Bob Dylan fans wonder which of the legendary musician’s songs are ‘overrated’

With hundreds of songs in his discography, Bob Dylan has more hidden gems than most, though fans are pointing out his “overrated” tracks.

The songwriter behind classics like Tomorrow Is a Long Time, Idiot Wind, and Highway 61 Revisited has plenty of beloved songs, though some are tiring of the hits. A post to the r/BobDylan subreddit saw fans share their thoughts on what they considered the overrated parts of Dylan’s decades-spanning discography. A post to the subreddit saw one user ask: “What is the most overrated Bob Dylan song? For me, it’s got to be Forever Young or Lay Lady Lay.

“As a major Dylan fan, both of them are just disappointing and uninspired. In the right mood, I can listen to the slow version of Forever Young, but I just can’t stand Lay Lady Lay.” Some fans jumped to the defence of both songs, while others suggested more classics from the Dylan discography were overplayed, or just downright poor quality.

One user agreed with the Lay Lady Lay denouncement, writing: “Agree on Lay Lady Lay. When I hear that song, I picture a sleazy guy with a moustache and a Hawaiian shirt trying to take advantage of a drunk girl. Weird vibe with that song. The Planet Waves versions of Forever Young don’t do much for me but I do love the lo-fi demo at the end of Biograph.”

Another added: “I second Lay Lady Lay. Good song. But that good?” Some have disagreed with the Lay Lady Lay criticism, with one user calling it and Forever Young a “great” part of Dylan’s discography.

They wrote: “The album version of Lay Lady Lay is great. That pedal guitar! Forever Young is also a great song, although it’s become more meaningful to me as my sons approached adulthood. The Live 1974 version, with Dylan belting out the lyrics, is very powerful.”

Other songs were also mentioned by longtime Dylan listeners. One user suggested a classic rip from the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid soundtrack was one of his most overplayed songs. They wrote: “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door. It’s not a bad song but it’s very overplayed and nowhere near his best songs in my opinion.”

Another added: “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door is easily my pick… Dylan has quite a few bad songs, let’s be honest. Few though are as overplayed and as bad as this one.” A third agreed, writing: “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door. Sadly, for many people, it’s the only Dylan song they know.”

Even classics such as Like a Rolling Stone were not safe, as it was dubbed an “overrated” piece which was overshadowing songs “far better” than it. A user wrote: “I don’t hate it by any means, but I do feel that Like a Rolling Stone is overrated in terms of there being so many more of Dylan’s songs that are far better than it.”