The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan's album cover. Wearing a brown jacket and blue jeans, a man walks along a snowy street. A woman wearing a long green coat and black pants holds onto his arm and walks alongside him. The words "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" frame the man's head, and the names of songs contained within the album are listed in small print in the bottom left and right of the image.
Studio album by
Bob Dylan
ReleasedMay 27, 1963
RecordedApril 24, 1962 – April 24, 1963
StudioColumbia A (New York City)
Genre
Length50:04
LabelColumbia
Producer
Bob Dylan chronology
Bob Dylan
(1962) 		The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
(1963) 		The Times They Are a-Changin'
(1964)
Singles from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
  1. "Mixed-Up Confusion" / "Corrina, Corrina"
    Released: December 1962
  2. "Blowin' in the Wind" / "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"
    Released: August 1963

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is the second studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on May 27, 1963, by Columbia Records. Whereas his self-titled debut album Bob Dylan had contained only two original songs, this album represented the beginning of Dylan's writing contemporary lyrics to traditional melodies. Eleven of the thirteen songs on the album are Dylan's original compositions. It opens with "Blowin' in the Wind", which became an anthem of the 1960s, and an international hit for folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary soon after the release of the album. The album featured several other songs which came to be regarded as among Dylan's best compositions and classics of the 1960s folk scene: "Girl from the North Country", "Masters of War", "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right".

Dylan's lyrics embraced news stories drawn from headlines about the ongoing civil rights movement and he articulated anxieties about the fear of nuclear warfare. Balancing this political material were love songs, sometimes bitter and accusatory, and material that features surreal humor. Freewheelin' showcased Dylan's songwriting talent for the first time, propelling him to national and international fame. The success of the album and Dylan's subsequent recognition led to his being named as "Spokesman of a Generation", a label Dylan repudiated.

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan reached number 22 in the US (eventually going platinum), and became a number-one album in the UK in 1965. In 2003, the album was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". In 2002, Freewheelin' was one of the first 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".