3 Songs That Boldly Take Aim at Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is one of those rare artists who sit so high on the songwriting mountain that most musicians wouldn’t dare take a swing at him. Whether someone loves or hates his style, almost everyone agrees he belongs among the greatest writers to ever hold a guitar. That’s partly why it’s so surprising that a few well-known artists have openly teased, mocked, or criticized him in their own songs.

Over the years, several musicians have taken playful—or not-so-playful—aims at Dylan’s voice, his persona, or the mysterious aura he built around himself. Three songs in particular stand out as bold little jabs at the man many fans call “The Bard.”

“Talk to Me” — Joni Mitchell’s Sharpest Side-Eye

Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan are often mentioned together as two of the most influential voices of their era. But behind the scenes, Mitchell has never hidden the fact that she has mixed feelings about Dylan’s image. Her main issue has always been authenticity. While she has embraced her unfiltered, poetic way of writing, she has frequently accused Dylan of being more of a constructed character than a true storyteller.

For years, Mitchell commented on what she saw as Dylan’s habit of hiding behind masks and personas. She believed he created a mysterious identity for the world rather than showing who he really was. That tension shows up in her song “Talk to Me,” a track many listeners interpret as a subtle but pointed critique of Dylan’s carefully crafted mystique.

Throughout the song, Mitchell paints a picture of someone wrapped up in their own legend—someone who speaks as if every word is precious, someone who takes themselves a little too seriously. She challenges that attitude by asking this person to drop the walls and speak plainly for once. Fans have long connected those themes to Dylan, who was notorious for giving vague interviews, dodging direct questions, and presenting himself almost like a puzzle only he could solve.

Mitchell wasn’t attacking Dylan’s songwriting talent—she respected that part—but she wasn’t impressed by what she saw as a personality built on smoke and mirrors. And while Dylan’s mysteriousness drove her crazy, it also helped him gather a massive, loyal fanbase. In the end, both artists remained icons in their own right, even if they didn’t see eye to eye.

“A Simple Desultory Philippic” — Simon and Garfunkel’s Playful Parody

During the 1960s, Dylan’s influence was so strong that almost every rising musician absorbed pieces of his style. His nasal tone, wandering melodies, and layered meanings became part of the cultural moment. Paul Simon noticed this—and decided to poke fun at it.

“A Simple Desultory Philippic,” recorded by Simon and Garfunkel, is one of the most famous songs to parody Dylan’s style directly. Paul Simon intentionally sang in a Dylan-like tone, exaggerating the way Dylan stretched words, bent notes, and delivered lines that sounded both serious and sarcastic at the same time.

The song rolls through a long list of references, jokes, and social observations. It captures the feeling of the 1960s in a chaotic, playful stream-of-consciousness style. Simon wasn’t trying to tear Dylan down, but he clearly recognized that Dylan had a unique way of making every line feel like it carried ten different meanings at once. That was something Simon admired but knew he personally couldn’t mimic with the same effect. In interviews, Simon admitted that he struggled to sound ironic the way Dylan did. His own voice, he said, came across as too sincere. Dylan, on the other hand, had a natural talent for making a song feel like both a joke and a confession simultaneously.

“A Simple Desultory Philippic” became Simon’s humorous way of acknowledging Dylan’s influence while reminding listeners that every great movement benefits from a little playful ribbing.

“Serve Yourself” — John Lennon’s Response to Dylan’s Spiritual Turn

Bob Dylan and the Beatles shared a great deal of mutual respect. They admired each other’s artistry, swapped musical ideas, and helped shape the direction of modern songwriting. But even close artistic relationships have moments of friction.

In the late 1970s, Dylan famously underwent a spiritual transformation and released songs centered on his Christian faith. One of those songs, “Gotta Serve Somebody,” emphasized that everyone must choose whom they follow in life. John Lennon, never shy about voicing his opinions—even at the risk of ruffling feathers—responded in his own way. The result was “Serve Yourself,” a track Lennon recorded but never released during his lifetime. The song flips Dylan’s spiritual theme upside down. Instead of saying people must “serve” someone higher, Lennon argues that people need to take responsibility for themselves. His tone is sharp, sarcastic, and openly critical of the religious direction Dylan had taken.

Because “Serve Yourself” wasn’t released until after Lennon’s tragic death, it’s unlikely Dylan spent much energy being offended by it. And in a way, the two artists weren’t so different. Both believed in writing exactly what they felt, even if it made people uncomfortable. Lennon wasn’t trying to destroy Dylan’s message—he was simply reacting to it in the raw, honest way he approached everything.

Different Views, Same Legacy

What makes these songs so interesting is that they weren’t created out of pure hostility. They came from artists wrestling with the influence, fame, and complicated personalities surrounding Bob Dylan. Some admired him, some questioned him, and some felt inspired enough to poke fun at him. But all of them recognized the enormous footprint he left on the world of music. Three songs aimed at him—but none could diminish his impact. Perhaps that’s the real beauty of artistic rivalry: it keeps the music world honest, creative, and always a little unpredictable.