10 Amazing Songs Written Out Of Competition
3. Serve Yourself - John Lennon
It's no secret that Bob Dylan certainly had his eye on the Beatles in the mid '60s. Despite many bands like the Byrds cribbing his style left and right, Dylan found somewhat of a kindred spirit in John Lennon, who always seemed to fire back at his inspiration whenever he had the chance. Though it continued throughout the '60s, Lennon let his competitive streak rear its head up until the day he died.
As the '70s wore on, Dylan was starting to change his usual writing style around after Blood on the Tracks, kicking off a period of gospel albums starting with Slow Train Coming. While the direction was hardly misguided for Dylan at this point, Lennon found it strange that one his lyrical idols was now praising the Lord in his music rather than reflecting the views of his generation.
Though it was never released to the public, Lennon fired back at Dylan with Serve Yourself, which was a pretty much a verbatim retort to Dylan's own Gotta Serve Somebody. The song is also full of the more snide comments you'd find from Lennon at the best of times, as he recognizes Dylan's religious beliefs before denouncing them in favor of serving yourself. While Dylan may have been in a state of transition amid his religious beliefs, this song serves as a good indicator to not forget where you come from.