Here’s one for the rock history files that still manages to stir the pot, even decades later — because when Bob Dylan thinks you’ve ripped him off, he doesn’t just let it go.
Dylan, who is known for his poetic narrative style of songwriting, was often insulted when other artists used his music without asking for permission. The singer was annoyed, when he discovered that Sonny & Cher’s hit ‘I Got You Babe’ was directly inspired by his song It Ain’t Me Babe.
The Beatles, really annoyed Dylan when they produced music that was inspired by his tunes. The band’s 1965 album Rubber Soul was a shift from the guitar pop that made them famous and was much more experimental.
The Beatles guitarist and songwriter John Lennon admitted his inspiration for track Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) came from Dylan. According to a book written by David Dalton, Who Is That Man? In Search of the Real Bob Dylan,
he was furious. Dalton claims he said the following after listening to the track: “What is this? It’s me Bob. He’s doing me! Even Sonny and Cher are doing me, but, I invented it.”
Dylan is said to have felt like he owned the song because the songwriting style was similar. To claim ownership of it, he wrote Fourth Time Around – which appeared on his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde. The tune is a parody of Norwegian Wood.
After he wrote Fourth Time Around, Dylan’s friend and collaborator Al Kooper told him he was worried the song was way too much like Norwegian Wood. He feared The Beatles might sue Dylan, but the singer claimed there was no way he would face a lawsuit because their track was already his song.
