"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written, composed, and performed by
Bob Dylan, who released his original version of it on his 1965 album
Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that they released in the same year as their first
single on
Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the
Billboard Hot 100 chart and the
UK Singles Chart, as well as being the title track of their first album,
Mr. Tambourine Man. The Byrds' recording of the song was influential in initiating the musical subgenre of
folk rock, leading many contemporary bands to mimic its fusion of jangly guitars and intellectual lyrics in the wake of the single's success.