Bob Dylan released “Rough and Rowdy Ways” in 2020, his first album of original songs in eight years. Columbia Records released the album on June 19, 2020, and it became Dylan’s thirty-ninth studio album.
The eight-year gap refers to new original songwriting, not to Dylan’s complete album-release history. During that period, he released albums devoted to traditional pop standards, including “Shadows in the Night” in 2015, “Fallen Angels” in 2016, and “Triplicate” in 2017. Those records explain why “Rough and Rowdy Ways” was described specifically as a return to original material.
The album opens with “I Contain Multitudes” and includes “My Own Version of You,” “Key West (Philosopher Pirate),” and “Murder Most Foul.” The latter was released as a surprise single in March 2020 and became notable for its long meditation on John F. Kennedy, American culture, and memory.