Bettye LaVette Said Bob Dylan Was a ‘Motherf*****’ for the Way He Reacted to Her Album of His Songs
In 2018, soul singer-songwriter Bettye LaVette released Things Have Changed, an album composed entirely of Bob Dylan songs. She found the way Dylan fans reacted to it frustrating, but she was even more upset with the musician himself. Several years after releasing Things Have Changed, LaVette shared why she has a bone to pick with Dylan.
Bettye LaVette did not appreciate the way Bob Dylan reacted to her album
When LaVette decided to release an album of Dylan songs, she specifically didn’t want to do covers in the traditional sense. She wanted to reinvent the songs, at least partially because she didn’t begin the project as a dyed-in-the-wool fan of Dylan.
“I have not heretofore been a Dylan fan, per se,” she told Rolling Stone. “I’m a song interpreter and singer, so I like anything that a good writer writes, but I’m not much of a music enthusiast, so I don’t listen to a lot of people. I’ve never just sat and listened to Dylan. This is strictly the idea of the executive producer.”
Releasing the album didn’t make her more of a Dylan fan. In fact, it made her feel nothing but “contempt” for him.
Labeling Dylan a “motherf*****,” LaVette told the Telegraph it bothered her that he “never took the time to say how good it is. And when you’re as big as he is, that can make a huge difference to sales.”
She added that it was particularly frustrating because she’d previously met Dylan. He kissed her upon seeing her. She believed that if he could do that, he could offer a word of praise about the album.
“I didn’t offer Bob Dylan a kiss and I’m not a f***ing fan,” she said. “I was not looking to be kissed. If he thinks I’m good enough to put his mouth on then he should have opened it to say just one good word about my record.”
Bettye LaVette said Bob Dylan fans gave their opinions
After releasing the album, LaVette specifically sought out the opinions of Dylan’s fans.
“If you’re a Dylan fan or you cavort with that group of people, they are worshippers,” she said. “They are scholars. I have been really interested in what his fans think of these songs, so I’ve been asking all of them.”
Though they seemed to like her take on his songs, she found their responses frustrating.
“Well, I am very dismayed at the fact that almost everybody has said they understand the lyrics much better when I sing them,” she said. “They say: ‘Well, he’s not a very good singer.’ So let me get this straight: He’s not a very good singer and now you understand the lyrics, but I don’t have any money and he has $200 million?”
Many musicians have released covers of Bob Dylan’s songs
LaVette is far from the only person who has released a cover of Dylan’s songs. “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which Dylan released in 1963, is one of the most covered, with hundreds of artists offering their take on the tune.
The Rolling Stones, fittingly, released a cover of “Like a Rolling Stone,” My Chemical Romance covered “Desolation Row,” and Adele released a version of “Make You Feel My Love.” All told, over 600 artists have covered hundreds of Dylan’s songs.
