I'm not sure how an "anti-love theme" could be considered "rare" at any time in pop music. In a general sense, there have probably been a lot more songs about love gone wrong than there have been "happy" love songs. Maybe if you narrow it specifically to "our love went wrong, so I'm giving you the air" — but there are surely a lot of those too. Regardless, this is an indisputably great song. I have never met anyone on this earth who doesn't at least like it, and I've met many who love it, as I do. Columbia Records made perhaps the greatest boneheaded decision in its history by not releasing this as the A-side of The Byrds' next single. I absolutely believe it would have gone to #1. Instead, they went the tried and true "copy" route and made another Dylan cover, "All I Really Want to Do" the choice, and it got all the way to #40 — partly, to be fair, because of Cher's competing version, which wasn't nearly as good. But it was a real comedown from #1, and it didn't have to be that way. This had the effect of further marginalizing Gene Clark's role in the group. Although he was writing all of their originals, they were relegated to album cuts and B-sides — no substitute for a hit single, which he richly deserved. I've performed this song countless times in my life, and I never, ever tire of singing and playing it.
I'm not exactly talking about "sad" or "tragic" love, but about "this love does not deserve to be suffered". "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" does not cry the lost love, it actually seems to realize that there was not a love to be lost. I think that approach was not so common at that time. Anyway, I understand my point may be a little vague and ambiguous, especially when we talk about the subject of love in popular music. On the other side, Crosby's "Everybody's Been Burned" seems to have an opposite point of view, as love is accepted in spite of all the suffering. The difference may be the quality of that love. I agree, the song could have been a great A-side. "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" actually charted as a B-side, peaking at #103 in US. Of course that's an unimpressive performance, but it should be taken into account that no other B-side by the Byrds charted, so the song certainly showed potential. By the way, "All I Really Want To Do" did very well in UK, reaching #4 (the band's second best charting single there).
The song "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" is quite famous here in Argentina, because in 1990 it was covered by a very popular artist from this country (Charly García), with lyrics rewritten in Spanish.
"Mr. Tambourine Man" track with the Wrecking Crew: Hal Blaine - drums? Larry Knechtal - bass (played lead guitar on "Guitar Man" and piano on "Bridge Over Troubled Water"!!!!!) Other Wrecking Crew participants?
I think with one word Gene Clark turned I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better from good pop song to something really quite profound. As soon as you add the word "probably" to the title, it becomes a completely different kettle of fish. A monumental achievement!
Yes, that's a good point. The word "probably" would mean that the singer is not too sure about his overcoming feeling, which actually goes against my "anti-love" argument.
IFAWLB is Gene Clark's greatest song and he wrote and sang quite a few. This was the song that implanted itself in my brain more than any other. When you think about it The Byrds were a truly great band. I don't know if I've already said that but it's true.
Yes, I think the song is up there with the Byrds' greatest hits. I'd say "Eight Miles High" (originally written by Clark, but McGuinn and Crosby also contributed) is an even better song, but that has more to do with the performance and innovation, rather than the actual songwriting.
In my opinion, that collection covers the best period of the band (1965-67); but many great songs are missing: "Here Without You", "It's No Use", "It Won't Be Wrong", "The World Turns All Around Her", "Have You Seen Her Face", "Renaissance Fair", "Everybody's Been Burned", etc.
Yes. That album just works for me. I like most of their other songs also, that are not on that album.
I respect your opinion. I love The Byrds have all their records studied the music for years and view them as the greatest American rock band IMO. Playing the guitar I already knew that George and Roger had different techniques. Regardless, the jangle sound is present in "Words of Love" and "What You're Doing" despite the differing guitar techniques. Some of it has to do with the top boost feature on the Vox amplifier that George was using at the time which I think Roger adopted as well. In addition, "Ticket To Ride" though recorded weeks before "Mr. Tambourine Man" was on the charts before "Mr. Tambourine Man" It's a pretty established fact Roger McGuinn picked up the electric 12 string Rickenbacker was due to the jangle fade-out on "A Hard Day's Night". The introductory 12 string jangle sound is clearly heard on "You Can't Do That" and other songs as well. How do we know The Byrds did not get a hold of Beatles For Sale which is littered with antecedents of folk rock and jangle pop before both sub-genres were established? Whether there is Chet Atkins style playing on "I'm A Loser" or an Everly Brothers influence on "I'll Follow The Sun" does not mean it's not folk rock. No music is without influence and or prior precedent. I am moving on out of respect for this thread. 2:21 The Byrds - "I'm A Loser" - 10/23/65
From the May 2008 edition of Uncut: It's another day in the busy life of one of the biggest bands in America. The Byrds have just recorded "Eight Miles High" and are heading to New York for a photo shoot for a TV special. Their plane, however is stuck on the runway of LA International Airport, prevented from taking off by some unexplained technical issues. And Gene Clark, the group's lead singer and principal songwriter, petrified of flying at the best of times, is not handling the situation very well. "Gene was standing up in his seat and he's in a cold sweat," remembers his bandmate Roger McGuinn. "He's shaking. I asked, "What's going on Gene? He replies in a terrified voice: 'I have a really bad feeling about this. I can't do this.' He's in a panic, like he's got a premonition about the plane crashing. He walks off the plane. He said it was a kind of a nervous breakdown, more than just airplanes. He'd just gone through some bad acid trips, and he was breaking up with a girl, or something like that." Later, McGuinn asked about the incident, an event that precipitated Clark's early departure from The Byrds. "It was hard to get a straight answer our of him about it, he didn't really have a clear understanding of what happened," says McGuinn today. "And then there were drugs going on later, so it was hard to get anything out of him. I didn't want him to leave The Byrds. That wasn't my intention."
I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better -- just an incredible tune all around, but that intro...I generally prefer mono for the first four albums, but I have to say hearing the stereo separation with Crosby's opening riff in one channel followed by McGuinn 12-string in the other makes thrilling opening to the tune and the rest maintains that first flush of quality sound. Never tire of it...
The first time I heard I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better was Tom Petty's cover released in 1989. Great tune, I thought. About ten years later I heard the Byrds remasters and found out about Gene Clark.
Actually I think it's more to your point than against it. It's a break up song where the narrator has to let her go right away. What he's feeling is so negative that he thinks his feelings are likely to improve once she's gone. I'm thinking Jerry Cole and maybe Russ Ballard?
Great thread! What an amazing song. The opening riff was taken from Needles and Pins as Gene has said but it still works great. The song is a testament to Gene's brilliant use of chords. Listen at :19 how Gene uses the B chord (II) instead of the V chord E in the cadence....to add dramatic effect and tension instead of a soft approach. Then at :26 he uses a B minor chord instead of the major to give the somber lyrics of "I can't stay on" and I'll probably" a tentative sad sound.....perfect match of the chord with the lyrics. Not only does the word "probably" make the song but that B minor chord is just as important. I remember hearing this song back when it was first released and being blown away by the chord progression. The Byrds - I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better (Audio)
Three things that are noteworthy about the flipside. First of all, unlike the stereo album cut, the mono single version (below) opens with a grammatically correct sentence. I've often wondered if this is because somebody at Columbia thought that the word "Ain't" sounded funny coming out of someone who neither has a southern accent, or is even attempting some sort of fake one like Mick Jagger or Sky Saxon. Also worth noting, like Dylan's original, it is in the key of A, and like "Mr. Tambourine Man," it begins on the subdominant chord. Since, like all of Dylan's songs up until this point, it didn't have a bridge, McGuinn created an artificial one at the one minute mark. It differs from Cher's version in that the chord progression of the verses is as Dylan wrote it, IV - I - V - I. Cher's goes IV - iii - ii -I.
I already stated that Leon Russell played electric piano on single “Mr. Tambourine Man” Also on the track is Hal Blaine, Jerry Cole, and Larry Knechtel.
Lyrically it might have influenced them, but musically, it obviously influenced this, which has the same meter and an extremely similar chord progression:
To me the first Folk Rock song is I Should've Known Better - and we know The Byrds saw the film was in.
Good point. I always thought Elvis did nick the vibe of "Probably" with the sus 4 chords and the way he uses the II chord the same. Still a great song though.
