![]() Any mention of “high” was almost automatically assumed to be a drug reference in those days. The song’s lyrics are, for the most part, about the group’s flight to London in August 1965 for their first British tour, as hinted at by the opening couplet: “Eight miles high and when you touch down, you’ll find that it’s stranger than known.” When Griffiths asked if Jones should’ve gotten a credit for his contributions, Clark said, “I thought he should have been credited at the time, but of course he didn’t care. ![]() The melody and lyrics I wrote myself in a hotel room with Brian Jones in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.”Īpparently Jones was not keen to get a songwriting credit. “We were on a bus tour at the time, and we were listening to a lot of John Coltrane, a lot of Ravi Shankar, and they helped me finish the song. He said, “I wrote the song and presented it to McGuinn and Crosby on tour,” Clark later said. In an interview with Mike Griffiths on 3 November 1983, Gene Clark stated that Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones had a hand in writing this song. One example is McGuinn’s John Coltrane-influenced guitar work, which gave it a stronger edge. ![]() The basic melody and most of the lyrics are his, but input from the others enhanced its final expression. Gene Clark would still have a major contribution on the album, as Eight Miles High was originally his song. A lot could be said about the background to this, but suffice to say that by the time Fifth Dimension was released in July 1966, he was no longer in the group. ![]() Unfortunately this seemed to happen at the expense of Clark, who found himself marginalized in the band on other fronts as well. On their third album Fifth Dimension, McGuinn and Crosby stepped up as songwriters in an attempt to increase the band’s reliance on their own material. Tambourine Man (June 1965) and a further two on their follow-up Turn! Turn! Turn! (December 1965), alongside other cover material and some originals. They still did more than a few covers, chiefly by Bob Dylan who was covered extensively – four songs on their first album Mr. The song is credited to Gene Clark, Jim (Roger) McGuinn, and David Crosby – and as we’ll see, some uncredited input from The Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones.ĭuring the first few years of the band, Gene Clark had been its key songwriter. The crux will be what makes something “bona fide” or not, but no matter your view, it was certainly one of the first singles to bring that style and influence to the mainstream. The song was influential in introducing the concept of psychedelia and raga into the pop and rock music of its day.Ĭritics and music historians often site the song as being the first bona fide psychedelic rock song. SPACEMAN 1967 EVERYBODY'S BEEN BURNED 1967 TRIAD 1968 HICKORY WIND 1968 LAZY DAYS 1968 WASN'T BORN TO FOLLOW 1969 DRUG STORE TRUCK DRIVIN' MAN 1970 LOVER OF THE BAYOU 1970 TRUCK STOP GIRL 1971 JAMAICA SAY YOU WILL 1973 SEE THE SKY ABOUT TO RAINĬovers from artist: 1965 CHIMES OF FREEDOM 1965 DON'T BE LONG 1965 JESU BLEIBET MEINE FREUDE 1965 NEEDLES AND PINS 1965 OH! SUSANNA 1965 SATISFIED MIND, A 1965 TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON 1965 ALL I REALLY WANT TO DO 1965 MR.Eight Miles High is one of the defining songs of the psychedelic rock movement of the 1960s. Other originals by artist: 1964 YOU SHOWED ME 1965 HERE WITHOUT YOU 1965 I'LL FEEL A WHOLE LOT BETTER 1966 I SEE YOU 1966 MR.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |