The Neil Young Song Bob Dylan Couldn’t Stand: “I Used To Hate It When It Came on the Radio”

Thanks to his lyrical genius and clever character, it comes as no surprise that Bob Dylan’s sharp tongue came across as quite brash. Whether it be in an interview or a concert, Dylan has always leveraged his wit to say what he truly means. One instance in which he utilized his fearless speech is when he bashed Neil Young’s classic hit “Heart of Gold.”

This comes as a major surprise, as Dylan and Young have been friends and collaborators on numerous occasions. However, that didn’t stop Dylan from telling Young and the world what he thought about the song. Dylan’s comments about the tune seem warranted, calculated, and somewhat admirable. Nothing about the dislike reportedly comes from a personal place, rather it comes simply from an artistic one.

Bob Dylan’s Buried Influence

When Dylan came onto the scene his influence was immense and unprecedented. That being so, he was riding high both intellectually and socially. Although, as the ’70s birthed a new class of musicians, his influence, which was certainly present at the time, was being paid less and less credit. This seems to be the pinnacle reason Dylan hated Young’s “Heart of Gold.”Dylan told Spin Magazine, “The only time it bothered me that someone sounded like me was when I was living in Phoenix, Arizona, in about ’72 and the big song at the time was ‘Heart of Gold.”

Following these statments, Dylan also uttered, “I used to hate it when it came on the radio” and “I always liked Neil Young, but it bothered me every time I listened to ‘Heart of Gold.’” Young surely did not purposefully rip off Dylan’s voice and Dylan knows this. The fact that seemingly got to Dylan was the fact that his influence was unconsious to many artists, thus, they didn’t even know who to pay credit to because they didn’t know who was influencing them.

Dylan’s Closing Thoughts

Dylan closed out his comments stating, “I think it was up at number one for a long time, and I’d say, ‘Shit, that’s me. If it sounds like me, it should as well be me.’” Depending on how you read this, it might seems Dylan is mad for being too influential. On the other hand, you may think Young ripped him off. Regardless, Dylan’s dislike goes beyong the typical answer of “it just doesn’t sound good.”

A highlight of this story is that the relationship between the two never ceased to exist. As Dylan and Young went on to perform together several times after the fact. The last time being in 1994 at the Roseland Ballroom in New York.To see two music legends be able to dish it out and recieve it is a sign of a good friendship.

Photo by Barry Feinstein/Courtesy of Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings