The Byrds stamped themselves as one of the most iconic American rock bands of the 60s. And, for a while, their recorded excellence was also rewarded with success on the pop charts. That included a pair of No. 1 singles.
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But their run of chart success at the Top 40 level expired relatively quickly. When it did, their last hit, in many ways, hearkened back to when it all got started for them.
Talent in Abundance
Few bands could match The Byrds when it came to the singing and songwriting talent that flowed through their lineup over the years. David Crosby, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman, and Gram Parsons, among others, cycled through the band, with Roger McGuinn remaining all the way as the standout stalwart.
The Byrds should also be commended for constantly expanding their recording horizons during their time together. After pioneering folk rock via their heavenly vocal harmonies and McGuinn’s chiming 12-string guitar, they branched out into many different areas. They tackled genres like psychedelia, avant-garde, and, later down the road a bit, country rock.
Yet the abundance of talent and willingness to experiment seemed to work against the band at times when it came to cultivating a pop audience. Radio listeners never quite knew what to expect from them. Which is why you can’t really blame The Byrds for returning to a safe formula for a single from their 1967 album Younger Than Yesterday.
Yesterday’s Songs
The Byrds began their career with a heavy reliance on covering the songs of Bob Dylan. Dylan had written and originally performed four songs on the band’s 1965 debut Mr. Tambourine Man, including the title track, which they took to No. 1. But they had moved away from that toward more original work in the albums preceding Younger Than Yesterday.
Maybe that’s why David Crosby put up a fight when the other members of the band wanted to record an electrified version of “My Back Pages”. Dylan had written the song and released his own acoustic take on the 1964 album Another Side Of Bob Dylan.
Crosby saw it as a retreat of sorts, especially as the band worked up an arrangement very much in keeping with what they did on “Mr. Tambourine Man”. But the other members won out. And the song enjoyed a little bit of chart success, working its way to No. 30.
Turning the “Pages”
The Byrds clearly hadn’t lost their touch on their cover of “My Back Pages”. They wisely shaved off a couple of verses to make the song more palatable to pop radio. McGuinn’s guitar rings out like a clarion call to the faithful. And the vocal harmonies sounded as pristine as ever, belting out the immortal refrain of “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.”
Considering that “My Back Pages” was the second of two Top 40 hits from Younger Than Yesterday, it seemed like The Byrds were regaining their commercial mojo. But that would turn out to be the last time they ever reached that upper echelon with a single.
The Byrds’ aversion to doing anything formulaic contributed to their lack of hit singles. With “My Back Pages”, they did return to past glories. And it worked like a charm.
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