John Lennon Talks Of Bob Dylan Influence In Iconic 'Help!' Song

Sep 28, 2020 by apost team

The Beatles were omnivorous students of music, and every sound they gathered found a place in their albums. By the mid-60s, they had established themselves as the biggest band n the world. Now it was time to go deeper and get more personal. Fortunately, their model was right there in their own generation: folk icon Bob Dylan. The time had come for a meeting of the minds.

Paul McCartney and John Lennon were generous in pointing to those who had influenced them, even when they were the Beatles' rivals at the top of the charts. Lennon, in particular, pointed to specific songs of his that were inspired by Bob Dylan, reports Entertainment Overdose UK.

Lennon would have seen Dylan as an artist who had a lot of the sort of critical respect and social cachet he wanted for himself. The Beatles' commercial success had proven him to be an excellent craftsman of pop songs - no mean feat in itself. But a metamorphosis was about to begin, one which would quickly turn Lennon into the songwriting legend we remember today.

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He had going for him the advantage genuine inner turmoil, driven by his own complex feelings as well as by the troubled world around him. Lennon learned how to tap those feelings and turn them into art. One of these songs was "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" from the album Help!

Later in life, Lennon reflected on when he began to transition from his pop craftsmanship to drawing upon his feelings. No longer would he simply project himself into a fictional character and situation. Now he would just express what he felt about himself.

"It’s one of those that you sort of sing a bit sadly to yourself," he told David Sheff in an exclusive interview at the time.

Before listening to and learning from Dylan, Lennon said he "had a sort of professional songwriter’s attitude" toward his craft. Dylan probably learned a few things from the Beatles as well. It was during the same era that he shocked his folk audience and began his second career as a bona fide rock and roll star.

Given the fans both artists continue to have, it's well worthwhile to spread the word of this influence ahead of next month's 80th anniversary of Lennon's birth. It might help a new generation of songwriters find out how to find themselves - by listening to someone else. They might start by listening to Bob Dylan.