American-born folk rock singer-songwriter Bob Dylan is widely hailed as one of the most popular and influential music artists of the 20th century. The accolades have not been given without merit, as Dylan’s poetic lyrics, distinctive baritone voice, and a plethora of hit songs such as “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” helped mold modern music and culture. However, while the music icon has many catchy, beloved singles and albums, some of his favorite songs of all time were penned by other legendary artists. One famous band in particular, The Allman Brothers, had one song in which Dylan revealed he wished he had written himself.
Bob Dylan Wishes He Wrote the Classic Country Rock Song “Ramblin’ Man”
The song, written by the band’s guitarist Dickey Betts, tells the story of a lowly wanderer who leaves heartache in his wake. It was inspired by a song of the same name released in 1951 and originally sung by country singer Hank Williams. Dylan was such a fan of the track that he revealed he wished he had written it himself. In fact, Betts stated this during an interview: “Bob wanted to do ‘Ramblin’ Man,’ stated Betts. ‘You don’t know the words to that, do you?’ He said, ‘I know all the words to ‘Ramblin’ Man.’ I shoulda wrote that song myself.’ I said, ‘OK, let’s check. If you don’t know, just make sh** up, and you’ll do well.’ So we sang ‘Ramblin’ Man.’ He sang every word exactly the way I wrote it.”
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Bob Dylan Once Revealed He Hated One of His Own Songs
Bob Dylan may have wished he had written “Ramblin’ Man,” but there are also songs from his own prolific discovery that he wished he hadn’t written. None more so than the “Ballad in Plain D“. Written by Dylan, the song is an ode to his ex-girlfriend, American artist Suze Rotolo, with whom he had a fraught relationship in part due to her interfering mother and sister. The folk song was released in August 1964 on Dylan’s fourth studio album titled Another Side of Bob Dylan. Although the nearly 9-minute-long track was the longest on the album, it was not released as an official single.
Despite the fact that Another Side of Bob Dylan received mixed reviews from critics upon its release and did not perform well on the music charts, “Ballad in Plain D” is often regarded by fans and modern music critics as one of Dylan’s most personal tracks if not his best. In fact, in July 2013, Rolling Stone Magazine named it one of Dylan’s worst songs. In another article by Rolling Stone Australia, it was deemed a terrible song but featured on a great album. Dylan appears to be in agreement as the legendary singer once revealed in 1985 during a rare interview: “Oh yeah, that one! I look back and say, ‘I must have been a real schmuck to write that. Of all the songs I’ve written, maybe I could have left that alone.” After recording it, Dylan was never known to have performed it again. McCartney has praised the song on several occasions. During a Q&A session at The Liverpool Institute in 2018, he stated: “I liked Sting’s ‘Fields Of Gold’” and “I thought, ‘Y’know what, I should have written that.’” “How dare he?’ I told him: ‘You stole my song.’ I thought that was a nice one, y’know.”
