Bob Dylan is heralded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time and many of his songs, including "Blowin' In The Wind" and "Like A Rolling Stone" are counted among the single best songs of all time. Therefore it's somewhat surprising to know that the folk icon has never had a no. 1 song recording in any major market. "Rolling Stone" got to no. 2 as did "Rainy Day Women #12 &35," but he's never cracked that last spot to the top of the charts.
There's some good news, although it might actually make things seem worse to hardcore Dylan fans: He's gotten to the top of the charts a few times as a songwriter. As in, other acts have managed to take his work to no. 1. Check out the more coveted covers below:
"Mr. Tambourine Man" by The Byrds (1965)
As was often the case during the '60s, bands were releasing covers almost as soon as bigger acts were releasing the originals (hence how Peter, Paul and Mary were playing "Blowin' In The Wind" while Dylan watched at The March To Freedom). The Byrds, a band that borrowed often from Dylan, released its version of "Mr. Tambourine" less than a month after the songwriter dropped his album Bringing It All Back Home in 1965. Heck, the band even named its first album Mr. Tambourine Man. The difference is that The Byrds also released the song as a single, meaning that many associate them with the song more so than Dylan, and it's also been hailed as ground zero for the folk rock movement. The song peaked at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 while Dylan's original never saw the light, although it's much appreciated by fans. The track recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
"Mighty Quinn" by Mannfred Mann (1968)
This is perhaps a case of Dylan not realizing he had a hit on his hands. He first recorded "The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo)" as part of his famed 1967 Basement Tapes sessions, which only saw the light via bootlegs until 1975. English folk artist Mannfred Mann got a hold of the song somehow and recorded the simply-titled "Mighty Quinn" during 1967 and it reached no. 1 on the UK charts in February of 1968. Dylan would later release his own version of the song, a live version of the song from the Isle of Wight Festival, on 1970's Self Portrait. Unlike "Mr. Tambourine Man," Dylan's version nearly matches Mann's for length, just less than three minutes, suggesting Dylan's version could have been a smash if he had released it first.
"Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Guns N' Roses (1992)
Plenty of performers had tried their hand at Dylan's "Knockin on Heaven's Door," including Eric Clapton, but none reached the sales totals of the Guns N' Roses' version. The band had included it in live sets for years but finally sprung and included it on 1991's Use Your Illusion, releasing it as a single where it went to no. 1 in Ireland (although only no. 2 in the UK). Dylan fans can take relief in knowing that although the Guns still get more radio play for its cover, the band's rendition of the song never out-charted the original in the United States. The cover never charted on the Hot 100 while Dylan's reached no. 12 back in the day.
"Rise" by Gabrielle (2000)
"What? There must be some mistake," the hardcore Dylan fans say. "Bob never wrote a song called 'Rise.' You must be thinking of 'Rise Again.'" Nope. Gabrielle, a British soul singer released her second no. 1 during 2000 with "Rise," a song that sampled heavily from Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," therefore it also included his name as a songwriter. It's more interesting when you consider how infrequently the performer has licensed his music for sampling but apparently when he heard "Rise" he enjoyed it so much that he allowed Gabrielle to use it free of charge. Don't expect him to say the same thing when you pitch him your single.
