Friday, June 26, 2015

50 years ago: The Byrds hit #1 with “Mr. Tambourine Man”

Mr. Tambourine Man

The Byrds

Writer(s): Bob Dylan (see lyrics here)

Released: April 12, 1965

First Charted: May 8, 1965

Peak: 1¹ US, 1¹ CB, 1¹ HR, 1 CL, 1² UK (Click for codes to singles charts.)

Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK)

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 14.88 video, 71.04 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

“Mr. Tambourine Man” “elevated [Bob] Dylan from folk hero to bona fide star.” ^RS500 He partly wrote it “during a drug-fueled cross-country trek in 1964” ^RS500 and recorded it on January 15, 1965. ^RS500 Some people interpreted itas being about a drug pusher, but Dylan said the song was inspired by Bruce Langhorne, a guitarist who brought a tambourine to the recording session which he said was “as big as a wagon wheel.” ^SJ

“If nobody sings Dylan like Dylan, the Byrds at least came close.” ^MA The band heard a demo and, although they weren’t completely sold on it, recorded their own version five days after Dylan. ^RS500 The original version “was a multi-versed acoustic meander through typically elliptical wordplay,” ^TB but the Byrds whittled it down to a one-verse, more conventional three minute single. ^HL Dylan said of their recording, “Wow, man. You can even dance to that!” ^RS500

Roger McGuinn said, “I just rearranged it into a Beatles song.” ^TC Not only did the recording tap ino the Beatles harmonies, but a Beach Boys’ beat, and a bit of Bach in the guitar intro. ^RP His “chiming twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar became folk rock’s defining sound.” ^RS500 Interestingly, while fellow Byrds David Crosby and Gene Clark did add backing harmonies, ^TC McGuinn was the only member to actually play on the hit, ^RS500 with the other instruments being handled by session musicians.

“The Tambourine Man was the Pied Piper for others to follow.” ^HL It “started the folk-rock movement” ^SJ “and the whole singer/songwriter tradition.” ^TC McGuinn said, however, that “We weren’t really thinking about the folk background. In fact, we were trying to subdue it and become legitimate rock & roll people. Fortunately, we weren’t able to shake it, and the residue is what made us sound interesting.” ^TC

Resources and Related Links:

DMDB Encyclopedia entry for The Byrds
DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Bob Dylan
^TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Page 59.
^HL Michael Heatley and Spencer Leigh (1998). Behind the Song: The Stories of 100 Great Pop & Rock Classics. London, England: Blandford Books. Page 92.
^MA Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New York, NY; New American Library. Pages 145-6.
^RP Robert Palmer (1995). Rock & Roll: An Unruly History. New York, NY; Harmony Books. Page 106.
^RS500 Rolling Stone (4/7/2011). “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”
^SJ Bob Shannon and John Javna (1986). Behind the Hits: Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll. New York, NY; Warner Brothers, Inc. Page 78.
^TB Thunder Bay Press. (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 74.