Bob Dylan Shared Why He Wished Paul McCartney Would Retire
Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney have both been successful musicians since the 1960s. They’ve influenced countless other artists, and both speak highly of the other’s work. Dylan, a notoriously prickly figure, gave an unusually glowing compliment to McCartney. He explained that McCartney was one of the few people who left him awestruck. For this reason, he joked that he wished McCartney would retire.
The American singer predicted that The Beatles would be a success
Dylan was an early supporter of The Beatles, who began rising to fame at roughly the same time that he was. He felt that their work was unique and impressive.
“Dylan drove cross-country from Denver to New York in 1963 with friend and photographer Barry Feinstein, playing the radio nonstop, and by midjourney it was clear to Dylan that the Beatles were ‘doing things nobody was doing. Their chords were outrageous and their harmonies made it all valid, but I kept it to myself that I really dug them,’” Dylan said, per the book Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison by Joshua Greene.
Dylan said that he immediately recognized that the band would be a success.
“Everybody else thought they were for the teenyboppers, that they were going to pass right away, but it was obvious to me that they had staying power,” he said.
Bob Dylan said he was in awe of Paul McCartney
Dylan’s prediction was correct; The Beatles were the biggest band in the world in the 1960s. Over the years, Dylan’s admiration for the group did not dim. He said that he continued to be awed by McCartney in particular.
“I’m in awe of Paul McCartney,” Dylan told Rolling Stone in 2007. “He’s about the only one that I am in awe of. But I’m in awe of him. He can do it all and he’s never let up, you know. He’s got the gift for melody, he’s got the rhythm. He can play any instrument. He can scream and shout as good as anybody and he can sing the ballad as good as anybody, you know so … And his melodies are, you know, effortless. That’s what you have to be in awe … I’m in awe of him maybe just because he’s just so damn effortless.”
He joked that he wished McCartney would retire.
“I mean I just wish he’d quit, you know? [Laughs] Just everything and anything that comes out of his mouth is just framed in a melody.”
Paul McCartney said Bob Dylan influenced him
McCartney has also expressed admiration for Dylan. He explained that he wished he could be a bit more like the American songwriter.
“I always like what he does,” McCartney said, per NME. “Sometimes I wish I was a bit more like Bob. He’s legendary … and doesn’t give a s***! But I’m not like that. His new album? I thought it was really good. He writes really well. I love his singing – he came through the standards albums like a total crooner. But, yeah, I like his new stuff.”
