851 The Turtles “It Ain’t Me Babe” 1965

“This is a great example of how, even on a song you love and think you know by heart, Dylan can trick you. Given just a perfunctory listen, ‘It Ain’t Me, Babe’ comes off as a guy’s admission that he’s just no damn good, and, as a result, he is chivalrously stepping away from a girl who holds him in lofty status in her mind…When the Turtles took the song to the U.S. Top 10 in 1965, they seemed practically gleeful in re-telling Dylan’s tale. In their hands, ‘It Aint’t Me, Babe’ came off sounding like a guy who knew he was the weak link in the relationship and was completely unapologetic about it. That same year, Johnny and June Carter Cash put out a duet of the song which messed with the context in fascinating ways, taking Bob’s measured words and shouting them at each other like two former lovers who were each trying to win the blame game” (Jim Beviglia, Counting Down Bob Dylan: His 100 Finest Songs, 2013). 

The Turtles “It Ain’t Me, Babe”