One of the most prolific songwriters of all time, Bob Dylan certainly changed the course of music, showing everyone that you could write about things other than just love. He demonstrated that music could be a way to express your feelings, discuss politics, and address the injustices in the world, proving that it was possible to change things for the better.
In the music business since the ’50s, Dylan had the chance to witness the revolution he sparked up close and see many incredible artists emerge over the years. One of them was Bruce Springsteen, but what is Dylan’s opinion of him?
What is Bob Dylan’s opinion on Bruce Springsteen
Springsteen’s career started still in the 60s but he only had the chance to record his first album in 1973, when Bob Dylan also had caused a real revolution in music with his lyrics and songs. His got more famous in the late 70s and early 80s and really became one of the most successful artists in the world.
Dylan also praised and respected Bruce’s work and in an TV interview in 1985 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) he already praised the artist. “I’m glad to see Bruce making it so big. It’s good, it’s good for the reality of Rock and Roll. John Cougar too. I think there’s good signs that people can make it and have an individual point of view and get that across on a larger scale,” Bob Dylan said.
In 2015 Dylan was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year ceremony and many artists paid tribute to him, including Bruce, who performed “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” with RATM’s Tom Morello on guitar.
In an interview with Bill Flanagan in 2015, Dylan praised the performance. He said: “Incredible! He did that song like the record, something I myself have never tried. I never even thought it was worth it. Maybe never had the manpower in one band to pull it off. I don’t know, but I never thought about it.”
Bob Dylan continued:
“To tell you the truth, I’d forgotten how the song ought to go. Bruce pulled all the power and spirituality and beauty out of it like no one has ever done. He was faithful, truly faithful to the version on the record, obviously the only one he has to go by.”
“I’m not a nostalgic person, but for a second there it all came back, Peckinpah, Slim Pickens, Katy Jurado, James Coburn, the dusty lawless streets of Durango, my first wife, my kids when they were small. For a second it all came back … it was that powerful. Bruce is a deep conscientious cat and the evidence of that was in the performance. He can get to your heart, my heart anyway,” Bob Dylan said.
Bruce Springsteen inducted Bob Dylan into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Back in 1988 Bob Dylan was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the chosen one to do that was Bruce Springsteen. That night with a band with many famous artists like Bruce himself and Mick Jagger, Bob performed songs like “Forever Young” and “Like a Rolling Stone”.
During his speech, Bruce praised Dylan saying (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage): “I knew that I was listening to the toughest voice that I’d ever heard.”
Curiously, Bob Dylan covered during a show in 1990 the Bruce Springsteen hit “Dancing In The Dark”. Although he wrote more than 600 songs during his career, Dylan often covers other artists in his shows.