The Bob Dylan Song the BBC Banned for Saying 'godalmighty'

Bob Dylan arrived in New York's Greenwich Village in 1961 with a 1940s Gibson J-50 and a handful of songs, and by 1963 he was the talk of the village thanks to "Blowin' in the Wind." His lyrics often questioned authority and the status quo, and that tendency led to repeated clashes with broadcasters.

One early incident took place in the U.K. on his 1962 debut album Bob Dylan, which included a cover of the blue-folk tune "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down." The BBC refused to play the track because Dylan repeats the word "godalmighty" four times, which the broadcaster treated as taking God's name in vain.

The song itself had a long history, originating in 1935 as "Don't Tear My Clothes" and passing through several adaptations before Eric Von Schmidt's version reached Dylan. At the start of the track Dylan acknowledges learning it from Ric von Schmidt.

United Kingdom, Greenwich Village

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