Warning: This article includes MAJOR SPOILERS for A Complete Unknown!
Bob Dylan’s romance with fellow folk singer Joan Baez is a center point of A Complete Unknown, raising questions about whether the movie portrays their relationship and breakup accurately. As one of the most iconic songwriters of all time, Dylan has become a focal point for numerous documentaries and movies, including the 2024 biopic A Complete Unknown. The film follows Bob Dylan’s life in the early 1960s, ending with his famous electric set at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.
During this time period, the up-and-coming artist started a relationship with folk icon Joan Baez, who gained the nickname “The Barefoot Madonna” after her performance at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival. At the same time, he dated his girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, whose name is changed to Sylvie Russo in A Complete Unknown. Because of their musical collaborations and their romance, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez became inextricably linked, as depicted in the 2024 biopic. However, the movie takes artistic liberties with the timeline, relationship, and breakup between these two singers.
Joan Baez & Bob Dylan Dated For Around 2 Years In The Early 1960s
The Timeline Of The Relationship Between Joan Baez & Bob Dylan Is Unclear
After meeting in 1961, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan started collaborating on music, with the established musician introducing the young songwriter to her audiences. When they met, Baez was already a famous singer known worldwide. A Complete Unknown changes the true story by showing her as the sole person responsible for his popularity, but Peter, Paul, and Mary helped him gain fame as well.
It’s unclear when exactly Baez and Dylan’s relationship started since he’s a notoriously unreliable narrator, but it’s believed to be sometime around 1963. Baez admitted in a 1983 Rolling Stone interview that she didn’t even know what year they spent together romantically. They started out strong as a duo. Throughout their romance, they continued singing together on stage and spending time together offstage.
While it's impossible to have a definitive consensus on Bob Dylan's best album, this folk legend has had many astounding career highlights.
Unfortunately, many factors drove a rift between the pair, which Baez discussed in her 2023 documentary, Joan Baez: I Am a Noise. Baez was known for her political activism in both music and her ordinary life, but Dylan wasn’t nearly as involved as she wanted him to be. She also had zero interest in drugs and the “boys' club” mentality, unlike most other singers of the era.
Dylan also invited her on his UK tour but refused to bring her on stage to sing, which understandably hurt her feelings. Baez told the Independent in 2024 that she felt lost in the shuffle of Dylan’s fame by the end of their relationship. Still, she was deeply in love with him, making it all the more painful when he suddenly broke up with her.
Bob Dylan Abruptly Broke Up With Joan Baez In 1965
Bob Dylan Moved On Extremely Quickly After The Breakup
A Complete Unknown shows Joan Baez kicking Bob Dylan out of her hotel room, which is implied to be their breakup. However, in real life, Dylan suddenly broke up with Joan Baez in 1965 after his UK tour. Baez has said many times since then that Dylan broke her heart when he ended things. Unfortunately, his next relationship would add insult to injury. Throughout 1964, Dylan cheated on Baez with Sara Lownds, and less than six months after breaking it off with Baez, the two got married.
Joan Baez wrote the songs “To Bobby,” “Winds of the Old Days,” and “Diamonds & Rust” about Dylan.
According to Dylan’s manager at the time, Victor Maymundes, the folk singer said that he married Lownds instead of Baez because “Sara will be home when I want her to be home; she’ll be there when I want her to be there; she’ll do it when I want her to do it. Joan won’t be there when I want her. She won’t do it when I want to do it” (via Far Out Magazine). This statement, if true, makes it seem like he only saw Baez and Lownds as objects.
As shown in A Complete Unknown, singers Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash created a friendship in real life, but some true details are altered or left out.
Viewers of the Bob Dylan biopic who are unfamiliar with the artist’s life will remain unaware of his messy breakup with Baez and marriage to Lownds, though, since his wife doesn’t appear as a character in A Complete Unknown. As painful as this situation was, it led to incredible music by both artists. Joan Baez wrote the songs “To Bobby,” “Winds of the Old Days,” and “Diamonds & Rust” about Dylan. Unlike Baez, Dylan is guarded about the inspiration for his songs. However, Baez believes that she inspired the songs “Like a Rolling Stone” and “Visions of Johanna” (via Rolling Stone).
Did Joan Baez Ever Forgive Bob Dylan For Breaking Her Heart?
Joan Baez Found Forgiveness For Her Ex Decades Later
Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
Though Dylan broke Baez’s heart, the duo both moved on with other partners, building families of their own. Still, their relationship remained a sore spot for Baez for decades after. She revealed to PEOPLE that she finally forgave Bob Dylan through a deeply artistic method that seems fitting for their music-driven romance. The political folk singer turned on music, cried, and painted a portrait of Bob Dylan in his youth.
The Bob Dylan music biopic, A Complete Unknown, has a soundtrack packed with folk and folk-rock songs by the famous musician and many others.
By the time she finished, the bitterness and anger had disappeared, giving her peace and forgiveness. Ultimately, it’s nice to know that she doesn’t hold ill-will towards him, especially with the popularity of Bob Dylan movies like A Complete Unknown. Love it or hate it, Baez and Dylan’s romance will always hold a place in folk history, tying the duo together for the rest of their lives.
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Release Date
December 25, 2024
Main Genre
Biography
CastTimothée Chalamet
, Edward Norton
, Elle Fanning
, Monica Barbaro
, Nick Offerman
, Boyd Holbrook
, P.J. Byrne
, Scoot McNairy
, Dan Fogler
, Will Harrison
, Charlie Tahan
, Jon Gennari
, Norbert Leo Butz
Character(s)
Bob Dylan
, Pete Seeger
, Sylvie Russo
, Joan Baez
, Alan Lomax
, Johnny Cash
, Harold Levanthal
, Woody Guthrie
, Albert Grossman
, Bob Neuwirth
, Al Kooper
, Stage Manager
Studio(s)
Searchlight Pictures
, The Picture Company
, Automatik Entertainment
Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
English (US) ·