Music Blog

Where Is The Answer?

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

This is Week 33 of Glyn’s Mixed Music Bag and we are
being asked to choose a song by a group or solo artist
whose name begins with the letters O or P. This is my choice.

After meeting in New York City’s Greenwich Village in 1961, folksingers Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers decided to form a group and they kept it very simple by calling their trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Playing in folk clubs and on college campuses, they built a youthful following with their lyricism, tight harmonies and spare sound, usually accompanied only by Yarrow and Stookey on acoustic guitars.

With Peter, Paul and Mary’s records and television appearances, they popularized both new and traditional folk songs by such songwriters as Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, the Weavers, and Laura Nyro. At the forefront of the folk music revival, the trio created a bridge between folk music and later folk rock.

Prominent in the civil rights movement and the struggle against the Vietnam War, Peter, Paul and Mary included protest songs in a repertoire that also featured plaintive ballads such as “500 Miles” and children’s songs like Yarrow’s “Puff the Magic Dragon.”

After splitting up in 1970 to pursue solo careers, the trio re-formed in 1978 to release the album Reunion. In 1986 they celebrated their 25th anniversary with a series of concerts and released the album No Easy Walk to Freedom.

During the course of their career, Peter, Paul and Mary received five Grammy Awards with multiple wins for “If I Had a Hammer” (1962) and “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963). Their 1967 recording of John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane” became a #1 hit in 1969. They also earned a Grammy for the children’s recording â€œPeter, Paul and Mommy” (1969). Their final studio album, In These Times, appeared in 2003.

The song I have chosen to feature today is the beloved folk song, “Blowin’ in the Wind”, written in 1962 and originally recorded by Bob Dylan.

In the song, the speaker poses a series of huge questions about the persistence of war and oppression, and then responds with one repeated, cryptic reply: “The answer, my friends, is blowin’ in the wind.” Finding an end to human cruelty, the song suggests, is a matter of understanding a truth that’s all around but seemingly impossible to grasp.

Contrary to what many people think, it wasn’t Dylan who made this song a civil rights anthem …. it was Peter, Paul and Mary whose version sold 300,000 copies in its first two weeks of release. The trio’s version, which was the title track of their third album, peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts. The group’s version also went to #1 on the Middle Road charts for five weeks.

It was at the 6th Annual Grammy Awards in 1964 where Peter, Paul & Mary won the two previously mentioned Grammy’s for “Blowin’ in the Wind” …. for Best Folk Recording and Best Performance By A Vocal Group. In 2003, Peter, Paul & Mary’s version of “Blowin’ in the Wind” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Here are Peter, Paul and Mary with Blowin in the Wind”

Bob Dylan’s entire catalogue of songs, which spans 60+ years and is among the most prized next to that of the Beatles, was acquired by Universal Music Publishing Group in December, 2020. The deal covered 600 song copyrights and is estimated to be worth $400 million.

From 1963, this is “Blowin’ in the Wind” by 22 year old Bob Dylan

Mixed Music Bag 2024 – week 33 – One and Only

Big thanks to Glyn for hosting Mixed Music Bag each week; be sure to check out his site.

Thanks for stopping by and spinning some tunes. See you on the flip side. 😎

NARŠ2024

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARŠ2017-present.

36 thoughts on “Where Is The Answer?”

  2. Peter, Paul & Mary were 60s icons, along with Dylan, of course. Thanks for the background info. I didn’t know they issued an album in 2003. Many artists who covered Dylan’s songs sounded much better than he did, but that doesn’t take away from his brilliant composing skills. 🙂

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  3. Love both versions, especially early Dylan Such a magnificent song, it can still bring tears to my eyes.
    Vermont Festivals produced Yarrow at a solo concert at our Opera House in 2016, and I hosted him at our inn (I frequently housed the artists for our concerts). The next morning at breakfast, he had invited a woman from our community who was working in Vietnam with survivors of Agent Orange from the Vietnam War. They were both heavily involved in the project, and I think that is one of the reasons we were able to get him to our small venue! It was a great show, and he gave me a beautiful autographed copy of Puff the Magic Dragon pop-up book with the CD as well for Leola.

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    1. What an absolutely wonderful cause and a delightful experience you wrote about, D! It’s so nice to know events such as Vermont Festivals can connect artists like Peter Yarrow with the community. Sadly, our Vietnam Veterans have not been treated with the respect they deserve; I’m so glad to know that Yarrow is so deeply involved.

      You both reaped the benefits …. you got to spend time with Peter Yarrow, attend the concert and receive an autographed book while he had a chance to meet the people from VT, stay at your lovely inn and partake of your scrumptious food. That sounds to me like a perfect happening! Thanks so much for a great comment!

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    2. Totally agree with you, Clive, and that is also true for every other genre of music. People should not dismiss or put down jazz, country or heavy metal, etc simply because it’s not their cup of tea. That is ignorance as well.

      I’m happy and not at all surprised to know how much you appreciate my selection today. It’s a brilliant song in every way. 😊

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  8. Timeless song selection of course. How many times? Still asking today.

    Nancy, have you seen the new trailer for the Dylan biopic due out at Christmas? It stars the magnificent TimothĂŠe Chalamet from Dune and Edward Norton. I hope you don’t mind me forwarding it below. Cheers.

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      1. It does look very enticing despite my general distaste for Dylan impersonations. But Chalamet does appear to exhibit some of Dylan’s nuances on stage and mannerisms in person. The only thing I didn’t gel with was how tall he appeared (amongst others) when they were tracking behind him walking in Greenwich village.

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