Where the Music Had to Go
How Bob Dylan and The Beatles Changed Each Other – and the World
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FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE NEW INTERVIEW WITH SIR PAUL McCARTNEY
Persuasive, captivating and bursting with insight, this dual biography by acclaimed journalist Jim Windolf dives into the surprisingly supportive, occasionally rivalrous, always fertile relationship between Bob Dylan and the Beatles.
Few artists have shaped pop culture as profoundly as the Beatles and Bob Dylan. In Where the Music Had to Go, Jim Windolf offers a new, persuasive interpretation of how two of the twentieth century's greatest recording artists influenced one another - and reveals how their apprenticeships, accomplishments and legacies are uncannily intertwined.
From Dylan's early dismissal of the Beatles as being for 'teenyboppers' to his rapid acknowledgment of their talent, the book captures the pivotal moments that pushed Dylan to 'go electric' and inspired the Beatles to deepen their lyrics. Packed with vivid anecdotes (the Beatles rehearsing Dylan songs; Dylan spending hours at Lennon's childhood home), the book paints a picture of a relationship full of camaraderie, rivalry and mutual evolution.
Windolf's meticulous research uncovers hidden gems, peeling back layers of history to reveal the stories fans didn't even know they were missing. From Lennon's and McCartney's lyrical transformations to George Harrison's growth as a songwriter, the book showcases the ripple effects of the Beatles-Dylan connection. More than a music biography, this is a front-row seat to the forces that shaped the sound of a generation.
Persuasive, captivating and bursting with insight, this dual biography by acclaimed journalist Jim Windolf dives into the surprisingly supportive, occasionally rivalrous, always fertile relationship between Bob Dylan and the Beatles.
Few artists have shaped pop culture as profoundly as the Beatles and Bob Dylan. In Where the Music Had to Go, Jim Windolf offers a new, persuasive interpretation of how two of the twentieth century's greatest recording artists influenced one another - and reveals how their apprenticeships, accomplishments and legacies are uncannily intertwined.
From Dylan's early dismissal of the Beatles as being for 'teenyboppers' to his rapid acknowledgment of their talent, the book captures the pivotal moments that pushed Dylan to 'go electric' and inspired the Beatles to deepen their lyrics. Packed with vivid anecdotes (the Beatles rehearsing Dylan songs; Dylan spending hours at Lennon's childhood home), the book paints a picture of a relationship full of camaraderie, rivalry and mutual evolution.
Windolf's meticulous research uncovers hidden gems, peeling back layers of history to reveal the stories fans didn't even know they were missing. From Lennon's and McCartney's lyrical transformations to George Harrison's growth as a songwriter, the book showcases the ripple effects of the Beatles-Dylan connection. More than a music biography, this is a front-row seat to the forces that shaped the sound of a generation.
- Published: Apr 16 2026
- Pages: 320
- ISBN: 9781399627849
Press Reviews
- JANN WENNER, co-founder of Rolling Stone
The friendship between Bob Dylan and the Beatles and how they influenced, competed with, and revered each other is meticulously, lovingly told in this delightful history of a magical world in an historic era
- TOBY THOMPSON, author of Positively Main Street: Bob Dylan's Minnesota
Dylan's and the Beatles' relations were more than comradely or competitive. They became a call and response - a tit for tat - that was an exploration of the consciousness of their generation. Jim WIndolf explored this dynamic brilliantly in Where the Music Had to Go. It's a book for serious fans and students of the '60s and '70s that's not to be missed
- LEE CHILD, bestselling author of the Jack Reacher novels
One-part delightful nostalgia, two parts smart analysis and perceptive connections, this book expertly re-explains those magical long-ago years we loved so much
- JAMES KAPLAN, bestselling author of Frank: The Voice
Jim Windolf is an American original, and Where the Music Had to Go is a great gift - a brilliantly fresh take on Dylan and the Beatles that illuminates connections and crosscurrents between the five immortals that we've never thought of before. Reading this book reignites the giddy thrill that these pop-culture visionaries gave us and each other