Bob Dylan fans believe one song from legendary musician is ‘most underrated of the 20th century’

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Fans of the veteran performer Bob Dylan believe they have uncovered his “most underrated” song of the twentieth century.

Dylan has been consistently releasing new music since his self-titled debut in 1962, and while there are plenty of songs to choose from, members of the r/BobDylan subreddit seemed to agree. The choice for his “most underrated” song of the previous century was no small choice, but a consensus was reached by those who believe it is one of the songwriter’s greatest works. The Bringing It All Back Home song is a firm favourite of even passing listeners, with the track one of the most popular and recognisable early works from Dylan. Even though many may recognise it, some fans believe it is “underrated” enough when compared to other songs in Dylan’s discography to be one of his very best.

The post reads: “Is It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding one of the most underrated songs of the 20th century? To me its definitely Dylan’s greatest work and how people don’t talk about it more surprises me. It is probably the most relevant song Dylan has ever written, and its lyrics are so pungent.”

Lyrical examples were then given, including “Money doesn’t talk, it swears,” while other Dylan fans believed it was one of his “greatest” efforts. One user wrote: “I think it is generally regarded as one of his greatest songs, but he has so many.” Another added: “It’s provocative and it gets the people going.”

A third shared: “The song is great, perhaps his most powerful statement, but the metaphor he is creating there is between a symbol of violence moving towards a symbol of innocence.” Other listeners have shared their interpretation of the song, and also considered It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding, to be one of Dylan’s most understated, but very best, pieces of work.

One fan shared: “Relevant then. Relevant now. A master work!” Another added: “One of my favourite songs of all time by any artist. Have seen Dylan play it with precision, and I’ve also seen it live, when I could barely understand the words, and I was twenty people deep on the floor.”

A third wrote: “Lyrically speaking, I think it’s the best song anybody ever wrote.” Despite the acclaim from fans, some were less than convinced by it being one of Dylan’s underrated standouts, with some suggesting it merely requires “special consideration” when listening.

One user wrote: “I don’t think it’s ever underrated exactly. I do think this song requires special consideration: the vocals are difficult, but that’s because the lyrics are about disturbing truths. I think among Dylan fans, this song is never underrated. Among the general listening public, it may have been dismissed as noisy and harsh. Pure Dylan.”

Another wrote: “If it’s on Dylan’s electric trilogy, it’s lowkey not that underrated. There are more underrated Bob songs out there, both among the general public and nerds.” A third added: “Definitely not underrated but maybe not enough people have heard it these days.”