Oxford Town: Difference between revisions

"Oxford Town"
"Oxford Town"
Song by Bob Dylan
from the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Released	May 27, 1963
Recorded	December 6, 1962
Genre	Folk
Length	1:50
Label	Columbia Records
Songwriter(s)	Bob Dylan

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Latest revision as of 15:58, 17 May 2024

"Oxford Town" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in 1962. It was recorded in Columbia's Studio A on December 6, 1962, for his second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

The song was composed in response to an open invitation from Broadside magazine for songs about one of the top news events of 1962: the Ole Miss riot triggered by the enrollment of a black student, James Meredith, in the University of Mississippi on October 1.^[1] Among other submissions was Phil Ochs' song "Ballad of Oxford, Mississippi".^[2] The lyrics and music from Dylan's song were printed December 1962 in Broadside's issue No. 17.^[3]

Except that the University of Mississippi is located in Oxford, Mississippi, "Oxford Town" does not mention either Meredith or the university by name. Later, in an interview with Studs Terkel, Dylan said, "It deals with the Meredith case, but then again it doesn't... I wrote that when it happened, and I could have written that yesterday. It's still the same. 'Somebody better investigate soon' that's a verse in the song."

Besides the Freewheelin' release, Dylan recorded a version of "Oxford Town" for Broadside Sessions in November 1962. He also recorded a demo of the song for his music publisher M. Witmark & Sons in March 1963. This version was released in October 2010 on The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 – The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964.^[4]^[5]

The song has been performed live only once on October 25, 1990, when Dylan appeared in Oxford at the Tad Smith Coliseum on the Ole Miss campus as part of the Never Ending Tour.^[6]

Other notable recordings

Richie Havens recorded "Oxford Town" in 1966 for his second album, Electric Havens. Tim O'Brien featured the song on his 1996 release of Dylan covers, Red on Blonde. The alternative bluegrass band Crooked Still recorded the song for their 2006 album Shaken by a Low Sound. Hugues Aufray released a French version of this (and 10 other Dylan songs) in 1965 on his LP Aufray chante Dylan. He re-recorded it in 1995 for his Aufray Trans-Dylan album. Pat Wictor recorded Oxford Town on his album Heaven is so High in 2006.

Notes

^ "The Battle of Mississippi" (PDF). Broadside. October 1962. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
^ Ochs, Phil (November 1962). "Ballad of Oxford, Mississippi" (PDF). Broadside. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
^ Dylan, Bob (December 1962). "Oxford Town" (PDF). Broadside. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
^ The Bootleg Series Volume 9—The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964. bobdylan.com. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
^ Bjorner, Olof. "Still on the Road: Recording sessions & concerts, 1963". Retrieved December 13, 2010.
^ "Oct 25, 1990 Oxford, MS Ted Smith Coliseum". bobdylan.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.

References

Heylin, Clinton, Revolution in the Air : The Songs of Bob Dylan Vol. 1:1957–1973. ISBN 978-1-84901-296-6

External links

"Oxford Town" Lyrics, BobDylan.com
"Oxford Town" Music & Lyrics, Broadside, December 1962, p. 6

This 1960s song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This civil rights movement–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "The Battle of Mississippi" (PDF). Broadside. October 1962. Retrieved December 13, 2010.

[2] Ochs, Phil (November 1962). "Ballad of Oxford, Mississippi" (PDF). Broadside. Retrieved December 13, 2010.

[3] Dylan, Bob (December 1962). "Oxford Town" (PDF). Broadside. Retrieved December 13, 2010.

[4] The Bootleg Series Volume 9—The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964. bobdylan.com. Retrieved December 13, 2010.

[5] Bjorner, Olof. "Still on the Road: Recording sessions & concerts, 1963". Retrieved December 13, 2010.

[6] "Oct 25, 1990 Oxford, MS Ted Smith Coliseum". bobdylan.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.

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+{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
 {{Infobox song
 | name     = Oxford Town
@@ Line 16: / Line 17: @@
 | writer   = [[Bob Dylan]]
 | producer =
-| tracks   = {{The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan tracks}}
 }}
-"'''Oxford Town'''" is a song written by [[United States|American]] [[singer-songwriter]] [[Bob Dylan]] in 1962. It was recorded in [[CBS 30th Street Studio|Columbia]]'s Studio A on December 6, 1962 for his second album, ''[[The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan]]''.
+"'''Oxford Town'''" is a song written by American singer-songwriter [[Bob Dylan]] in 1962. It was recorded in [[CBS 30th Street Studio|Columbia]]'s Studio A on December 6, 1962, for his second album, ''[[The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan]]''.
-The song  was composed in response to an open invitation from ''[[Broadside (magazine)|Broadside]]'' magazine for songs about one of the top news events of 1962: the [[Ole Miss riot of 1962|Ole Miss riot]] triggered by the enrollment of a black student, [[James Meredith]], in the [[University of Mississippi]] on October 1.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Battle of Mississippi|publisher=[[Broadside (magazine)|Broadside]]''|url=http://www.broadsidemagazine.com/All/14.pdf|date=October 1962|accessdate=2010-12-13}}</ref> Among other submissions was [[Phil Ochs]]' song "Ballad of Oxford, Mississippi".<ref>{{cite web|first=Phil|last=Ochs|title=Ballad of Oxford, Mississippi|publisher=[[Broadside (magazine)|Broadside]]''|url=http://www.broadsidemagazine.com/All/14.pdf|date=November 1962|accessdate=2010-12-13}}</ref> The lyrics and music from Dylan's song were printed December 1962 in ''Broadside'''s issue #17.<ref>{{cite web|first=Bob|last=Dylan|title=Oxford Town|publisher=[[Broadside (magazine)|Broadside]]''|url=http://www.broadsidemagazine.com/All/17.pdf|date=December 1962|accessdate=2010-12-13}}</ref>
+The song was composed in response to an open invitation from ''[[Broadside (magazine)|Broadside]]'' magazine for songs about one of the top news events of 1962: the [[Ole Miss riot of 1962|Ole Miss riot]] triggered by the enrollment of a black student, [[James Meredith]], in the [[University of Mississippi]] on October 1.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Battle of Mississippi|magazine=[[Broadside (magazine)|Broadside]] |url=http://www.broadsidemagazine.com/All/14.pdf|date=October 1962|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref> Among other submissions was [[Phil Ochs]]' song "Ballad of Oxford, Mississippi".<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Phil|last=Ochs|title=Ballad of Oxford, Mississippi|magazine=[[Broadside (magazine)|Broadside]] |url=http://www.broadsidemagazine.com/All/14.pdf|date=November 1962|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref> The lyrics and music from Dylan's song were printed December 1962 in ''Broadside''{{'s}} issue No. 17.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Bob|last=Dylan|title=Oxford Town|magazine=[[Broadside (magazine)|Broadside]] |url=http://www.broadsidemagazine.com/All/17.pdf|date=December 1962|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref>
 Except that the University of Mississippi is located in [[Oxford, Mississippi]], "Oxford Town" does not mention either Meredith or the university by name. Later, in an interview with [[Studs Terkel]], Dylan said, "It deals with the Meredith case, but then again it doesn't... I wrote that when it happened, and I could have written that yesterday. It's still the same. 'Somebody better investigate soon' that's a verse in the song."
-Besides the ''Freewheelin''' release, Dylan recorded a version of "Oxford Town" for Broadside Sessions in November 1962. He also recorded a [[demo recording|demo]] of the song for his [[music publisher (popular music)|music publisher]] [[M. Witmark & Sons]] in March 1963. This version was released in October 2010 on ''[[The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 – The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964]]''.<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.bobdylan.com/#/early-demos-and-mono-recordings | title=The Bootleg Series Volume 9—The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 | publisher=bobdylan.com | accessdate=2010-12-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Olof|last=Bjorner|title=Still on the Road: Recording sessions & concerts, 1963|url=http://www.bjorner.com/still.htm#y63|accessdate=2010-12-13}}</ref>
+Besides the ''Freewheelin{{'}}'' release, Dylan recorded a version of "Oxford Town" for Broadside Sessions in November 1962. He also recorded a [[demo recording|demo]] of the song for his [[music publisher (popular music)|music publisher]] [[M. Witmark & Sons]] in March 1963. This version was released in October 2010 on ''[[The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 – The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964]]''.<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.bobdylan.com/#/early-demos-and-mono-recordings | title=The Bootleg Series Volume 9—The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964 | publisher=bobdylan.com | access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Olof|last=Bjorner|title=Still on the Road: Recording sessions & concerts, 1963|url=http://www.bjorner.com/still.htm#y63|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref>
+The song has been performed live only once on October 25, 1990, when Dylan appeared in Oxford at the [[Tad Smith Coliseum]] on the Ole Miss campus as part of the [[Never Ending Tour 1990|Never Ending Tour]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Oct 25, 1990 Oxford, MS Ted Smith Coliseum|url=https://www.bobdylan.com/date/1990-10-25-ted-smith-coliseum/| publisher=bobdylan.com|access-date=May 29, 2023}}</ref>
 ==Other notable recordings==
 [[Richie Havens]] recorded "Oxford Town" in 1966 for his second album, ''Electric Havens''. [[Tim O'Brien (musician)|Tim O'Brien]] featured the song on his 1996 release of Dylan covers, ''[[Red on Blonde]]''.
 The alternative bluegrass band [[Crooked Still]] recorded the song for their 2006 album ''Shaken by a Low Sound''.
-[[Hugues Aufray]] released a French versiona of this (and 10 other Dylan songs) in 1965 on his LP ''Aufray chante Dylan''. He re-recorded it in 1995 for his "Aufray Trans-Dylan" album in 1995.
+[[Hugues Aufray]] released a French version of this (and 10 other Dylan songs) in 1965 on his LP ''Aufray chante Dylan''. He re-recorded it in 1995 for his ''Aufray Trans-Dylan'' album.
 [[Pat Wictor]] recorded Oxford Town on his album ''Heaven is so High'' in 2006.
@@ Line 39: / Line 41: @@
 ==References==
-*[[Clinton Heylin|Heylin, Clinton]], ''Revolution in the Air : The Songs of Bob Dylan'' Vol. 1:1957-1973. {{ISBN|978-1-84901-296-6}}
+*[[Clinton Heylin|Heylin, Clinton]], ''Revolution in the Air : The Songs of Bob Dylan'' Vol. 1:1957–1973. {{ISBN|978-1-84901-296-6}}
 ==External links==
@@ Line 45: / Line 47: @@
 *[http://www.broadsidemagazine.com/All/17.pdf "Oxford Town" Music & Lyrics], ''[[Broadside (magazine)|Broadside]]'', December 1962, p.&nbsp;6
-{{The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan}}
+{{Bob Dylan}}
+{{Bob Dylan songs (1960s)}}
+{{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Oxford Town}}
@@ Line 52: / Line 56: @@
 [[Category:Bob Dylan songs]]
 [[Category:Protest songs]]
-[[Category:Songs against racism and xenophobia]]
+[[Category:Songs about racism and xenophobia]]
 [[Category:Songs based on actual events]]
 [[Category:Civil rights movement in popular culture]]
+[[Category:Songs about Mississippi]]

v t e Bob Dylan songs by album (1960s)
Bob Dylan	"You're No Good" "Talkin' New York" "In My Time of Dyin'" "Man of Constant Sorrow" "Fixin' to Die" "Pretty Peggy-O" "Gospel Plow" "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" "House of the Risin' Sun" "Freight Train Blues" "Song to Woody" "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" "Highway 51"
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan	"Blowin' in the Wind" "Girl from the North Country" "Masters of War" "Down the Highway" "Bob Dylan's Blues" "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" "Bob Dylan's Dream" "Oxford Town" "Talkin' World War III Blues" "Corrina, Corrina" "Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance" "I Shall Be Free"
The Times They Are a-Changin'	"The Times They Are a-Changin'" "Ballad of Hollis Brown" "With God on Our Side" "One Too Many Mornings" "North Country Blues" "Only a Pawn in Their Game" "Boots of Spanish Leather" "When the Ship Comes In" "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" "Restless Farewell"
Another Side of Bob Dylan	"All I Really Want to Do" "Black Crow Blues" "Spanish Harlem Incident" "Chimes of Freedom" "I Shall Be Free No. 10" "To Ramona" "Motorpsycho Nitemare" "My Back Pages" "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)" "Ballad in Plain D" "It Ain't Me Babe"
Bringing It All Back Home	"Subterranean Homesick Blues" "She Belongs to Me" "Maggie's Farm" "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" "Outlaw Blues" "On the Road Again" "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" "Mr. Tambourine Man" "Gates of Eden" "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"
Highway 61 Revisited	"Like a Rolling Stone" "Tombstone Blues" "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" "From a Buick 6" "Ballad of a Thin Man" "Queen Jane Approximately" "Highway 61 Revisited" "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" "Desolation Row"
Blonde on Blonde	"Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" "Pledging My Time" "Visions of Johanna" "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" "I Want You" "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" "Just Like a Woman" "Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine" "Temporary Like Achilles" "Absolutely Sweet Marie" "4th Time Around" "Obviously 5 Believers" "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"
John Wesley Harding	"John Wesley Harding" "As I Went Out One Morning" "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" "All Along the Watchtower" "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" "Drifter's Escape" "Dear Landlord" "I Am a Lonesome Hobo" "I Pity the Poor Immigrant" "The Wicked Messenger" "Down Along the Cove" "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"
Nashville Skyline	"Girl from the North Country" "To Be Alone with You" "I Threw It All Away" "Lay Lady Lay" "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You"
Other	"Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues" "Mixed-Up Confusion" "Positively 4th Street" "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" "If You Gotta Go, Go Now"
Lists	Songs written by Dylan

Latest revision as of 15:58, 17 May 2024

Other notable recordings

See also

Notes

References

External links