The David Bowie Song You Didn’t Know Was Dedicated to Bob Dylan

In 1971, David Bowie released Hunky Dory, a great album often overshadowed by his later works. Buried in the record is “Song For Bob Dylan,” a track that appears as an homage on the surface but serves as a critique, dedicated to one of the biggest names of the era. At this point, Bob Dylan was already at a high point in his career with a strong reputation as the “voice of a generation.” In writing directly to Dylan, Bowie showed his fearlessness in cultural commentary by referencing not only the music of Dylan but also lyrically addressing his position in the musical zeitgeist.