Song · Bob Dylan
“Masters of War” by Bob Dylan
From the album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)
“Masters of War” by Bob Dylan appears on 8 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 2001 and 2016. It was first released in 1963 on the album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Its best result is #510 on the WYEP 913 Essential Songs. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,100 indie & aaa song of all time.
Bob Dylan wrote "Masters of War" over the winter of 1962 into 1963 and put it on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan that spring, with John Hammond producing and nothing on the track but Dylan's voice, acoustic guitar and harmonica. It pulls no punches, taking dead aim at the Cold War's buildup of nuclear weapons, sung like a man done being polite.
The tune was borrowed from the traditional "Nottamun Town", but the version Dylan knew was folksinger Jean Ritchie's arrangement, and unbeknownst to him her family had handed the song down for generations. She wanted a writing credit; his lawyers settled with her for $5,000. He'd first cut it in January 1963 for Broadside, which printed the words and music on the front of its February number. In 2025 Rolling Stone ranked it the sixth-greatest protest song ever.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1252 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2004 | 637 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) | 885 |
| 2007 | 686 | WTMD | WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time | 897 |
| 2009 | 510 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Essential Songs | 913 |
| 2013 | 885 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) | 1000 |
| 2014 | 965 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) | 1000 |
| 2015 | 893 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) | 1007 |
| 2016 | 715 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 | 1007 |
Also listed as: Masters Of War.
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