Bob Dylan's Eight Best and Four Worst Songs for His 84th Birthday

By: Josh Kitchen / May 24, 2025

He's so Julia.

The man has many names. Robert Zimmerman, Lucky Wilbury, Jack Frost, Blind Boy Grunt—you can call him Bobby, or you can call him Zimmy. The man who wasn't there, never was, and never were, is 84 years old today. The known universe is estimated to be 13.8 billion years old, with Planet Earth making up 4.5 billion years of that. Humanity as we know it stretches back 300,000 years. And if you're reading this, you are some of the lucky few who have the sheer dumb luck of getting to be alive at the same time as Bob motherfucking Dylan.

With a career spanning over six decades, forty studio albums, countless live albums and bootleg compilations, over 600 released songs, a dozen or more documentaries and concert films, a Timothée Chalamet-starring biopic, and a tour that is truly never-ending, Bob Dylan is the rare artistic master that has lived through time and space.

You couldn't get through a TikTok scroll a few months ago without the youth posting videos of Bob Dylan being "brat" or Chalamet turning up to every red carpet wearing every and all obscure Dylan outfits. Dylan is part of the Western world's cultural and biophilosophical zeitgeist, and God willing and the creek don't rise, he will be for a hundred more. I didn't even mention the Nobel Prize.

On Dylan's 84th birthday today, you'll see your fair share of best-of lists and biographical history lessons made for your phone screen consumption, but I thought I'd do something slightly different on Setlist Kitchen. I present here, my top eight Bob Dylan tracks and his four worst tracks. (The worst was much more challenging.) In the eight best, I unintentionally included songs released from every decade Dylan has been releasing music. It goes to show that he is releasing music as exciting, groundbreaking, and vital today as he did in 1962. Happy Birthday, Bob. Thanks for changing the world.

SETLIST KITCHEN'S TOP EIGHT BOB DYLAN SONGS

1. MISSISSIPPI - LOVE & THEFT (2001)

   
   

This has been my favorite Bob Dylan song for 20 years. It gets more astounding and more beautiful every time I hear it.

2. Key west (Philosopher pirate) - Rough & Rowdy Ways (2020)

Unbelievable that Dylan can put out a song this good and this enchanting 60 years after his debut. Put this song on and try not to be transported to an ocean of bliss.

3. LIKE A ROLLING STONE -

   HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED (1965)

What else can be said? It is his best song, even if it is not quite my favorite.

4. SAD-EYED LADy of the lowlands - Blonde on blonde (1966)

   
   

The first great Dylan epic. 11 minutes and never boring or tiresome. Lyrics here are why he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. If you haven't heard Weyes Blood's version - listen immediately.

5. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go -

   Blonde On Blonde (1975)

Bob Dylan's greatest song about the heartbreaking power of love, and the greatest love song of all time?

6. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue -

   Bringing It All BAck Home (1965)

To me, this is Dylan's transformation from poet to literary architect. A song that ranks him among the very best wordsmiths of our time.

7. Brownsville Girl -

   Knocked Out Loaded (1986)

The best song about going to the movies ever. (It's not only about that, it's epic! An American odyssey!) But I think there was this movie starring Gregory Peck.

8. Not DARK YET -

   TIME OUT OF MIND (1997)

   
   

   Thirty years after Blonde on Blonde, and Dylan put out a track that rivals each and every song on it. There's a reason this was called Dylan's come back record. And we're still there - it's not dark yet, but it's getting there.

   
   

   SETLIST KITCHEN'S Bottom Four BOB DYLAN SONGS

   
   

   1. Ugliest Girl in the world -

   Down In The Groove (1988)

   Wouldn't it be boring if the greatest songwriter in history only had great songs? With over 600 songs, they can't all be winners. The worst of all is Down In The Groove's "Ugliest Girl in the World." A generic rock beat with some half-ass harmonica playing from Bob. Standout lyrics include, "The woman that I love, she got two flat feet/Her kneess/knock together walkin' down the street/She cracks her knuckles and she snores in bed/She ain't much to look at, but like I said," with a choir singing, "Man she's so ugly." Woof!

   2. Neighborhood Bully -

   Infidels (1983)

   
   

   A song about Israel and Palestine that only gets worse with age. Take a wild guess who the bully is here! Not the worst one here though because it's catchy as hell.

   3. Just LIke A Woman -

   Blonde On Blonde (1966)

   
   

   My atomic take. Gorgeous music and singing, obviously. But dated and weird subject matter. Bob is more clever, quick-witted, and biting on every other track on Blonde on Blonde.

   4. Property of Jesus-

   Shot of Love (1981)

   
   

   I actually love this song. In fact, it rocks. But it's also so bad! It was at the height of Bob's holier than thou Born-Again conversion. Listen to these lyrics,"You can laugh at salvation/you can play Olympic games/You think that when you rest at last you'll go back from where you came/But you've picked up quite a story and you've changed since the womb/What happened to the real you, you've been captured but by whom?" He converted like a year before this! I love you Bob, and I also love your Gospel albums. You really weren't kidding when you said you contained multitudes.