Bob Dylan earns first-ever number one on a US Billboard chart with 'Murder Most Foul'

Bob Dylan has earned his first-ever US number one on a Billboard chart with his recent lengthy single ‘Murder Most Foul’.

The near-17-minute track, which was Dylan’s first original song release in eight years, was released on March 27 and addresses the 1963 assassination of US President John F. Kennedy.

• Read more: ‘Murder Most Foul’, Bob Dylan’s first original song in eight years, is a timely impressionist epic

According to Billboard (paywall), Dylan is currently sitting at the top of the Rock Digital Song Sales chart with ‘Murder Most Foul’. It marks his first number one song in the US under his own name on any Billboard chart.

Nielsen data claims that ‘Murder Most Foul’ sold 10,000 downloads between its release on March 27 and April 2.

Dylan has come close to a number one single in the US on a number of occasions. Both ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ and ‘Rainy Day Women #12 & 35’ got to number two on the Hot 100 in 1965 and 1966 respectively, while his 2000 single ‘Things Have Changed’ reached number two on the Adult Alternative Songs chart 20 years ago.

‘Murder Most Foul’ drew praise from Nick Cave earlier this week. Writing on his fan interaction website The Red Hand Files, Cave said that Dylan’s creation was “extraordinarily comforting, especially at this moment.”