Where the Music Had to Go (2026) tracks the influence The Beatles and Boy Dylan had on each other over the years. Even after The Beatles broke up, Dylan worked with George Harrison and Paul McCartney on various musical projects.
“Recorded over a mere there days, Bringing It All Back Home was electric on one side, acoustic on the other.” (p. 102)
“Cher had already been part of a scheme to cash in on Beatle-mania. Days after the group’s arrival in the U.S., she had recorded the novelty sing “Ringo, I love You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah)” and released it under the name of Bonnie Jo Mason. Cowritten and produced by Phil Spector, it failed to catch on. ‘My voice was so deep that a lot of people thought I was a gay guy singing a love song to Ringo,’ Cher recalled.” (p. 184)
“‘It was 10 pages long,’ Dylan said after writing it… ‘I had never thought of it as a song, until one day I was at the piano, and on the paper it was singing, ‘How does it feel?’ in a slow motion pace’ Like McCartney with “Yesterday,” Dylan didn’t know what to make of his own role in the creation of “Like a Rolling Stone.” ‘It’s like a ghost is writing a song like that,’ Dylan said. ‘It gives you the song and it goes away.'” (p. 134)
Jim Windolf manages to trace the careers of the four Beatles and Bob Dylan from the 1960s to the 21st Century. Their paths intersect more than you would imagine. Do you have a favorite Beatle song? A favorite Bob Dylan song? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction — xi
SIDE ONE
Pilgrimage — 1
Disciples of Little Richard — 8
The Names — 19
Picture Imperfect — 35
It’ll Never Happen — 47
Ego Equals — 63
Beatlemania Here — 81
Hide Your Love –94
The Savoy — 111
How Does It Feel — 130
SIDE TWO
Number One — 151
Northern Songs — 163
Costars — 183
Retreat — 198
Penny Lane and Bourbon Street — 214
Everybody’s Song — 229
Beatles & Co — 251
Serve Yourself — 272
Rolling on — 294
Coda: McCartney on Dylan — 311
Acknowledgements — 319
Notes — 323
Index –351
As a number of my friends are musicians or, like you, George, and myself, deeply interested in music, I’ve heard no little about this book so far. Some unkindly speculate that the Beatles should’ve dumped George Harrison and taken on Dylan as a new member. Not sure, as one respondent to that suggestion noted early in that discussion, if Dylan was enough a Team Player for that. (Dylan in for Pete Best or Stuart Sutcliffe, sure.)
IF anyone was in the sweet spot of appealing to both the Four’s and Zim’s audiences at the time, it would tend to be Simon & Garfunkel, and they had the sales figures to show how true that was. Others as well, of course, among whom my favorite might be Fairport Convention.
A favorite song from each? Wow. At this wee hour, why not “Think for Yourself” and “Percy’s Song” (one which Fairport can be said to have done the best recording). Though “In My Life” and “All Along the Watchtower” might be more conventional similarly good choices. Almost everyone has done a good cover of “Watchtower”, even when not imitating Hendrix. Even the German fake band in the film BANDITS, where three of the actors playing the band in the film actually performed the songs for the soundtrack.
Todd, our local Oldies radio station plays various renditions of “All Along the Watchtower” every week. I’m not sure Dylan would want to be a Beatle–his relationship according to Windolf was “cool”–but Dylan did join the Traveling Wilburys.
I’d say That was the Not a Team Player vibe in the ’60s the commenter was picking up on. By the time of the Wilburys, he’d perhaps learned that collaboration wasn’t diminishment.
And I’d add that the Byrds rival Fairport in my estimation, and the Band a close third. Creedence Clearwarter Revival might’ve been the next band after S&G to catch similar widespread art/sales difference-splitting lightning in a bottle, ahead of CSN&Y.
Todd, you have great musical taste! I listen to The Byrds, Fairport, the Band, and CCR on a regular basis!
I couldn’t narrow down my Beatles or Dylan favorites l—whatever I say that day will likely be different tomorrow, but right this minute my favorite song from each of them are (spins the musical wheel) “The Two of Us” and “Maggie’s Farm”. Tune in tomorrow for completely different answers 😂.
I’ll have to refresh my memory of “The Two of Us”…but “Maggie’s Farm” is great fun, indeed.
Oh, That one! (I haven’t listened to LET IT BE the album for maybe 20 years…wow.)
Todd, you need to listen to The Beatles more!
Love “Maggie’s Farm” too, Deb, though not my #1.
How they influenced each other? Supposedly, Dylan heard “I get hugh” for “I can’t hide” in “I Want to Hold Your Hand, ” and offered them their first joint.
Jeff, in the relationship between Dylan and The Beatles…drugs were involved.
George–I have listened to the Fab Lads a Lot…but LET IT BE is my least-favored of the original albums, and several of its songs were on the Red and Blue retrospectives I played the grooves off.
Deb, I’m going with “Like a Rolling Stone” and “The Long And Winding Road.” Like you, my choices might be different tomorrow…
Somehow I can’t help but associate Trump and the end of “Masters of War.”
As for The Beatles, lately it’s been “In My Life” over “A Day in The Life.”
Jeff, most of The Beatles songs I really like are written by Paul McCartney.
https://watch.whyy.org/show/blank-blank/video/blank-blank-dylan/ –BOB DYLAN AT 20 ON FREAK SHOWS (4 MIN)
Todd, thanks for the link!