Bob Dylan’s brutal response to Don McLean dubbing him a ‘jester’ on American Pie

Don McLean dubbed Bob Dylan a “jester” in his hit song, American Pie, and the Mr. Tambourine Man songwriter did not take kindly to the jab.

Dylan is allegedly referred to in American Pie, which references contemporary moments and recent history, including The Day the Music Died. The fatal plane crash which killed musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson, as well as pilot Roger Peterson, is referred to in American Pie. But also heard in the song is a reference to jests, kings, and queens, with Dylan apparently portraying the role of jester in McLean’s nine-minute classic. Fellow musicians John Lennon, Mick Jagger, and The Byrds are also mentioned in the song alongside Janis Joplin and Elvis Presley.

Dylan took issue with the lyric “When the jester sang for the king and queen in a coat he borrowed from James Dean And a voice that came from you and me.” The legendary songwriter, who was asked about the song in a Q&A session with Bill Flanagan, did not sound keen on McLean’s reference.

Dylan said: “Yeah, Don McLean, American Pie, what a song that is. A jester? Sure, the jester writes songs like Masters of War, A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall, It’s Alright, Ma – some jester. I have to think he’s talking about somebody else. Ask him.”

Though Dylan was dismissive of McLean’s song and his role in it, some have suggested it is not a knock at the legendary songwriter, but an appraisal of his frequently used imagery. One user on the r/TodayILearned subreddit suggested: “I would not take this as an insult from Don, my interpretation is that Bob was the voice of the people, propped up and noticed by the powers that be. Plus he has good fashion sense.”

Another agreed, adding: “While Jester may have been intentionally enduring, even accurate, it’s still a label, and Dylan usually doesn’t take fondly to labels.” A third added: “I always hated this quote from Dylan. McLean calls him a ‘jester’ because Dylan often uses jesters/jokers/clowns/etc in his lyrics. That’s all. I think it’s a fantastic song.”

Others read into the jester line as an insult aimed at Dylan, especially given how other artists are referred to in the song. One wrote: “It’s certainly not what McLean was getting at.

“It’s not clear whether the term Jester itself was supposed to be insulting or simply a reference to Dylan’s tendency to refer to himself or characters in his songs as Jesters or Jokers; perhaps it’s both.

“However, it’s pretty obvious that McLean is not complimentary to Dylan. The Jester is described as someone who wears ‘a coat he borrowed from James Dean'”‘ and sings with a voice ‘that came from you and me.’ Most importantly, the Jester steals the King’s (Elvis) thorny crown.”

Another added: “Bob Dylan doesn’t explicitly say he dislikes the song, just doesn’t think that the jester is referring to him.”