Blowin' in the Wind

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"Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in April 1962, and released on his 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

It is a premier example of the protest song, posing as it does philosophical questions about peace, war, and freedom. Its popularity and timelessness can perhaps be attributed to the fact that while the song asks these questions, it does not refer specifically to any particular political event.

It has been covered by hundreds of artists. Just a few of the better-known acts who have done so are folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary (who actually released their version — which lacks the Harmonica solos after each verse — a few months before Dylan), country guitar virtuoso Chet Atkins, folk chanteuse Judy Collins, soul singer Sam Cooke, blues belter Etta James, Marlene Dietrich, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, John Fogerty, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, and was performed by Jenny in the award-winning movie Forrest Gump (sung by Joan Baez), and was lampooned in Me, Myself And Irene. Most recently, in 2005 Dolly Parton recorded the song with the bluegrass trio Nickel Creek.

Dylan originally wrote and performed a two-verse version of the song; his first public performance of it, at Gerdes Folk City on April 16, 1962, was recorded and circulates among Dylan collectors. Shortly after this performance, he added the middle verse to the song. Some published versions of the lyrics reverse the order of the second and third verses, apparently because Dylan simply appended the middle verse to his original manuscript, rather than writing out a new copy with the verses in proper order. In 1999 Blowin' In The Wind, was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame.

In interviews Dylan has never reported holding as high an opinion of the song in proportion to its acclaim. He has called it a work song, perhaps in reference to its derivative, rather than inspired, nature of its composition, the melody being derived from the song "No More Auction Block", and some of its lyrical structure from the 1953 song "I Really Don't Want to Know".

In 1963, Dylan performed the song for the first time on T.V. in the UK, when he appeared in The B.B.C. television production of Madhouse On Castle Street.

In 1975, the song was included as poetry in a new high school English textbook in Sri Lanka. The textbook caused controversy because it replaced Shakespeare's work with Dylan's.

In 2004, this song was #14 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

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