The 3 Worst Bob Dylan Songs, According to Redditors

If there’s one songwriter who consistently turns up on “best” lists, it’s Bob Dylan. From his breakout in the 1960s as a socially conscious folksinger, through his turn as a full-blown rockstar, all the way through his country era (and born-again Christian Era, and Colonel Sanders era, and so on), Dylan has remained one of rock’s most prolific writers, and his acclaim is paralleled by very few of his peers.

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But nobody’s perfect. And sometimes, Bob’s own biggest fans are the first to admit it.

Allow me to introduce you to r/bobdylan, the steadfast, if at times irreverent, online fan community dedicated to the great songwriter, where Dylan devotees congregate to talk music, swap stories, and, occasionally, talk a little trash.

When one user asked fellow community members to share what they thought were the worst Bob Dylan songs, fans were quick to chime in—and the results were nearly unanimous. So here they are, in order of upvotes: Bob Dylan’s worst songs, according to Redditors.

“If Dogs Run Free,” New Morning

Ironically, most of the YouTube comments for this 1970 New Morning cut hail it as one of the songwriter’s best. And, truthfully, the song is lyrically as well-written as any Dylan album track of its era. The instrumental performances are sublime, with a subtle jazz guitar backing bluesy jazz piano fills, acoustic guitar licks, and a cool walking bassline.

Above it all, Dylan chants this ode to “true love” like a beat poet, emphasizing odd syllables and hanging way behind the beat of the band. All in all, “If Dogs Run Free” adds up to a pretty cool track on paper. So where does it all go wrong?

Per the original poster of the thread, “The backing vocals ruin it imo.” Ah yes, one thing I forgot to mention—the entire, otherwise relatively sober, song has a truly unhinged female scat vocal, shall we say, liberally applied all over the whole thing like a splash of red paint. It ruins it for me too (don’t @ me). It’s honestly a bit hard not to laugh at first listen—try for yourself.

“Ugliest Girl in the World,” Down in the Groove

This 1988 song off Down in the Groove sounds like a parody of a Bob Dylan song, with lyrics that Weird Al Yankovic would struggle to best for sheer laughability.

Dylan’s nasal honk touts the, erm, virtues of being in love with “the ugliest girl in the world” in a tone that’s even uglier, while the slickly overproduced blues backing (par for the era) and female gospel chorus only serve to confuse matters.

It’s an unserious song that’s best left forgotten (as, mercifully, it mostly has been by all but the most thorough Dylan completionists). One Redditor: “terrible lyrics, awful production and mix, uninspired singing and music…absolutely nothing good to say about it.” Same.

“Wiggle Wiggle,” Under the Red Sky

This one is somewhat controversial in the thread, with one user saying, “If by worst we mean best, then I’d say Wiggle Wiggle.” To which another Redditor replies with lyrics from the song: “Wiggle ’til it whispers, wiggle ’til it hums/Wiggle ’til it answers, wiggle ’til it cums.” Oh boy.

For those who look to “The Bard” for his infinite, timeless lyrical wisdom, Under the Red Sky’s “Wiggle Wiggle” appears as a shameful revelation that “The Voice of a Generation” is, a lot of the time, just a guy with a twisted sense of humor who loves classic blues music. “Wiggle Wiggle” is a raunchy throwaway romp that’s honestly not a bad listen. It sounds kind of like Bob Dylan fronting the Stray Cats, with Slash (really!) making an appearance on a searing rockabilly lead guitar.

Most fans get it: the YouTube comments are mostly sarcastic appreciations of Bob’s cheek. One says, “This man won a Nobel Prize.” Damn right, he did.

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