"Oxford Town" is a song written by American singer-songwriter

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

in 1962. It was recorded in Columbia's Studio A on December 6, 1962, for his second album, ''

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' is the second studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on May 27, 1963, by Columbia Records. Whereas his self-titled debut album ''Bob Dylan'' had contained only two original songs, this a ...

''. 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 James Howard Meredith (born June 25, 1933) is an American civil rights activist, writer, political adviser, and United States Air Force veteran who became, in 1962, the first African-American student admitted to the racially segregated Univers ...

, in the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

on October 1. Among other submissions was

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter, protest song, protest singer (or, as he preferred, "topical singer"), and Political Activist, political activist. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic h ...

' song "Ballad of Oxford, Mississippi". The lyrics and music from Dylan's song were printed December 1962 in ''Broadside'' issue No. 17. Except that the University of Mississippi is located in

Oxford, Mississippi Oxford is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 14th most populous city in Mississippi, United States, and the county seat of Lafayette County, Mississippi, Lafayette County, southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis. A college town, Oxford ...

, "Oxford Town" does not mention either Meredith or the university by name. Later, in an interview with

Studs Terkel Louis "Studs" Terkel (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008) was an American writer, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1985 for ''The Good War'' and is best remembered for his oral histor ...

, 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 A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers began to play a role in the management of the intellectu ...

M. Witmark & Sons in March 1963. This version was released in October 2010 on '' The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 – The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964''. The song has been performed live only once on October 25, 1990, when Dylan appeared in Oxford at the

Tad Smith Coliseum C. M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum is an 8,867-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Mississippi. Through the first part of the 2015–16 basketball season, it was home to the University of Mississippi Rebels men's and women's baske ...

on the Ole Miss campus as part of the

Never Ending Tour The Never Ending Tour is the popular name for Bob Dylan's ongoing touring schedule which began on June 7, 1988. The tour amassed a huge fan base with some fans traveling from around the world to attend as many Dylan shows as possible. Dylan him ...

Other notable recordings

Richie Havens Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk music, folk, soul music, soul (both of which he frequently cover song, covered), and rhythm and b ...

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 ''Red on Blonde'' is a 1996 album of Bob Dylan covers by contemporary folk/bluegrass musician Tim O'Brien. The title is a reference to Dylan's 1966 album, ''Blonde on Blonde'' and Tim's alter-ego during his Hot Rize days- Red Knuckles, leader o ...

''. The alternative bluegrass band

Crooked Still Crooked Still is an American band consisting of vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, banjo player Gregory Liszt, bassist Corey DiMario, cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddle player Brittany Haas. They are known for their high energy, technical skill, unusu ...

recorded the song for their 2006 album ''Shaken by a Low Sound''.

Hugues Aufray Hugues Jean Marie Auffray (; born 18 August 1929), better known as Hugues Aufray, is a French singer-songwriter. He is known for French-language covers of Bob Dylan's songs. Aufray knew Dylan and his work from his time in New York City,Ian Bel ...

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 Pat Wictor (born 1966, Caripito, Venezuela) is an American blues and folk musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and recording artist. Known for his ethereal style, he was nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year in 2006 by the Folk Allianc ...

recorded Oxford Town on his album ''Heaven is so High'' in 2006.

Notes

References

* Heylin, Clinton, ''Revolution in the Air : The Songs of Bob Dylan'' Vol. 1:1957–1973.

External links

"Oxford Town" Lyrics
BobDylan.com
"Oxford Town" Music & Lyrics
'' Broadside'', December 1962, p. 6 1962 songs Songs written by Bob Dylan Bob Dylan songs Protest songs Songs about racism and xenophobia Songs based on actual events Civil rights movement in popular culture Songs about Mississippi {{civil-rights-movement-stub

Other notable recordings

See also

Notes

References

External links