1962 Bob Dylan Love Song Was Inspired by an Unexpected Wake-Up Call at Dawn
Long before a Bob Dylan song became a defining early-career moment, its inspiration arrived in the form of an unexpected sound at dawn.
In 1962, Dylan wrote the lyrics to "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" after his girlfriend, Susie Rotolo, went on a trip to Italy and he was left in her New York apartment. According to Rolling Stone, one of the song's most iconic lines reveals a personal experience between the two.
"When your rooster crows at the break of dawn, look out your window, and I'll be gone," Dylan wrote as part of the song's lyrics. Rotolo explained that the couple lived near a poultry supplier in Greenwich Village, and the roosters would crow early in the morning.
In a story for The New York Times, Rotolo shared, "I've always had trouble talking or reminiscing about the 1960s because of my place close to Dylan, the mover and shaper of the culture of that era. The kind of adulation and scrutiny he received made that conversation awkward for me."
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She added, "He became an elephant in the room of my life. I am private by nature, and my instinct was to protect my privacy, and consequently his."
In the liner notes for The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, the artist writes that "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" isn't "a love song. It's a statement that maybe you can say to make yourself feel better. It's as if you were talking to yourself."
The LP was added to the National Registry by the Library of Congress in 2002.
The LOC wrote, "Any album that includes the first rendition of 'Blowin' in the Wind,' the unofficial anthem of the 1960s, would have to be included in a registry of America's most important recordings. And, so, based upon that merit and the remarkable other songs to be found on Bob Dylan's second LP, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan was named to the National Registry in its inaugural year of 2002."
The album was originally titled Bob Dylan's Blues. He was only 22 when he recorded a volume of material that is widely known as one of the greatest folk albums of all time.
Related: On This Day: Bob Dylan Released His Most Controversial Album Ever
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This story was originally published June 13, 2026 at 5:53 AM.