John Lennon Felt Bob Dylan Didn’t Live Up to This Song Lyric
John Lennon and Bob Dylan had some major similarities as artists. However, they had widely differing views on religion. John felt that Dylan betrayed one of his most famous lyrics when he converted to Christianity. The “Power to the People” wasn’t the only one with similar feelings.
John Lennon was shocked by some news about Bob Dylan
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features an interview from 1980. In it, the “Imagine” singer discussed religion at length. “I was brought up Christian and I only now understand some of the things that Christ was saying,” he said. “I must say I was surprised when old Bobby boy did go that way.” John was referencing Dylan’s very public conversion to Christianity.
Dylan wasn’t shy about finding Jesus. He released a trio of Christian albums between 1979 and 1981: Slow Train Coming, Saved, and Shot of Love. For many Baby Boomers who had a critical view of Christianity, embracing new religious movements or eschewing religion altogether, the “Mr. Tambourine Man” star’s newfound faith seemed like a curveball and a betrayal. Considering the fact that John criticized religion in songs like “Imagine,” “God,” and “Working Class Hero,” it’s no surprise his reaction to Dylan’s faith was lukewarm at best.
“I was very surprised,” John added. “But I was also surprised when he went to that Jewish group. That surprised me, too, because all I ever hear whenever I hear about him is — and people can quote me and make me feel silly, too — but all I ever think of is ‘Don’t follow leaders, watch the parking meters.'” John was referring to a line from “Subterranean Homesick Blues.”
Why John Lennon preferred Buddhism to Christianity
Dylan discussed the evolution of the “Like a Rolling Stone” singer. “It’s the same man, but it isn’t the same man, and I don’t want to say anything about a man who is searching or has found it,” he said. Notably, John also said that he wasn’t too concerned about his past either.
John said he preferred Buddhism to Christianity because, in his view, Christianity is fixated on gaining new followers while Buddhism is not. “It is unfortunate when people say, ‘This is the only way,'” he said. “That’s the only thing I’ve got against anybody, if they are saying, ‘This is the only answer.’ I don’t want to hear about that. There isn’t one answer to anything.”
How Bob Dylan’s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ performed
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” was a modest hit for Dylan. It reached No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for eight weeks. The song was not a huge hit. However, it was the folk singer’s first top 40 single, even though it barely crossed that finish line.
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” appeared on the album Bringin’ It All Back Home. That record reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 43 weeks. To this day, Bringin’ It All Back Home is still one of Dylan’s most popular albums in the U.S.
John didn’t seem too enthusiastic about Dylan’s conversion to Christianity but even John said that there’s no single, correct way to live one’s life.
