Bob Dylan fans decide on his ‘worst’ song from electric trilogy

Fans of the legendary songwriter Bob Dylan have decided on the “worst” song from his revolutionary electric trilogy.

The three albums which comprise the so-called electric trilogy, beginning with Bringing it All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited, concludes with Blonde on Blonde. The three albums offer some of Dylan’s all-time greatest pieces, including Mr. Tambourine Man, Desolation Row, and Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands. Despite the run of incredible form Dylan found himself in, not every song was perfect, according to those who discussed the trio of albums on the r/BobDylan subreddit. A post to the subreddit saw a user ask: “What is the worst Dylan song recorded during his electric trilogy?” Some have suggested a song they “forget exists” could be the worst of all.

The user wrote: “I always forget On the Road Again exists. Mostly because there are other trilogy songs that do the same thing but better.” Others have disagreed though, with one reply calling the Bringing It All Back Home track an “amazing” piece of work. One suggested: “It’s very amusing the way he uses his voice in it.” Another added: “Gets me every single time.”

Some did suggest On the Road Again was the weakest of the trilogy, though also noted Obviously Five Believers from Blonde on Blonde as a lesser song. They wrote: “If we’re including outtakes, I really don’t care for If You Gotta Go Now. If it’s album only, it’s probably On the Road or Obviously Five Believers.”

Other controversial choices were found further down in the comments, with one suggesting Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat was a lesser song. Not everyone disagreed with the comment, with one user writing: “Yeah, agree. I just have never gotten it. For a time it was my least favourite Dylan song, but I’ve actually come to really enjoy it in recent times. That aside, it’s the worst song on Blonde on Blonde in my humble opinion.”

Another added: “I don’t hate it, but I find it awkward. Dylan has many songs where he’s attempting to push the confines of poetry as it fits into the rhythmic meter of a song. This one kind of disturbs whatever part of my brain that processes that kind of information.”

One of the more controversial comments from the thread suggested one of Dylan’s best-known songs was underwhelming. They wrote: “Just Like a Woman is kind of dull, but aside from that, I can’t think of many others from his electric period. There’s a few songs I don’t like as much, mostly due to the loud ass ear splitting harmonica parts, but I wouldn’t call them bad songs.”

Another agreed, adding: “Just Like a Woman for me, I just think the chorus is kinda gross.” A post which received several downvotes, so many the comment was hidden, had one user suggest Outlaw Blues and Tombstone Blues were some of the worst Dylan had done, with the comment dubbing it “filler”.

They continued: “I love the solo but it just doesn’t compare lyrically for me with the rest of Highway 61. The phrasing is very awkward. I love the whole record and appreciate that song in context but it definitely feels like an experiment and not one of the great Dylan songs.”