Bob Dylan’s Favorite Beatles Song

The Beatles admired Bob Dylan. John Lennon even went as far as to borrow elements of his musicianship during their tenure as a band. Luckily for the Beatles, the feeling was mutual. Dylan once named his favorite Beatles song. Find out which Fab Four anthem he enjoyed the most, below. It might not be what you would think.

[RELATED: Here’s Why Bob Dylan Thought the Rolling Stones Were the “Greatest Rock and Roll Band”]

Bob Dylan’s Favorite Beatles Song

Oh, yeah, I’ll tell you somethin’
I think you’ll understand
When I say that somethin’
I want to hold your hand
I want to hold your hand
I want to hold your hand

“I Want to Hold Your Hand” isn’t considered one of the Beatles’ most impressive works. When you pin it up against songs that came later on in their career, it feels a little simplistic. That’s not to say this track isn’t beloved, but it’s not their most stunning bout of lyricism.

If we had to guess what Dylan’s favorite Beatles song was, we would pick something like “Yesterday” or “Let It Be”–something more similar to his own style of music. However, he picked “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” He once remarked on the song’s “outrageous” chord structure.

Oh, please, say to me
You’ll let me be your man
And please, say to me
You’ll let me hold your hand
You’ll let me hold your hand
I want to hold your hand

“They were doing things nobody was doing,” Dylan once said after picking “I Want to Hold Your Hand” as his favorite Beatles song. “Their chords were outrageous, just outrageous, and their harmonies made it all valid… I knew they were pointing the direction of where music had to go.”

It’s high praise from such a trailblazing force. But, great recognizes great and both Dylan and the Beatles are certainly music “greats.”

And when I touch you
I feel happy inside
It’s such a feelin’ that my love
I can’t hide
I can’t hide
I can’t hide

Despite this song being simple, it did help to put the Beatles on the map. It was catchy enough to begin growing their following–a following that would eventually explode into a fervor never before seen. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was a catalyst behind Beatlemania and for that, it holds a high place amongst the Beatles’ catalog.

Revisit this track, below.

Yeah, you got that somethin’
I think you’ll understand
When I say that somethin’
I want to hold your hand
I want to hold your hand
I want to hold your hand

(Photo by Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)