Following the commercial and critical failure that was his self-titled debut, a 21-year old Bob Dylan was nearly dropped from Columbia Records. John Hammond, who got Dylan signed to the label however, defended him every chance he got. He was determined that his second album would be a success, despite many label heads arguing otherwise.
Given that the album was written during the early 60s, Dylan took inspiration from the Civil Rights Movement, growing fear and anxiety of nuclear war, as well as his personal life to craft lyrics for each song, with the melodies adapted from traditional folk songs and Negro spirituals. The most famous song off the album, “Blowin' in the Wind,” became a protest anthem during the 60s.
The album became a commercial success for Dylan, reaching 22 on the U.S. Album Charts. As the years have gone on, the album is seen as one of Dylan’s finest work and one of the best of the 60s and of all time. In the inaugural year of the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, the album was chosen as one of the first 50 to be preserved.