Where the Music Had To Go: How Bob Dylan and the Beatles Changed Each Other—and the World

Windolf’s first book offers a thorough examination of Bob Dylan’s influence on the Beatles, with a chronological review of songwriting, concerts, recordings, and the musicians’ frequent encounters from 1961 through the present. He provides a concise overview of Dylan’s and the Beatles’ careers, with an emphasis on their 1960s glory days. He gives fascinating details about Dylan’s early performances at small clubs in England in 1962–63, at the same time the Beatles were performing their earliest songs. Dylan and the Beatles first met on August 28, 1964, at New York City’s Delmonico Hotel; there was much drinking and pot-smoking. They spent further time together during Dylan’s 1965 tour of England. Windolf delves into the similarities and artistic rivalry between Dylan and John Lennon, who both had literary ambitions beyond songwriting. He also illuminates the bond between Dylan and Paul McCartney, dating back to the 1970s, when they both lived in NYC. The book concludes with a 2025 interview with McCartney about his relationship with Dylan.