The song was composed in response to an open invitation from Broadside magazine for songs about one of the top news events of 1962: the Ole Miss riot triggered by the enrollment of a black student, James Meredith, in the University of Mississippi on October 1.
Besides the Freewheelin' release, Dylan recorded a version of "Oxford Town" for Broadside Sessions in November 1962.
[4][5] The song has been performed live only once on October 25, 1990, when Dylan appeared in Oxford at the Tad Smith Coliseum on the Ole Miss campus as part of the Never Ending Tour.
Tim O'Brien featured the song on his 1996 release of Dylan covers, Red on Blonde.
The alternative bluegrass band Crooked Still recorded the song for their 2006 album Shaken by a Low Sound.