If Bob Dylan lauds a song, you respect that opinion. In fact, few opinions are as respected as Dylan’s in the world of songwriting. So, naturally, when The Bard deems a song the “greatest” ever, we have to agree. While we might have opinions of our own to the contrary, we can see where Dylan is coming from. The song Dylan puts above all the rest is a stunning look at the human condition—something Dylan all but epitomized in his own songwriting. Find out which song caught the undivided attention of one of the greatest living songwriters below.
Videos by American Songwriter
The Song Bob Dylan Called the “Greatest Ever Written”
Picking one song as the greatest ever written isn’t a task many of us would be up to. Dylan, however, was pretty matter-of-fact with his opinion. The song in question was Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman.” Dylan once called this 1968 release “the greatest song ever written.”
Given that he expressed that on the cover of Dylan Jones’ The Wichita Lineman: Searching in the Sun for the World’s Greatest Unfinished Song, his comments were brief. Nevertheless, it’s easy to suss out for ourselves what Dylan saw in this hit.
“Wichita Lineman”
[RELATED: 4 Times Glen Campbell Covered Bob Dylan From the Early 1960s to His Final Album]
“Wichita Lineman” was written by Jimmy Webb for Campbell. Highly existential and yearning, this song more or less started an entire new offshoot of country songwriting.
Webb gleaned inspiration for this song while driving through Oklahoma. Against the flat backdrop was a lineman. The scene was stark enough to move Webb’s pen.
“It was such a curiosity to see a human being perched up there,” Webb once said. “[In] an area that’s real flat and remote, almost surreal in its boundless horizons and infinite distances.”
He colored in this simple story with universal feelings of love and pining. I need you more than want you / And I want you for all time, are lyrics that convey a wealth of emotion without saying a whole lot. It’s an objectively simple song that effectively sums up the human experience. It’s quite the feat and is lauded as such.
“Billy Joel came pretty close one time when he said ‘Wichita Lineman is a simple song about an ordinary man thinking extraordinary thoughts,’” Webb added elsewhere of this song. “That got to me; it actually brought tears to my eyes. I had never really told anybody how close to the truth that was.”
Campbell was similarly moved by “Wichita Lineman.” “When I heard it I cried,” Campbell once said. “It’s just a masterfully written song.”
The way this song affects everyone who hears it speaks to Dylan’s claim of it being the “greatest ever written.” While it’s impossible to pick one song to reign above all the rest, Dylan’s pick is a strong contender.
(Photo by Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.