10 Moments That Changed Rock Music History
3. Bob Dylan Turns The Beatles Onto Drugs
This is by no means an endorsement for frequent drug use as a way to get those creative juices flowing. But... , the effect psychedelics and marijuana had on the music coming out of the '60s and '70s can not be disputed.
When The Beatles released I Want To Hold Your Hand in 1963, the Liverpool boys were still very much a pop group, think of them as the One Direction of the early '60s. And, given that, they were somewhat unschooled in the ways of drug taking. Bob Dylan was no stranger to the allures of the hedonistic '60s lifestyle by that time, though.
The story goes that Dylan had misinterpreted the lyrics to I Want To Hold Your Hand, believing The Beatles had sang "and when I touch you I get high, I get high…" as opposed to "I can’t hide, I can’t hide, I can’t hide…" This (supposably) was the reason Dylan arranged to get the boys good and high when he first met them in 1964.
Whether this was the truth or whether it was just one of those fun rumours that made up the hazy mysticism of '60s legend, what is true is that the first time The Beatles got high Dylan was present.
When you listen to The Beatles records pre Sgt. Pepper there's no denying the difference in themes. It was the pinnacle of mainstream psychedelic rock, and there was no hiding what had influenced that it.