Paul Simon praised Bob Dylan’s early songwriting, singling out the 1963 folk standard ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ as having an especially strong melody. The comments underline Dylan’s formative influence on Simon & Garfunkel and his central role in defining American folk music during the 1960s.

Simon said Dylan became popular shortly before Simon & Garfunkel and was impossible for emerging musicians to ignore. He described Dylan’s early songs as simple but rich, credited him with expanding folk music’s possibilities, and linked ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ to Dylan’s broader cultural significance; however, he added that he did not feel Dylan’s later work matched that earlier greatness.