The Times They Are a-Changin' (song)
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| "The Times They Are a-Changin'" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Image:The Times They Are a-Changin' (EP).jpg | ||
| Single by Bob Dylan | ||
| from the album The Times They Are a-Changin' | ||
| Format | 7" | |
| Recorded | October 24, 1963 at Columbia Studios, New York City | |
| Genre | Folk | |
| Label | Columbia | |
| Writer(s) | Bob Dylan | |
| Producer(s) | Tom Wilson | |
"The Times They Are a-Changin" is a song written by Bob Dylan and released on his 1964 album The Times They Are a-Changin'.
Dylan's friend, Tony Glover, recalls visiting Dylan's apartment in September 1963, where he saw a number of song manuscripts and poems lying on a table. "The Times They Are-a Changin'" had yet to be recorded, but Glover saw its early manuscript. After reading the words "come senators, congressmen, please heed the call", Glover reportedly asked Dylan: "What is this shit, man?", to which Dylan responded, "Well, you know, it seems to be what the people like to hear".
A protest song, it is often viewed as a reflection of the generation gap and of the political divide marking American culture in the 1960s. Dylan, however, disputed this interpretation in 1964, saying "Those were the only words I could find to separate aliveness from deadness. It had nothing to do with age." A year later, Dylan would say: "I can't really say that adults don't understand young people any more than you can say big fishes don't understand little fishes. I didn't mean ['The Times They Are a-Changin'] as a statement... It's a feeling."
In 1996, "The Times They Are a-Changin'" created some controversy for Dylan when he allowed Canada's Bank of Montreal to feature it in its advertising campaign.
The song was also quoted by Steve Jobs when Apple Computer introduced the Macintosh computer in 1984. The song has been covered by many other artists.
Kaiser Permanente has used the song in their 2006 "Thrive" TV campaign. The spot features an overweight, balding middle age guy realizing he needs to exercise.
