4 Songs by The Beatles Directly Influenced by Bob Dylan
“Anyone who is one of the best in his field, as [Bob] Dylan is, is bound to influence people,” John Lennon told Melody Maker in 1965. Lennon had revealed one of his biggest influences who helped shift his songwriting style and the Beatles’ sound. By 1964, Bob Dylan‘s influence on the Beatles was evident as they began transitioning from pop songs to more introspective songwriting. Traces of Dylan were drawn on Beatles for Sale and Help! and even earlier on the A Hard Day’s Night track “I Should Have Known Better,” which Lennon directly linked to Dylan.
Originally, “A Hard Day’s Night” was also more in the vein of Dylan before it became more of a Beatles pop song. “But later we Beatle-fied it before we recorded it,” Lennon added.
As the band continued pivoting on Rubber Soul, along with more experimentation with instrumentation and in their storytelling, which continued on through the more psychedelic tones of Revolver and Abbey Road, Dylan’s influence was still apparent.
“That’s me in my Dylan period again,” Lennon proudly said when discussing the band’s “I’m a Loser” from Beatles for Sale and Help! track “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away.” He continued, “I am like a chameleon, influenced by whatever is going on.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Tina Benitez-Eves
