#Blowin' in the wind

[manitat]

Denmark, 1966: Bob Dylan

[bobdylan-n-jonimitchell]

Joan Baez "Blowin' in the Wind" 1985.

[vox-anglosphere]

A nostalgic folk song from the era of protest music.. enjoy.

[1976desire]

blowin' in the wind singles, japan, various years / b-sides

[shihlun]

Kōji Wakamatsu

- Ready to Shoot

1990

[tobobby]

music review #2 - blowin' in the wind

rating: 10/10 song: blowin' in the wind album: the freewheelin' bob dylan (1963) artist: bob dylan

Originally published in the late May 1962 publication of Broadside Magazine, it is considered one of Dylan’s best compositions in his over 60-year career. Its iconic introductory line, “How many roads must a man walk down / Before you call him a man?”, has been sung by countless artists such as Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, and Mary Travers. This line can be interpreted in many different ways and contexts, but one way it can be interpreted is simply, how many experiences and how much life should a man have lived before he is considered an “adult”? Before he has the privileges that men have in our society? This can also be linked back to the Civil Rights Movement and how people of color, specifically Black people were not considered human and still are dehumanized to this day. The fact the tune is based off of an old slave protest song called “No More Auction Block for Me” emphasizes this idea even more. The next line I’d like to focus on is “Yes, and how many years can some people exist / Before they’re allowed to be free?”. Again, Dylan tackles slavery, and calls for the freedom of all oppressed individuals and groups. Dylan is clearly tired of white Americans and Europeans “deciding” when certain peoples are “allowed” to be free, and instead wishes that people who have existed for so long should finally just exist without prejudice. The next line of the song is also significant here; Dylan sings, “Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head / And pretend that he just doesn’t see?” -- and just a few lines later -- “Yes, and how many ears must one man have / Before he can hear people cry? [See Joan Baez’s “To Bobby”] / Yes, and how many deaths will it take ‘till he knows / That too many people have died?”. Here, he is actively calling out those who choose to ignore the oppressions that plague society. Within the context, it was likely written about the Vietnam war as Dylan was outwardly and adamantly anti-war in the early '60s, but can be interpreted to just about any atrocity in history. And finally, the refrain of the song; “The answer is blowin’ in the wind”. Dylan has said in reference to this song that people who choose to ignore the wars are the biggest criminals, and I believe here, he is saying that the answer is obvious, yet so many people actively ignore it. Obviously, from the very second one hears human suffering, their response should be to help, but so many stay neutral and act like they don’t have basic human decency or common sense. Neutrality is one of the biggest crimes in the eyes of 21-year-old Bob Dylan.

[broadsidemagazine]

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.

bob dylan on "blowin' in the wind", sing out, june 1962

[clacclo]

Live on TV, March 1963:

BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

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?

Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly

Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist

Before it's washed to the sea?

Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist

Before they're allowed to be free?

Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,

Pretending he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

With Joan Baez:

With Keith Richards & Ron Wood (Live Aid 1985):

SOFFIANDO NEL VENTO

Quante strade deve percorrere un uomo

Prima che lo si possa chiamare uomo?

Sì, e quanti mari deve navigare una bianca colomba

Prima che possa riposare nella sabbia?

Sì, e quante volte le palle di cannone dovranno volare

Prima che siano per sempre bandite?

La risposta, amico mio, sta soffiando nel vento

La risposta sta soffiando nel vento

Per quanti anni può esistere una montagna

Prima che sia lavata dal mare?

Sì, e quanti anni possono vivere alcune persone

Prima che sia permesso loro di essere libere?

Sì, e quante volte un uomo può girare la testa

Fingendo di non vedere?

La risposta, amico mio, sta soffiando nel vento

La risposta sta soffiando nel vento

Quante volte un uomo deve guardare verso l'alto

Prima che possa vedere il cielo?

Sì, e quante orecchie deve avere un uomo

Perché possa sentire la gente piangere?

Sì, e quante morti ci vorranno perchè egli sappia

Che troppe persone sono morte?

La risposta, amico mio, sta soffiando nel vento

La risposta sta soffiando nel vento

Bee Gees:

Bruce Springsteen (Paris, 1988):

[history105rockandrollblog]

Lecture 6: Bob Dylan (a.k.a., Robert Allen Zimmerman), the towering giant of the folk revival, performs his legendary song “Blowin’ in the Wind” on television, 1963. The song originally appeared on his second studio album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963). It went on to become one of Dylan’s most beloved ballads, and was remade a number of times by such singers as Joan Baez, Stevie Wonder, and  Peter, Paul and Mary. Dylan’s songs were anthems of a generation and reflected the idealism and the despair of the 1960s. Even today, Dylan remains one of the most important and influential American songwriters and musicians of all time.

[manitat]

1966.

[bobdylan-n-jonimitchell]

Bob Dylan & Joan Baez “Blowin’ In The Wind” Forest Hills, Tennis Stadium, August 17, 1963.

[dailyjpop]

Stereopony - Blowin'in the wind

[enfancepetitesetrangeres]

en*fance | Songs For Kids + Animals / Blowin' in the Wind / Bob Dylan / 2024 Poster > Buy it here ^

[egoschwank]

al things considered — when i post my masterpiece #1310

first posted in facebook may 13, 2024

kelly sinnapah mary -- "she taught me to listen to the wind" (2023)

"the answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind the answer is blowin’ in the wind" … bob dylan

"as viewers enter my worlds, i hope they find and try to decipher its riddles… and that the paintings might arouse reflections of their own" … kelly sinnapah mary

"i found myself in front of a glass cage where orangutans locked up. i observed them and they observed us. i felt as though i could read their thoughts: 'let’s reverse our places, you are not superior to us…' i was so uncomfortable in front of them while the other spectators were having fun" … kelly sinnapah mary

"idiot wind, blowing through the buttons of our coats blowing through the letters that we wrote idiot wind, blowing through the dust upon our shelves we’re idiots, babe it’s a wonder we can even feed ourselves" … bob dylan

"i'm an idiot babe … posting in the wind … the question is posted in the wind" … al janik

[storyofmorewhoa]

Bob Dylan: The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.

Jimi Hendrix: Will the wind ever remember the names it has blown in the past?