Everybody of a certain age, and a lot of people even younger, can easily sing along with today’s classic song of the day. The song is “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and it’s simply one of the best and most important protest songs ever written. It’s a song about peace and war and freedom, expressed through a series of questions: How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man? How many seas must a white dove sail before she sleeps in the sand? How many times must the cannonballs fly before they’re forever banned? And, for all those questions, “the answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.”
Bob Dylan wrote “Blowin’ in the Wind” in 1962, first performing it at Gerde’s Folk City on April 16, 1962. It was included on Dylan’s second solo album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, and released as a single in August of 1963. (Another Dylan classic, “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” was the single’s B-side.) Even though it received a fair amount of airplay at the time, it failed to chart.
Here’s what Mr. Dylan said about the song:
“There ain’t too much I can say about this song except that the answer is blowing in the wind. It ain’t in no book or movie or TV show or discussion group. Man, it’s in the wind—and it’s blowing in the wind. Too many of these hip people are telling me where the answer is but oh I won’t believe that. I still say it’s in the wind and just like a restless piece of paper it’s got to come down some… But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down so not too many people get to see and know… and then it flies away. I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it’s wrong. I’m only 21 years old and I know that there’s been too many wars… You people over 21, you’re older and smarter.”
In June of 1963, folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary released their version of “Blowin’ in the Wind” as a single. This is, no doubt, the version that most people remember, with its delicate yet earnest vocal harmonies. Peter, Paul and Mary’s single went all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped Billboard’s then-named Middle-Road Singles chart.
“Blowin’ in the Wind” has, indeed, become a standard. It’s been recorded by many artists, including Stevie Wonder, whose cover version charted at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.
And here’s a real treat. Today’s daily bonus video of the day is Bob Dylan performing “Blowin’ in the Wind” on TV back in March of 1963. It’s three chords and the truth.
