I’ve watched this clip of Nick Jonas’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel twice now, and I still haven’t figured out if Nick Jonas was being disrespectful to Bob Dylan. Jonas was being asked about his part in the new “We Are the World” recording, and he says that the producers asked Lil Wayne to sing the part originally done by Bob Dylan. Jonas quotes Lil Wayne as saying “I can’t sing.” To which Nick Jonas replied, “And I’m like, ‘exactly. Perfect.'” Kimmel underlines the point saying “Nick Jonas says Bob Dylan can’t sing.”
But is that really what Nick was saying or what he meant? If it is, then I can only offer a “Bitch, please” to Nick. Bob Dylan might not have a conventionally “good” singing voice, but his voice has more heart, intelligence and soul than a pipsqueak like Nick Jonas can even imagine in his wildest dreams. But I’m still not sure that Nick was intending to say “Bob Dylan is a horrible singer.” I think he was trying to say “that part in the song could easily go to someone who doesn’t have a conventionally ‘good’ voice.” Why am I defending Nick Jonas? I have no idea.
i think he was just being silly.
This lineup for the new “We are the World” sucks! Lil Wayne and Nick Jonas? So disappointing.
“Did Nick Jonas disrespect Bob Dylan?” More importantly…Does Bob Dylan care? No he doesn’t. We are talking about a Jonas brother for pete’s sake.
The smashing pumpkins were my favorite band in high school, and I still love their stuff (well, Zeitgeist and everything before, including his solo stuff and Zwan, yeah, that’s right.) Part of it is Billy’s voice, it’s perfect…and I don’t think I’ve ever said, “Man, Billy can really sing.”
First off, they should just leave the song alone. Enough of remakes in any shape or form. These people are paid to be creative or at least have the arrogance to claim they’re talented.
And he’s right…as awesome as Boby Dylan is he can’t sing but that’s what makes his sound and music so great.
What’s the big deal? Bob Dylan has talent as a song writer and performer, but really….BOB DYLAN CANNOT SING!
I dont care for Dylans work. I would similarly ‘disrespect’ Madonna and MJ– big figures, huge influences, but personally I dont care for their musical abilities.
As for Jonas, he was being playful and anyone would make a similar joke. Its just that what he says goes down on film and in writing and it lingers longer.
This kid doesn’t know who Dylan is.
My own belief is Dylan can acutally sing, he just doesn’t want to.
lol, Jillian – sounds like him exactly!
I don’t care for the Jonas brothers, but this was just trying to be funny.
I’ve said a similar thing a million times to my boyfriend and I love Bob Dylan. It was clear he was just joking
Seriously, what’s the big deal? Bob Dylan CAN’T sing. Not even a little.
um has nick jonas heard himself sing??? it wouldn’t be a stretch to say he’s an awful singer too.
Well, Dylan can’t sing — but he can write the duce out of lyrics.
Nick Jonas can go to hell anyway.
Well of course. Dylan can’t sing in the classical sense. It’s not a secret. He can write though, and play. I don’t understand why this was even brought up? He’s just a young kid. He wasn’t trying to be offensive.
of all the jo bro hoes as my friends and i call them, nick has the best voice. that being said…i’m going with lil wayne should never have been part of this.
not saying nick should have been either, but i actually want to like this kid. it’s his brothers that really grate on my nerves.
Bob Dylan probably doesn’t know what a “Nick Jonas” is …
I think he was referencing that Dylan “talk-sings” his lyrics.
I see no offense.
Oh man…I actually like him a little better now. I can’t stand Bob Dylan, I think he is given too much credit and people only claim to like him because its “hip”.
If Nick Jonas sings the best compared to his brothers, they’ll never make it past the screaming teen demographic.
Nick’s voice is weak and, yes Simon, pitchy. That new song of his is awful in so many ways, the main one being his singing and the other, the ridiculous lyrics repeating over and over.
Dylan can’t sing and is barely intelligible, but he’s still a better musician than Jonas will ever be.
I think Michael K put it best when he said, “Like Bob Dylan gives a fuck.”
“Bob Dylan probably doesn’t know what a “Nick Jonas” is … ” LOL, Munkey.
I see no offense either. Holy crap though, this remake sounds horrible. There were some true music legends in the original. Slim pickins these days.
This little Jonas boy can come talk to us after his voice changes.
Let’s be honest, the man was a great songwriter but a terrible singer.
Haha I love the part where you realize why you’re defending Nick
Nick Jonas will never have the level of respect as an artist that Dylan has, so what the little tyke says doesn’t mean sh!t.
Um,it’s fine to think dylan is trendy or hip for no reason,and that he’s overrated,but honestly,have you listened to his stuff?
Blood on the Tracks is one of those albums-you cannot hear it and not appreciate it’s brilliance.
It’s like Lauren Hills Miseducation-will always be one of those ‘complete’ albums. There are so many more-by others…
anyway,you must go back and listen to some of dylan’s best of,earlier cd’s. you know,a greatest hits double LP in the 70’s? before he was even out 10 years? pretty amazing.
It’s Dylan the poet that you should be looking out for. His lyrics and impressions ARE brilliant-and he cannot be compared to MJ or Madonna in that regard. Puleez!
In fact,MJ cannot be compared to anyone for his dance skills and sheer artistry in performing-the man did his homework.
Same with Dylan,but for lyrics-how many songs has dylan written for others that you probably love?
Really listen to his words sometime.
Like Bob Marley,you can be tired of him,his stuff is popular and cool and oh-so-overplayed,but really,Marley is an icon for a reason-his work is groundbreaking,timeless and brilliant. same with dylan.
But I get it-his voice is grating,and his work and name are overplayed.
Samantha:
February 4th, 2010 at 3:13 pm Oh man…I actually like him a little better now. I can’t stand Bob Dylan, I think he is given too much credit and people only claim to like him because its “hip”.
Not true! Those of us who have appreciate Dylan’s work for years do not think he is ‘hip’ and only ‘claim’ to like him as such. We truly get the talent he has and,like any good writer/artist/performer of any kind,he enriches the lives of those who like his work. Doesn’t mean you have to like him,but also does not mean he is overrated.
However,I will give you that there are probably many hipsters who claim to like him b/c they think it makes them appear cool to do so. Does not mean all of his fans fall into that category,not by a long shot.
Geez-the guy has been around for decades! That kind of longevity is not a trend or hip fad.
to be fair, Bob basically talks his part more than sings it on ‘we are the world’. i’m with sushi – great songwriter…singer, eh, not so much.
Dylan is a brilliant song writer ‘All Along the Watchtower’ was one of the best songs ever written and I adore him, but to be fair the man couldn’t even carry a tune with a handle. I saw him in concert twice and didn’t understand a single word.
“Nashville Skyline” — Bob actually sings and it….could be worse. Who cares if any of the Jonas brothers think he can’t sing? Bob Dylan’s music from thirty years ago is still relevant, I’m not sure anyone will remember the Jonas’ music in 30 years!
About 30 years ago (just shows my age), I stated my dis-like for Bob Dylan and my friend (incensed by my words) said, “You KNOW we went to see him, DON’T YOU?” Oh, I guess because she went to see him, I shouldn’t have an opinion about him. Hated him then, hate him now!
I do agree, however, about his writing abilities. He just SUCKS as a singer.
Just my opinion, once again gracing the boards! 😉
bob dylan has chunks of nick jonas floating around in his stool.
Who is Nick Jonas?
Bob Dylan is the biggest joke going. He’s proof the music industry isn’t (and never was) about talent but about connections and who you know.
He’s a singer that can’t sing. Has anyone heard his Christmas album?
His talent is/was conning people into buying his albums. He made millions producing garbage and “smart” people bought into it.
He’s a pet rock that stretched 15mins of fame into a lifetime.
What a joke.
“He’s proof the music industry isn’t (and never was) about talent but about connections and who you know.”
Ahhhh, I see. I forgot about the burgeoning music industry in the Iron Range in northern MN back in the ’60’s. I guess all his ‘connections’ up in Hibbing and Duluth are why people are still recording his songs 40+ years later. That sure is one hell of a ‘joke’.
Like his music or not, and he was no great singer, he is not some talentless flash in the pan.
I dare anyone to say that when they listen to Hendrix cover All Along the Watchtower it is ‘crappy’ or that anything those Jonas kids have ever done could even touch that with a ten foot pole.
Sorry, we Minnesotans are rather proud of Dylan.
Bob Dylan is a singer, not Christ resurrected (…although I have a friend who’d disagree on that one). Oh, and he writes awesome songs but can’t sing. Unbunch those panties.
bob dylan = my first love since i was 14. not b/c he’s the best singer, not b/c he’s the most handsome, but b/c his music feels like home.
i don’t know if his work would have had the same poignance if it was pitch perfect and shiny and glossy. it would take away from his lyrics, IMO.
there’s music you love in the club, when you’re out being silly w/ your friends, etc. and then there’s the music that you come back to time and again like an old friend that always understands you with having to say a thing.
that’s bob dylan’s music for me. but wait who’s this jonas fellow? are these the boys who can’t have sex or something?
Mags,
Thank you so much!
Dylans music isn’t for some FM top hits station, it is poetry, rough, not always pretty. It may not to make you want to dance, but once you listen and absorb it touches your soul.
Thank you again for putting it so well.
Greg.
I really really don’t like you.
Isn’t this the guy being chased around by 13 year olds? Oh, it is! We’ll see how many college courses are offered on his work in the future? Maybe in the gum ball machines! BOB RULES!!!
Lil Wayne singing Bob Dylan’s part???? Does anyone else see how insane that is? How can anyone respect and worship a god that don’t even know?? This is music sacrilege! They will all be sent to dark, wet cave and have to listen to Britney Spears and Lady Caca FOREVER!!!
Mags has it right. Bob Dylan feels like home to those of us who are fortunate enough to be “in on the joke.” I have been a Dylan fan for years and it is not because I want to be “hip” or “smart.” I am already both of those things. I love Dylan’s music because it is real. It touches a nerve with me that other people’s music has not and probably will never touch. Dylan’s singing voice does not produce the “beautiful tones” that many people have come to expect in singers, but his range is almost unmatched. People who don’t understand the greatness of Bob Dylan or who don’t appreciate what the man has done for music are, more times than not, close minded. He is the GREATEST songwriter of our time. PERIOD. His influence is felt in all music. Before Dylan hit the scene The Beatles were writing pop tunes with no substance … after Dylan, their music became much more conscience. I take personal offense to people slamming Dylan because his music has had a major impact on my life. I too am a musician. I have shared stages with Grammy winners and people who have sold millions of records … and not ONE of them would agree with the argument that Bob Dylan sucks. He is revered for a reason. Not because he “knew people” as Greg suggests, but because he was and is an incredible talent. Dylan was the product of a father who owned a shop in Minnesota. He was not born with connections or an obscene amount of money. He made his mark on music through talent and perseverance. Everyone has different tastes. I appreciate that. But to say Dylan has no talent is ignorant.
“Somethings happening here but you don’t know what it is, do you Mr. Jones”
Who’s Nick Jonas?????????
Who’s Nick Jonas?????
Can anyone in Pop culture sing? Celine Dion isn t exactly in the category of Opera singers of Pavaroti. Pop culture is about having a personality when you sing and Dylan is one of the best with that. All these new young singers don t know how to sing in the sence of Opera singing and also have no personality. Nick Jonas is a young guy who hasn t throught the thing through.
Surely in order to decide whether Bob Dylan is a good singer, or not, it is first necessary to define what makes someone a good singer, or not. To my mind being a good singer is not about hitting the right notes (whatever that means) but about having something to say, and saying it with imagination, courage and conviction. I can’t think of another living artist who comes close to Dylan on these measures.
Personally I will take the ‘bad voices’ of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix and Leonard Cohen over Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Pavarotti any day.
Dylan is in his late 60s with health issues and enough in his pension plan to take it easy but what he chooses to do is to keep making great records and play around 100 gigs every year.
Let’s show some respect.
‘You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.’
Blu… Your comment was brilliant.
As for Nick Jonas, he isn’t even a pimple on Dylan’s arse.
I am not the biggest of Dylan fans but I do respect his enormous talent. The man defined a genration, was first to perform live with electric instruments (which pissed off his fans) he was/is a musical genius and visionary.
Jonas is a creation of Disney. When the tweens who thinks he’s cute hit high school he will fade into the pages of tiger beat. (old teenybob zine for those who haven’t heard of it)
Bitch Boy
Who is Nick Jonas?
Bob Dylan is one of the best singers ever. However “we are the world” was really bad first time around. I dread to think how bad the new version will be.
My God with all that available sex who knows what I’d say.
Not only is Dylan a great singer (although not in the classic sense) with the greatest phrasing this side of Sinatra, but he’s truly a massive talent that towers above almost all others. Love him or hate him, he’s probably the greatest cultural icon of the 20th century. There’s no question he breathes rarified air…and we’re lucky to be alive in his times.
Of course he was saying Bob Dylan can’t sing. Very funny! “Classic” singing? What’s that? Singing is acting–you have to go a long long way to find singers who move the emotions like Bob. But if you are a parrot, you’ll repeat: “Dylan can’t sing.” Then go eat a cracker.
Dylan can’t sing and Picasso can’t paint. Picasso?! Have you SEEN his stuff. He can’t even draw a figure any of us can recognise! The pictures on the front of chocolate boxes are much warmer and cosier and better.
As for Dylan, horrible, horrible! Someone played me a tape of Moonshiner and One More Cup Of Coffee and the April 1980 When He Returns and I just felt scared and confused and upset. You’re NASTY, Mr Dylan, NASTY! Give me back my sea of faith. Your voice is like the sound of ash cans in the morning and I much prefer the birds.
Bob Dylan can sing and in fact he’s one of the best singers in the whole damn world. His voice sounds unconventional and original to novice ears, but to someone who understands Dylan or has taken the time to, he’s a genius of a singer. He phrases the best, he sings more notes than anyone does, and he takes chances. I would much rather hear a real communicator like Dylan than a low-talent like this flake. And this Jonas dork was saying that Bob Dylan can’t sing. Of course he would say that, because he’s not a real musician!
‘ it’s like shootin spitballs at a battleship’ howard c.
This is ridiculous. A flash-in-the-pan even joking about one of the greatest artists of the last 100 years is not even worth a thought. Ms Spears sat next to Dylan at an awards show and didn’t know who he was. In the last 20 years popular music has become so saturated with sales pitches and pretty voices that the heart has gone out of it. For those of you that say Dylan cant sing – you’ve obviously never heard him sing or you wouldn’t say that…listen to Copper Kettle or Moonshiner, or When He Returns. Now he’s showing the wear from touring nonstop since the early 80s but before that you couldnt touch his range. Even Whitney Houston has said Bob Dylan has the greatest singing range since Mahalia Jackson. Dylans no more nasal than Dave Matthews or 90% of the country stars now, why do people make such stupid remarks about something they have no knowledge of? God bless America cause our countries going to hell in a handbasket lined with The Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus’ useless beings.
Nick Jonas will be a trivia question by the time he’s 30.
What Bob Dylan can do is really express emotion. People these days need machines to sound OKAY. Enough said
looks like the dylan folks are hittin’ back at lil’ jonas boy…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUlIFneN4GE
what a drag it is to be ‘jonas’.
I love #34 Greg’s opinion. It’s so devoid of intelligence! Too cute!
Anyway, Nick Jonas is an awful singer with awful songs. So yeah. Like Bob Dylan (or people with musical talent and taste for that matter) should care about his opinions.
I think he should had stayed in silence, because if “Bob Dylan can’t sing”, what the hell Nick Jonas THINK that himself does? grunt!… expressing my outrage!
But it’s true, Bob Dylan can’t sing.
I love Nick Joans! And FYI, he has a beautiful voice!
and… Nick sang great in the We are The World song, and he sings great in all of his songs! He is also a great song writer! And don’t forget, he is only 17! He has so much more to offer, but yet he has already done enough for a life time. His bros are awesome to. So dont go around hatin on the amizing Nick Jonas!
How ignorant for this Jonas person to comment on Dylan’s vocal ability. Some observations on current commercial teenage ‘artists’:
The teenage crap on the radio is mostly pre programed noise with various pitch correction and other effects on the unremarkable vocals. A number of these young prominent artists mime in concert.
Can any rap artists sing? doesn’t sound like it.
Any one putting down Dylan is ignorant and should know that he couldn’t give a stuff.
being a singer is a vast majority of things like presence/power emotion/the anointing/interpretation/phrasing and most importantly they have a unique property in their voice that distinguishes them from Disney World and performers like nick jonas these are all all things that Dylan mastered. But good pitch doesn’t always mean good music Bob Dylan, for example, he brought about a whole new way we listen to music. There are singers who hit pitch every time and span the gamut from dull to execrable; they have nothing to express, their timbre is unpleasant, they cannot make a musical phrase like nick jonas.But Would you say they are a good “singer” because they can hit pitch but can’t express themselves. just like nick jonas
I really like bob dylan as a song writer(i think most people can agree with that) but i accually like bob dylans voice. Thats my opinion and honestly im with the whole who gives a crap? cause i really dont.
Nick is a b*tch, that’s the only explanation. Anyway, Dylan’s way of singing is a little different. It’s probably harder to listen to him than listen to Jonas Brothers. Because he does not sing right all the time. His fourth (for example) note is totally wrong, but that makes his songs even more special. Folk rock isn’t that popular now, y’know. Bob’s songs are harder, deeper, they are not easy to understand, and his voice is rich, special. 🙂
actually, to all those who say bob dylan cant sing—-
bob dylan has amazing control over his voice. listen to his discography and try to understand how many different styles he pulls off. jonas brothers play a narrow set of shitty pop songs….
Bob Dylan IS a good singer. He just doesn’t have a cute voice like those in popular music have.
To you guys who keep saying that “OH BOB DYLAN CAN SING RABARBAR”, you guys are dumbasses and are pretending to be Bob Dylan fans.
You guys don’t remember the quote by Bob Dylan where he says, oh I don’t know, “I CAN’T SING”?!?
Lil’ Wayne said “I can’t sing” and Nick caught a coincidence in quotation.