ARTICLES
Bob Dylan’s opinion on Paul McCartney
When people are asked who the greatest songwriters of all time are, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney are almost always among the first names mentioned. Both have had remarkably influential and successful careers, writing some of the greatest songs in popular music history. Many of those songs were not only hits for them but were also later covered by hundreds of other artists, with many becoming hits in their own right.
The two first met in the 1960s, when Dylan had his well-documented encounter with The Beatles, who were also heavily influenced by him. Although Dylan has become increasingly reluctant to give interviews over the past few decades and rarely comments on other artists, he has shared his opinion on Paul McCartney.
What is Bob Dylan’s opinion on Paul McCartney
“Yeah (there was a competition). Only to a certain extent, but not really. Him (Lennon) and McCartney both, really, 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. 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 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 a ballad as good as anybody. Also his melodies are effortless, that’s what you have to be in awe of. He’s just so damn effortless. I just wish he’d quit (laughs). Everything that comes out of his mouth is just framed in melody,” Dylan said in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2007.
Bob Dylan was a huge influence on The Beatles, and during his career he became especially close to George Harrison, who was a longtime admirer of his work. Over the years, there were also rumors about a possible collaboration between Dylan and McCartney, but Bob has covered some of his songs like “Yesterday” with Harrison in 1970. He also performed “The Long and Winding Road” during a show in 1978 and on the 2014 tribute album “The Art of McCartney”, he recorded a version of “Things We Said Today”.
The funny conversation Paul had with Bob Dylan
Paul McCartney is a big fan of Bob Dylan, although he never knew him as well as George Harrison did. He still goes to see Dylan perform live and recently recalled an awkward moment they shared. McCartney also talked about Dylan’s current singing style and the way he performs his songs, which are not always presented the same way they were originally recorded. “I’m a fan, (but) I don’t know him well enough. George knew him very well because they were in the Traveling Wilburys together. I’m a little bit nervous to approach him. With some people is easy, you sort of think, you know, we chat easily.”
“Last time I saw Bob, a few years ago, it was Coachella and they did the Desert Trip, so there was a lot of vintage acts, us, Stones, Bob, Neil Young. One of our girls said: ‘Bob Dylan wants to see you. I said ‘Oh yeah? Is there a big crowd in there?’ She said: ‘No, he just wants to see you. Wants to say hello’. Because we had met up in the 60s, we didn’t know each other. But anyway, I came in to see and it was like ‘wow’, it was just him and me in this massive big tent backstage. He was very complimentary, but it was funny because it kind of sort of a little bit embarrassing.”
McCartney continued:
“He said: ‘You’re a star’ (laughs). I thought ‘Oh, what you say to that?’ (laughs). (Then I said) ‘Oh well, thank you, Bob. I love what you do!” And I started talking about him. Have you ever heard his crooning record? It’s really good, because, you know, when you go see him in a show he doesn’t care. So he doesn’t care whether if you really want to hear the tune, (imitates Bob mumbling his lyrics at the show), (then you go) ‘Wow, what was that?'”
“(Then someone says) ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ (laughs). (You go) ‘Whaaaat?’ (laughs). Anyway, well, he’s great, I love his music, I love his songs,” Paul McCartney said in an interview with BBC Radio 2 in 2026 after picking “Mr. Tambourine Man” as his favorite Bob song (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage).
Bob Dylan said The Beatles were solid and their songs created an empire
Interestingly, in his memoir “Chronicles”, Bob Dylan recalled what it was like to hear The Beatles for the first time, describing them as a solid band with songs that would go on to create an empire. “The radio was on from beyond a wall and the sound was coming through in static. The Beatles were singing, “Do You Want to Know a Secret?.” They were so easy to accept, so solid. I remembered when they first came out. They offered intimacy and companionship like no other group. Their songs would create an empire. It seemed like a long time ago. “Do You Want to Know a Secret?” A perfect ’50s sappy love ballad and nobody but them could do it. Somehow there was nothing wussy about it. The Beatles blasted away,” he said.
Bob Dylan began his musical career in 1957, three years before The Beatles were formed. He released his self-titled debut album in 1962, one year before the band’s first album, “Please Please Me”, came out.
Bob Dylan visited John Lennon’s childhood home unnoticed by other tourists
Interestingly, while touring the United Kingdom in 2009, Dylan, who was also a fan of John Lennon, decided to join a minibus tour with regular visitors and see Lennon’s childhood home. According to the BBC, he paid the same £16 admission fee as everyone else for the tour of the 1940s house in Woolton, Liverpool. He was accompanied by 14 other visitors, who had the chance to see photos and documents inside the house where Lennon lived with his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George.
At the time a National Trust spokeswoman said that Bob “appeared to enjoy himself” during the visit. “He took one of our general minibus tours. People on the minibus did not recognise him apparently. He could have booked a private tour. But he was happy to go on the bus with everyone else,” she said.
Three years later, Bob released an album called “Tempest”, which had a song called “Roll on John”, paying tribute to the late musician. Talking with Rolling Stone about the song, he said: “A couple years ago? Strawberry Field is right in back of his house. Didn’t know that. Evidently, he grew up with his aunt. He’d be out there in the Strawberry Field, a park behind his house that was fenced off,” Bob Dylan said.
