Blowin' in the Wind

"Blowing in the Wind" redirects here. For the jazz album by Lou Donaldson, see Blowing in the Wind (album).
"Blowin' in the Wind"
Single by Bob Dylan
from the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
B-side"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"
ReleasedAugust 13, 1963 (1963-08-13)
RecordedJuly 9, 1962
StudioColumbia Recording, New York City
Genre
Length2:48
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)John H. Hammond[1]
Bob Dylan singles chronology
"Mixed-Up Confusion"
(1962) 		"Blowin' in the Wind"
(1963) 		"The Times They Are a-Changin'"
(1965)
Audio sample

"Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962. It was released as a single and included on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963. It has been described as a protest song and poses a series of rhetorical questions about peace, war, and freedom. The refrain "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind" has been described as "impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind".[2]

In 1994, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, it was ranked number 14 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Despite not charting when first released as a single, it has gained much radio airplay, ultimately peaking at #3 in France on the airplay chart.[3]

In June 1963, Peter, Paul and Mary released a cover version of "Blowin' in the Wind" three weeks after The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan was issued. It became the most commercially successful version of the song, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and was at number one on the Middle-Road charts for five weeks. At the 6th Annual Grammy Awards, this version of the song won two Grammys: Best Folk Recording and Best Performance by a Vocal Group. In 2003, Peter, Paul & Mary's version of "Blowin' in the Wind" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

  1. ^ Bjorner, Olof (2010-11-17). "1962 Concerts and Recording Sessions". Still on the Road. Archived from the original on 2010-11-20. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
  2. ^ Gold, Mick (2002). "Life and Life Only: Dylan at 60". Judas! magazine, April 2002. p. 43.
  3. ^ "Blowin' in the Wind".