she sings. This could possibly be a response to Dylan leaving protest folk behind, leaving that integral part of his work to turn inward instead. “You left us marching on the road and said how heavy was the load.”

“Visions Of Johanna” by Bob Dylan (1966)

Written after Bob Dylan married his wife Sara Lownds, “Visions Of Johanna” has been described as “one of the oddest songs ever written by a man who has just tied the knot” by Dylan biographer Clinton Heylin. Hiding behind its characters, it depicts a man who sees visions of another woman while “entwined” with his wife.

Dylan seemingly referenced Baez with the line “And Madonna, she still has not showed,” a nod to Baez’s moniker as the “barefoot Madonna.” Additionally, the entire idea of seeing visions of an extramarital lover while in bed with your wife makes sense for these two. You don’t spend that much time, energy, and intimacy with someone just to shut it off the moment you get married.

“Diamonds And Rust” by Joan Baez (1975)

However, with “Diamonds And Rust,” Joan Baez showed that she had awakened somewhere in the decade-long affair. This response goes on to shade Bob Dylan’s legacy and his treatment of Baez, as well as illustrate how fed up she’d gotten with him.

Several lyrics stand out here: “You burst on the scene already a legend,” which demonstrates Dylan’s prolific early days; “The Madonna was yours for free, yes the girl on the half shell could keep you unharmed,” referencing Baez’s nickname and her desire to be with Dylan; and “My poetry was lousy, you said,” which illustrates Dylan’s dismissive attitude toward her talent.

“Diamonds And Rust” is where things come to a head for Joan Baez. She woke up sometime in those 10 years and realized she wasn’t being appreciated for her time, devotion, and skills. It’s no wonder the two haven’t spoken in person in decades.

Photo by Hulton-Deutsch/Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis via Getty Images