| "Idiot Wind" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Bob Dylan | |
| from the album Blood on the Tracks | |
| Released | January 1975 |
| Recorded | 27 December 1974 |
| Studio | Sound 80, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 7:48 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) | Bob Dylan |
| Producer(s) | Bob Dylan |
| Blood on the Tracks track listing | |
"Idiot Wind" is a song by Bob Dylan, which appeared on his 1975 album Blood on the Tracks. He began writing it in the summer of 1974, after his comeback tour with The Band. Dylan recorded the song in September 1974 and re-recorded it in December 1974 along with other songs on his album Blood on the Tracks. Between the recordings, he often reworked the lyrics. A live version of the song was released on Dylan's 1976 album Hard Rain, and all of the studio outtakes from the September sessions were released on the deluxe edition of The Bootleg Series Vol. 14: More Blood, More Tracks in 2018.
Some reviewers have speculated that the song is a reflection on Dylan's personal life, and in particular, on his deteriorating relationship with his wife Sara Dylan. Dylan has denied that it is autobiographical. Like the album it was included on, the song received a mixed critical reception on release. Commentators have acclaimed both the lyrics and performance in the intervening years, and the song was given prominence from some critics' assessments as one of Dylan's best.