Bob Dylan’s 1965 song ‘Positively 4th Street’ is widely understood as a sharp rebuke to someone in his circle, written after he felt betrayed or patronised during his move from folk music towards electric rock. The song matters because its cutting, personal tone exemplified Dylan’s ability to turn private resentment into a lasting and influential pop song.

Although Dylan never definitively identified its target, speculation has included figures from the Greenwich Village folk scene, particularly music critic and former friend Irwin Silber. Released as a standalone single in 1965, it reached number seven in the United States and became known for lyrics that accuse its subject of hypocrisy, insincerity and opportunism.