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Cover of Desire by Bob Dylan
Cover: Desire

Song · Bob Dylan

“Hurricane” by Bob Dylan

From the album Desire (1976)

“Hurricane” by Bob Dylan appears on 29 radio countdowns from 12 stations between 1976 and 2026. It was first released in 1976 on the album Desire. Its best result is #44 on the John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1976). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #5,969 alternative song of all time.

29countdowns
12stations
#44best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1976–2026years charted

Watch

Bob Dylan - Hurricane (Official Audio)

Video from YouTube (BobDylanVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Hurricane" came out as a single in November 1975 and then kicked off Desire in 1976, Bob Dylan in full protest mode. Written with Jacques Levy, it tells the story of the boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, who was charged in 1966, along with John Artis, with the murders of three people at the Lafayette Grill in Paterson, New Jersey, and found guilty the next year. Dylan read Carter's autobiography, in which he insisted he was innocent, went to see him in Rahway State Prison, and came out swinging: the song lays out the racism and profiling Carter faced and the flawed trial behind his conviction, which was eventually overturned.

It rides a relentless, galloping groove, Scarlet Rivera's violin swooping around Dylan's harmonica and his rapid-fire, venomous vocal, with Rob Stoner on bass, Howard Wyeth on drums and Luther Rix on congas.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1976 44 John Peel (BBC Radio 1) John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1976) 50
1992 82 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1992) 100
2001 785 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2002 485 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2002 586 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2004 94 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2004 585 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2007 127 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2009 827 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2010 324 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 154 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 155 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 196 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 128 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 182 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2014 380 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2014 425 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 302 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 400 (2014) 400
2015 224 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 129 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 95 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2018 383 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2021 707 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2022 161 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2022 830 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2024 309 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 416 KEXP The Best Opening Tracks of All Time 738
2025 609 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2026 225 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180

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