They say don’t meet your heroes. But, when you’re a mega star yourself and happen to run in the same circles, it can be hard to avoid them. Bob Dylan went out of his way to avoid Elvis Presley, despite being a massive fan of his early work. Find out why, below.
Videos by American Songwriter
[RELATED: The Epic Bob Dylan Lyric With a Nifty Twist Ending]
Why Bob Dylan Didn’t Want to Meet Elvis Presley
If today was not a crooked highway
If tonight was not a crooked trail
If tomorrow wasn’t such a long time
Then lonesome would mean nothing to you at all
Yes and only if my own true love was waitin’
And if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin’
Yes, only if she was lyin’ by me
Then I’d lie in my bed once again
“When I first heard Elvis Presley’s voice, I just knew that I wasn’t going to work for anybody and nobody was going to be my boss,” Dylan once said of the rock legend. “Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail.”
Clearly, Dylan admired Presley and his efforts–like most burgeoning musicians of his era. As time went on and Presley’s health and career declined, Dylan began to think less of Presley. Even when given the opportunity to connect with The King, Dylan went out of his way to avoid meeting Presley.
“The two or three times we were in Hollywood, he sent his people from the Memphis Mafia to where we were to take us to see him,” Dylan once said. “But none of us wanted. Why go? It seemed kind of sad.”
“I don’t know if I would have wanted to see him like that,” he added. “I wanted to see the powerful and mythical Elvis, the one that had landed on American soil like a burning star. The Elvis who was full of life. That’s the Elvis who inspired us in life. And that Elvis was gone, he had left the building.”
There’s beauty in the silver, singin’ river
There’s beauty in the sunrise in the sky
But none of these and nothing else can touch the beauty
That I remember in my true love’s eyes
Yes and only if my own true love was waitin’
I could hear her heart a softly poundin’
Yes and only if she was lyin’ by me
Then I’d lie in my bed once again
(Photo by Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS via Getty Images)
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.