The “frivolous” 1965 classic Paul Simon thought was a cheap imitation of Bob Dylan and the protest hit he wrote in response 20 years later

The “frivolous” 1965 classic Paul Simon thought was a cheap imitation of Bob Dylan and the protest hit he wrote in response 20 years laterThe rhyming Paul Simon has often had an issue with political music. “Like those early Bob Dylan songs that were political,” he told Uncut, “it’s a gift to be able to write that kind of song.” Dunhill Records owner Lou Adler gave songwriter PF Sloan a copy of Bringing It All Back Home and explicitly asked him to come up with a Dylanesque protest single for The Byrds. Credit: Far Out / Album CoverOn the surface, it is an interesting song to single out as falling short, though. Effectively, it is about being open to change, challenging the notion that protest songs often preach to the converted.