The Song Simon & Garfunkel Wrote To Tease Bob Dylan—and Failed

Bob Dylan has been the subject of many artistic endeavors, and consequently, his notoriety has also landed him a prized position in a couple of diss tracks. Who knows what Dylan thinks when he gets burned? But, it might be safe to assume that he raises an eyebrow and gives a little chuckle. Frankly, the man is too large to fully put down, at least at face value.

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Despite his untouchable status, critics and musicians have not stopped in their pursuits of kicking Dylan off his mountain. One of the more notable attempts to do so came from Dylan’s folk contemporaries, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

Bob Dylan’s Divisive Decision

One of the most notable moments of Bob Dylan’s career was the moment he went electric at The Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Folks of the folk world were enraged by his transition, and Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were two people part of the party. Well, kind of, Simon & Garfunkel weren’t necessarily enraged with Dylan, rather, they just wanted to poke fun at his newfound identity.

The song that accomplished just that is the obscure Simon & Garfunkel song, “A Simple Desultory Philippic.” The song’s lyrics read, Not the same as you and me, he doesn’t dig poetry / He’s so unhip, when you say Dylan / He thinks you’re talking about Dylan Thomas, whoever he was. In the recording, it is quite evident that Simon is also imitating Dylan’s staple nasally voice, but according to Simon the sarcasm didn’t hit in the intended way.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Paul Simon divulged how the song came up short of his intentional mission. He told the publication, “One of my deficiencies is my voice sounds sincere. I’ve tried to sound ironic. I don’t. I can’t.” He added, “With Dylan, everything he sings has two meanings” and “He’s telling you the truth and making fun at the same time.”

Paul Simon’s diss track seemed to try to tear Dylan down. However, according to the songwriter himself, it failed. Furthermore, it seems Dylan was rather unscathed by the attempt of mockery. Following the song’s release, Simon & Garfunkel debuted at Gerde’s Folk City in Greenwich Village and Bob Dylan was in attendance. Although, instead of impressing Dylan, they seemingly got what they deserved, as Bob Dylan laughed at them during their set.

Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon perform for more than 500,000 fans in Central Park per Getty Images