Legendary musician Bob Dylan has gifted his fans with a plethora of remarkable hits.
From early career masterpieces like Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door and Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands to later works such as Mother of Muses and Soon After Midnight, Dylan’s discography is brimming with exceptional songs.
However, one track has piqued fans’ interest as they believe they have worked out why he sounds so “uncomfortable” during its performance.
It wasn’t a Dylan original or a classic cover, but a collaboration with artists including Bruce Springsteen, Daryl Hall, and Cyndi Lauper where the Like a Rolling Stone singer appeared uncomfortable.
A video of Dylan’s performance, showing him shifting from side to side, has since gone viral on TikTok. The song in question, We Are the World, was penned by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and features a star-studded line-up of guest singers and instrumentalists.
Similar to Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas Time – released a few months later – the song showcased numerous famous faces and became the eighth best-selling single of all time. Proceeds from the song were donated to aid the Ethiopian famine from 1983 to 1985.
However, despite the “worthwhile idea” behind the song – as Dylan put it – he was not fond of the single.
A snippet of Dylan performing was taken from documentary footage and stirred up quite the reaction online. Fans were left pondering his discomfort during the recording with Ray Charles, leading to a flurry of candid reactions and a spot of empathy for the star.
Comments ranged from light-hearted jabs likening his performance to amateur karaoke – “He sounds like someone who is getting up and trying karaoke for the first time” – to more understanding critiques, such as: “He’s uncomfortable in situations like this. After he got pointers from Stevie he was great!”
“He sounds like my neighbour singing on Friday night with their windows open,” said someone else.
Dylan previously spoke out about his skepticism surrounding the song. In an 1985 interview with ABC’s Bob Brown, Dylan remarked: “People buying a song and the money going to starving people in Africa is a worthwhile idea, but I wasn’t so convinced about the message of the song. To tell you the truth, I don’t think people can save themselves. I just don’t – I don’t agree with that type of thing.”
He added: “To tell you the truth, I don’t remember that. I did the best I could, you know, that’s all.”