Bob Dylan Wrote About What It Was Like to Hear a New Beatles Song
In a recent book, Bob Dylan had a lot to say about the end of the world. He also discussed how a Beatles song might fit into that. More importantly, he wrote about the power of music to alleviate distress.
Bob Dylan discussed listening to a Beatles song when everything goes wrong
In his 2022 book The Philosophy of Modern Song, the “Lay Lady Lay” singer discussed the place of music in a chaotic world. “The new Beatles record intoxicates you — but you’ve no idea what you heard,” he said. “The atmosphere around you is exploding into pieces. More brutality more bloodshed, mob rule patrolling the streets. It’s grossing you out and making your flesh crawl.”
“The public servants have failed you, and you’re being asked for donations for another giveaway program,” he added. “It’s a jungle out there, and things are becoming unrecognizable. You’re exhausted from all this, and you need something that’s going to bring you around. You search for a safe place, a sanctuary.”
Bob Dylan discussed other tunes that soothe him
Dylan said music can soothe people in troubled times. “But then again, things might not be so simple, you may be hallucinating, making too much of it all, blowing everything out of proportion,” he added. “You just might be a difficult person to get along with. This is a song where the singer has speculated long enough, and now he’s ready to act. This is a song about the human condition, and rules don’t apply.”
Dylan used The Beatles as an example of music that calms people down in his essay. However, the Fab Four weren’t the only group he discussed. He mentioned how songs by Sonny & Cher and The Temptations have a similar effect on him. He dedicated the rest of the essay to an analysis of The Temptations’ “Ball of Confusion.”
Paul McCartney discussed why so many of The Beatles’ songs are uplifting
The Beatles certainly have many songs that comfort listeners. Love songs in general are usually happy tunes, and The Beatles spent more time singing about love — both in the romantic sense and the humanitarian sense— than any other topic. On top of that, the Fab Four released some self-empowerment anthems like “Hey Jude,” “Let It Be,” “Here Comes the Sun,” and “All You Need Is Love.”
This was no accident. During a 2020 interview with NPR, Paul McCartney discussed his goals as a songwriter. The “Maybe I’m Amazed” singer said he had written some protest songs reacting to ridiculous stories in the news. Despite this, Paul didn’t think he was very good at incorporating social commentary into his music.
Paul usually wanted to pen tunes that were optimistic and helpful. He pointed to “Blackbird” from The White Album as an example of his uplifting tracks. Maybe a Beatles song might not distract you from the world ending, but it’s definitely enough to brighten a cloudy day.
When it all comes crashing down, you can expect Dylan to listen to The Beatles … or Sonny & Cher.
