Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCLXIII--The Byrds: Eight Miles High

It's hard to imagine in this day and age of corporate rock that had this week's song been released in 2020 it would have even sniffed contemporary radio--let alone reached the top 15 on Billboard.  A hit among the cool kids, sure, but to the average American radio listener...very doubtful.

The Byrds would have had a noteworthy resume had they just been the progenitors of psychedelic rock...but their album Sweethearts of the Rodeo is also considered the forefather of the country rock movement.  They formed in 1964 in Los Angeles, and over the course of their careers have been known for folk, folk rock, raga rock, and country, as well as the aforementioned psychedelic and country rock.  While their commercial sales were up and down after their first three albums (all of which were top 25 hits), the band has continued off and on in dozens of different incarnations up until now, though many of them were one off performances.  Noteworthy members have included the original lineup of Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke, as well as Gram Parsons.  The Byrds released twelve albums between 1965 and 1973...and nary a one after.  They do most definitely hold the Friday Night Jukebox record for most compilations, having released forty-eight--you read that right, forty-eight--of them.  Many of the members had success either solo or in other groups (especially David Crosby who eventually joined up with Graham Nash and Stephen Stills to form Crosby, Stills, and Nash), and sadly, many of them have left us for the Great Rock Concert in the Sky.  The Byrds were elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility, and it was the last time the original members played together.

"Eight Miles High" was released in 1966 on the Byrds album Fifth Dimension.  It would peak at #14 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album would reach #24 on the Billboard 200.

While I was previously familiar with "Eight Miles High," it's only been the past few years when it's dawned on me what a tremendous song it truly is.  When it was originally released the band said the song was simply about flying over London, and vociferously denied that it had drug references...but as time went on the band admitted it was a bit of both.  Beginning with a wobbly bass before an eastern influenced lead guitar joins in, the band waxes philosophic about flying into the U.K. for the first time and the sights they see as well as their emotional toll.  As with most Byrds' songs, the harmonies are exquisite, notably for their pregnant pauses...especially amazing as the song has no chorus, and is really just three stanzas of random thoughts.  There's even a couple of off the beaten path guitar solos that come, amazingly enough, straight out of the sixties counterculture.  I noted a while back that every now and again a song comes along that makes the listener put on his big boy pants and dig a little deeper into a song's soul--"Eight Miles High" is definitely one such song and while not maybe the Byrds' most popular song, is certainly their greatest.

Lyric Sheet:  "Eight miles high and when you touch down/You'll find that it's stranger than known..."

Enjoy:

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