Bob Dylan's 1-Word Answer To Writing Blowin' In The Wind In 10 Minutes Is So On-Brand

Bob Dylan was never one to spell out his songs' meanings outright, but he definitely stayed on brand when asked whether it really took 10 minutes to write "Blowin' in the Wind" in a 2004 interview. Dylan often danced around questions, spouting vague phrases or turning the questions back around without a serious reply. In doing so, he sometimes seemed to be having a lot of fun. And though this was most notably a practice of his youth when the songs were still fresh, he has kept up the persona as his career progressed, all the way into the 21st century.

Though some of his later tracks became more straightforward and obvious as to their meaning, with Dylan even being personally vulnerable about his personal relationships on the mic, there was still a lot of vagueness to be had, even as he aged out of his chaotic, but effective, late '60s sound. Still, when discussing or explaining his early '60s catalog, Dylan was at his most immovably coy, usually ascribing the process to some divine abstraction — but it's how he's talked of those songs since, in 2000 and beyond, that's been the most undoubtedly in character. In no case was that more apparent than during a "60 Minutes" interview in which he was asked about his iconic song and folk staple, "Blowin' in the Wind."

As of 2004, Bob Dylan hadn't done a TV interview in nearly 20 years, making his appearance on CBS's "60 Minutes," due to the release of his memoir "Chronicles: Volume One." The book recounts Dylan's entrance into the New York City folk and bohemian scene in the early '60s, documenting both the people he met as well as some of his tidbits behind the songs, which 60 Minutes Ed Bradley asked of: "I read somewhere that you wrote Blowin' In The Wind in 10 minutes. Is that right?" Dylan simply replied, in his trademark gruff croak: "Probably."

This wasn't the first time Dylan was vague about his writing process, a "magic," as he often referred to. According to what poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen's son told BBC Scotland, Dylan and Cohen once asked each other how long it took to write one of their classic songs, in this case, Cohen asked about the hit "Just Like A Woman" from 1966's "Blonde On Blonde." Dylan replied: "Fifteen minutes." Whether he was telling the truth, riffing for his own amusement, or any other reason, this practice had clearly become a staple of his responses to questions about his music. 

"Blowin' in the Wind" itself is a layered and compelling song, one not so easily explained in a TV interview, and its intricacies and essential philosophy first sparked Dylan's career. He did become genuinely reflective during his "60 Minutes" interview, not giving vague answers for every question, and he may just be telling the truth in this on brand response. How did he write the song, and how long did it take? It's been over 60 years; he might just not remember.