The names Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley might not seem like a natural pairing, but these two ground-breaking artists were more intertwined than many realize. While their sounds could not be more different, their love of lyricism was tightly aligned.
On May 6, 1966, Presley recorded “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” for the soundtrack of his film Spinout. Though Dylan never sang the track himself, he wrote the lyrics that Presley brought to life early in Dylan’s career. In a 1969 interview with Rolling Stone, Dylan said it was one of his proudest achievements.
“Elvis Presley recorded a song of mine. That’s the one recording I treasure the most… It was called ‘Tomorrow Is A Long Time.’ I wrote it but never recorded it.”
Dylan also named Presley as one of his earliest influences. In an uncredited interview, Dylan reflected: “When I first heard Elvis Presley’s voice I just knew that I wasn’t going to work for anybody and nobody was going to be my boss. The highlight of my career… that’s easy, Elvis recording one of my songs.”
Presley later covered other Dylan compositions, including a spine-tingling, posthumously released home recording of “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which appeared on Platinum – A Life In Music in 1997.
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Did Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley Ever Meet?
Sadly, the two icons never crossed paths. Dylan reportedly refused to meet Presley. In 2009, he told Rolling Stone: “I never met Elvis because I didn’t want to meet him.”
Dylan reportedly recalled being “sent for” by Presley, who was declining. “I don’t know if I would have wanted to see him like that. I wanted to see the powerful and mythical Elvis, the one that had landed on American soil like a burning star,” Dylan allegedly said. “The Elvis who was full of life. That’s the Elvis who inspired us in life. And that Elvis was gone, he had left the building.”
Both Dylan and George Harrison reportedly turned down an opportunity to record with Presley after seeing him at Madison Square Garden in 1972. Presley showed up at the studio, but they did not.
When Presley died in 1977, Dylan was reportedly shaken by the loss. “I went over my whole life,” recalled Dylan. “I went over my whole childhood. I didn’t talk to anyone for a week.”
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 9, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
