Paul McCartney has spoken about seeing Bob Dylan perform and revealed that, even as a big fan of his, he “couldn’t tell what song he was doing”.
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The legendary singer-songwriter spoke about his love of the American artist during a new interview on The Rest Is Entertainment, where he was promoting his personal new solo album ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’.
During the interview, he shared what he admires most about Dylan is his ability to do what feels right to him, and not seem to worry about what other people think of it – particularly when it comes to omitting most of his biggest hits from his live shows.
Discussing why he feels like he needs to play his biggest hits at each and every show of his, McCartney said: “I think we could do songs [most people] don’t know and have a lot of ‘black holes’… But they’ve paid a lot of money.
“I remember as a kid, I used to go to shows and save up. I went to a Bill Haley concert […] I’d saved for months and done a paper round and done everything. And I knew what I wanted: I wanted him to do his hits. And if he got all clever on me, I would be like, ‘oh, OK.’ I’d let him indulge himself.”
As for how his approach differs to what he’s seen from Bob Dylan, McCartney added: “In fact, talking about Mr Dylan, I’ve been to see a couple of Bob’s shows, and honestly, I couldn’t tell what song he was doing. Now, that’s a bit much, because I know his stuff!”
He then added that while he understands if Dylan “doesn’t want to do ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ – maybe he’s fed up with it”, from a fan’s perspective, “I would like to hear it. And I paid!”
McCartney also discussed how playing the biggest hits is something guaranteed to unite the audience, particularly when it comes to issues like political divide.
“Particularly these days – you do something like ‘Hey Jude’ and you see the whole audience singing together,” he explained. “In Trump’s America, where Republicans and Democrats are at each other’s throats – when we do that song, they’re not. They’re all loving it.
“It’s like, wow. Suddenly, this room has forgotten all of that. We’re not going to argue; we’re just going to sing together. Those kinds of things, I think, are valuable.”
The Beatles’ friendship with Bob Dylan dates back to the mid ‘60s, and both artists have frequently shared praise for one another over the years since.
In 2007, for instance, the ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ singer shared his longstanding appreciation for the Fab Four, and denounced any rumours of competitiveness towards McCartney and John Lennon.
“They were fantastic singers. Lennon, to this day, it’s hard to find a better singer than Lennon was, or than McCartney was and still is,” he said. “I’m in awe of McCartney. He’s about the only one that I am in awe of. He can do it all. And he’s never let up… He’s just so damn effortless.”
The comments were reciprocated by McCartney in 2020, when he spoke to BBC Radio 2 and said that The Beatles’ more “interpersonal, reflective” songwriting was influenced by the American folk icon.
“We certainly got a lot from Dylan and I know I had one of his first LPs at home before The Beatles,” he told Sean Ono Lennon. “I used to play that quite a lot so I was steeped in him and I think your dad was too, but that was just one of the influences.”
He also said that year that he always wished he “could be a bit more like” Bob Dylan, particularly when it comes down to not worrying about what other people think.
“I always like what he does. Sometimes I wish I was a bit more like Bob. He’s legendary… and doesn’t give a shit! But I’m not like that,” he said.
In 2021, McCartney recalled how The Beatles first got stoned with help from Dylan when they stopped by his hotel room in 1964, and before then, also recalled how speaking with Dylan once made him convinced that he had worked out the meaning of life.
“I could feel myself climbing a spiral walkway as I was talking to Dylan. I felt like I was figuring it all out, the meaning of life,” he said, adding that he ordered Beatles roadie, Mal Evans, to find a piece of paper so he could quickly write it down.
“I was going ‘I’ve got it!’ and wrote down the key to it all on this piece of paper. I told Mal ‘You keep this piece of paper, make sure you don’t lose it, because the meaning of life is on there,” he continued. “Mal gave me the piece of paper the next day, and on it was written ‘There are seven levels.’ Well, there you go, the meaning of life…”
Macca’s new album, ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’, is set for release on May 29 (pre-order here) and includes a duet with former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr on ‘Home To Us’ – a nostalgic reflection on their Liverpool roots, that marks their first ever vocal collaboration. It also features Texas’ Sharleen Spiteri and The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde.
As well as reflecting on his roots in the new album, McCartney also looked back at his time with The Beatles and his relationship with that era when speaking to NME in 2021.
Of his close relationship with Lennon and the disputes they would sometimes have, he said: “Working with John was great. Those are the kinds of things you remember.
“In a film, you remember that bit where the guy says ‘Hasta la vista, baby’ or whatever, and John definitely did have those withering putdowns, you know, but it was two per cent of who he was and it’s the two per cent people remember. Most of the time he was very generous, very loving, very easy to work with.”
He also opened up about returning to his hometown after reaching global fame, saying it makes “all these things come flooding back”, particularly when he sees the famous Cavern venue.
“It makes you play better, I think, being back in a little club like that, inches from your audience,” he shared. “It reminds you of how it was.”