The 1960s icon Bob Dylan and George Harrison agreed to hate: “His singing is worse than mine”
Neil Young’s distinctive, nasal singing voice divided listeners and prompted strong criticism from George Harrison, who said he could not stand it and joked that it was worse than his own. The article argues that the flaws others heard in Young’s voice helped give his songs their emotional character.
Bob Dylan’s objection was different: he felt Young’s hit ‘Heart of Gold’ sounded too much like his own music, saying it bothered him when it reached number one for a long time. The article says the disagreements faded over time, and the musicians later became friends.
- George Harrison disliked Neil Young’s singing voice.
- Bob Dylan thought ‘Heart of Gold’ copied his sound.
- The musicians later put their disagreements behind them.
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Neil Young is a Canadian singer-songwriter who became prominent in the 1960s, first with the band Buffalo Springfield and later as a solo artist. His songs often combine folk and rock, and his high, nasal singing voice has been a distinctive part of his sound.
George Harrison was a member of the Beatles, while Bob Dylan was an influential American singer-songwriter. Both were prominent musicians of the same era, when artists’ styles and records were widely compared; Young’s hit “Heart of Gold” drew particular attention for its resemblance to Dylan’s music.