Where the Music Had to Go - by Jim Windolf (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Persuasive, captivating, and bursting with insight, this dual biography by acclaimed New York Times journalist Jim Windolf dives into the surprisingly supportive, occasionally rivalrous, and always fertile relationship between Bob Dylan and the Beatles, uncovering how they inspired and transformed each other as songwriters, recording artists, and cultural icons.

From Dylan's initial dismissal of the Beatles as being for "teenyboppers" to his realization that they were "pointing the direction where music had to go"--and from the Beatles' obsessive spinning of early Dylan records to their impromptu renditions of fifteen Dylan songs during the 1969 Get Back sessions--the book captures the moments that pushed Dylan to "go electric" and inspired the Beatles to deepen their lyrics. Highly entertaining and packed with backstage anecdotes, Where the Music Had to Go is a deep-focus portrait of a heretofore unexamined relationship, one full of camaraderie, competition, and mutual evolution.

More than a music biography, this is a front-row seat to the forces that shaped an era--an unmissable experience for music lovers, pop-culture buffs, and anyone curious about the magic that happens when legends collide.

Review Quotes

"Exquisitely researched, thrilling, and moving...I thought I'd been down every Beatles and Bob Dylan rabbit hole, traveling far into their separate histories--and I consider myself well-versed in their individual influences--but this book was revelatory. Windolf is extraordinarily attentive to the details of the Beatles' and Dylan's parallel evolutionary tracks, and he is an impressive harvester of their interactions...I felt as if I were listening for the first time to a riveting story, carefully told in cinematic detail, about the most interesting people on the planet."
--Rosanne Cash, four-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter

"The friendship between Bob Dylan and 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."
--Jann Wenner, cofounder of Rolling Stone

"This delicious book twins the lives of Dylan and the Beatles to tell the whole history of the 1960s and 1970s. What struck me most was the vulnerability--even, I daresay, the sweetness--in some of these macho guys' interactions. For example, deep into their careers, Dylan admits he's 'in awe of' McCartney, and McCartney addresses Dylan affectionately as "lovely boy." We also discover zigzagging connections--including how close Joan Baez was to John and Paul, and how Dylan played host to Marianne Faithful--as well as landmark synchronicities. Readers will find here a host of fascinating cameos and name drops."
--Sheila Weller, New York Times bestselling author of Girls Like Us

"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 explores 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."
--Toby Thompson, author of Positively Main Street: Bob Dylan's Minnesota

"I've always known how important the Beatles and Dylan were to me, but I had no idea how important--even crucial--they were to each other. With backstage tales and critical insights, Jim Windolf connects the dots to paint an astonishing dual portrait."
--Susan Morrison, New York Times bestselling author of Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live

"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."
--James Kaplan, bestselling author of Frank: The Voice and Sinatra: The Chairman

"Bob Dylan and the Beatles have long been lionized as two of principal wellsprings of creative genius that transformed Anglo-American popular music in the 1960s and beyond. Drawing on a wide range of contemporaneous sources, Jim Windolf's scrupulous account sheds new light on the often rivalrous yet consistently rewarding relationship between the paradigmatic singer-songwriter and paradigmatic rock group. Though the canon of rock biographies contains a multitude of books on these world-changing artists, Where the Music Had to Go is the first to examine the full breadth of their interplay and influence on one another."
--Jonathan Gould, author of Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America

"Where the Music Had to Go isn't just a single book. It's at least five: a biography of these great artists, a history of modern music, a meditation on creative influence, a deep dive into the role of politics in art, and an analysis of media and fame. The good news: each is wonderful on its own, and together they're absolutely stellar--a joy to read."
--A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Know-It-All and The Year of Living Constitutionally

"A revelation. The complementary, at times rivalrous, and always influential relationship among Bob Dylan and the Beatles fueled a musical revolution that transformed popular music into art. With nuance and eagle-eyed research, Jim Windolf offers an unprecedented look at the mechanics of a musical fusion that we're only just beginning to understand. With wisdom and insight, he brings Dylan and the Beatles' story vividly to life."
--Kenneth Womack, author of Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans

"I didn't think it was possible to add anything to either the Beatles or Dylan canon, but Jim Windolf has crafted a compelling and knowledgeable narrative chronicling the magnetic push and pull between these two giants of modern music and culture. It's never less than absorbing, even for diehard obsessives like myself."
--John Leventhal, six-time Grammy Award-winning musician, producer, and songwriter

"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."
--Lee Child, internationally bestselling author of the Jack Reacher novels

About the Author

Jim Windolf is a features editor at The New York Times. He has published articles, reviews, essays, and humor pieces in Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, New York magazine, Rolling Stone and other publications. Additionally, his short fiction has appeared in Ontario Review, 3: AM Magazine, Puerto del Sol and other literary journals. He lives in New York City.