Originally a blues-based band noted for their signature "rave-up" instrumental breaks, the Yardbirds broadened their range into pop, pioneering psychedelic rock and early hard rock; and contributed to many electric guitar innovations of the mid-1960s. Some rock critics and historians also cite their influence on the later punk rock, progressive rock and heavy metal trends. Following the band's split in 1968, Relf and McCarty formed Renaissance and guitarist Jimmy Page formed Led Zeppelin - the latter of which was initially intended as a direct successor to the Yardbirds.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. They were included at number 89 in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" and ranked number 37 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
The Yardbirds re-formed in the 1990s, featuring drummer Jim McCarty and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja as the only original members. Dreja left the band in 2012, leaving McCarty as the sole original member of the band in the present lineup.
The band formed in the south-west London suburbs in 1963. Relf and Samwell-Smith were originally in a band named the Metropolitan Blues Quartet. After being joined by Dreja, McCarty and Top Topham, they performed at Kingston Art School in late May 1963 as a backup band for Cyril Davies. Following a couple of gigs in September 1963 as the Blue-Sounds, they changed their name to the Yardbirds. McCarty claims that Relf was the first to use the name; he may have got it from Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road, where it referred to rail yard hobos. He adds that Topham identified it as a nickname for jazz saxophonist Charlie "Yardbird" Parker.
The quintet achieved notice on the burgeoning British rhythm and blues scene when they took over as the house band at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, succeeding the Rolling Stones. Their repertoire drew from the Chicago blues of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James, including "Smokestack Lightning", "Good Morning Little School Girl", "Boom Boom", "I Wish You Would", "Rollin' and Tumblin'", "Got Love if You Want It" and "I'm a Man".
Original lead guitarist Topham left and was replaced by Eric Clapton in October 1963. Crawdaddy Club impresario Giorgio Gomelsky became the Yardbirds manager and first record producer. Under Gomelsky's guidance the Yardbirds toured Britain as the back-up band for blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson II in December 1963 and early 1964, recording live tracks on 8 December and other dates. The recordings would be released two years later during the height of the Yardbirds popularity on the album Sonny Boy Williamson and the Yardbirds.
After the tours with Williamson, the Yardbirds signed to EMI's Columbia label in February 1964, and recorded more live tracks on 20 March at the legendary Marquee Club in London. The resulting album of mostly American blues and R&B covers, Five Live Yardbirds, was released by Columbia nine months later, and it failed to enter the UK Albums Chart. Over time, Five Live gained stature as one of the few high-quality live recordings of the era and as a historical document of both the British rock and roll boom of the 1960s and Clapton's time in the band.
Along with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds were part of the British blues scene of the 1960s. As the blues rock genre developed, some acts like Chicken Shack were playing a louder and more aggressive style, while the Yardbirds emphasized instrumental textures and extended instrumental improvisations. They covered blues classics like Howlin' Wolf's Smokestack Lightning (1956) and Bo Diddley's I'm a Man (1955) which had a repetitive structure where instrumental solos were brief breaks between repetition of verses. The Yardbirds often extended these instrumental sections into "heavy jams".
For Your Love
The Yardbirds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning
For your love
(For your love)
I'd give you everything and more and that's for sure
(For your love)
I'd bring you diamond rings and things right to your door
(For your love)
To thrill you with delight
I'd give you diamonds bright
There'll be days I will excite
They'll make you dream of me at night
For your love
For your love
For your love
For your love
For your love
I would give the stars above
For your love
For your love
I would give you all I could
For your love
For your love
(For your love)
I'd give the moon if it were mine to give
(For your love)
I'd give the stars and the sun for I live
(For your love)
To thrill you with delight
I'd give you diamonds bright
There'll be days I will excite
They'll make you dream of me at night
For your love
For your love
For your love
For your love
The Yardbirds's song For Your Love is a love song about the lengths someone would go to for the person they love. The lyrics constantly repeat the phrases "For your love" and "I'd give you everything and more," emphasizing the depth and intensity of the singer's passion. The verses describe the material possessions and gifts he would offer to his lover in order to show his love and make them happy. He would give them diamonds, stars, and the moon if he could, and he promises to thrill them with delight and be the object of their dreams at night. The chorus reinforces this commitment, repeating that he would do anything for their love, and the song ends with one final declaration of his devotion.
The use of material possessions as symbols of love and devotion has been a common trope in popular music for decades, but For Your Love takes it to an extreme. The lyrics of the song suggest that the singer is willing to give up anything and everything for their love, even the things that are typically beyond anyone's control or ownership (such as the moon and the stars). It's a universal theme that many people can relate to, appealing to anyone who has ever felt the all-encompassing power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
For your love
The singer is showing his love and dedication to their significant other.
I'd give you everything and more and that's for sure
The singer is willing to sacrifice everything to make their significant other happy.
I'd bring you diamond rings and things right to your door
The singer is willing to give the best material things to their significant other.
To thrill you with delight
The singer wants to bring joy and happiness to their significant other.
I'd give you diamonds bright
The singer is willing to give valuable things to show their love for their significant other.
There'll be days I will excite
The singer promises to keep the excitement and love alive in the relationship.
They'll make you dream of me at night
The singer wants to ensure that their significant other thinks of them often and even dreams of them.
I would give the stars above
The singer is willing to do anything, even impossible things, to show their love for their significant other.
I would give you all I could
The singer is willing to give their absolute all to their significant other.
I'd give the moon if it were mine to give
The singer is willing to give the most impossible things to their significant other.
I'd give the stars and the sun for I live
The singer is willing to give anything and everything because the love for their significant other is what gives their life meaning.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Graham Gouldman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bill Reinhold
As said before, this song was written by Graham Gouldman of 10CC. Here is quite a list-
Songs written or co-written by Graham Gouldman include:
Art For Art’s Sake – 10cc
Bridge To You Heart – Wax
Bus Stop* – The Hollies
Dreadlock Holiday – 10cc
East West* – Herman’s Hermits
Evil Hearted You* – The Yardbirds
For Your Love* – The Yardbirds
Good Morning Judge – 10cc
Heart Full of Soul* – The Yardbirds
I Got You – McFly
I’m Mandy Fly Me – 10cc
I’m Not In Love – 10cc
Listen People* – Herman’s Hermits
Look Through Any Window – The Hollies
No Milk Today* – Herman’s Hermits
Pamela Pamela* – Wayne Fontana
Right Between Your Eyes – Wax
Rubber Bullets – 10cc
Stalking A Fan – Kirsty McColl
Stronger – Gary Barlow
Tallyman* – Jeff Beck
The Wall Street Shuffle – 10cc
The Way I’m Feeling Tonight – Paul Carrack
Things We Do For Love – 10cc
Vicki Kersey
Rest in piece Jeff Beck. You are a legend that is forever unforgettable.
camille van de walle
Peace
HORATIUS MARCUS I
😥R. I. P. 😥
DIZZ MAN
@freaker126 the other day - of meningitis
Yonatan Salkin
This comment will never always grammar
HEI ltd
'Rest in PIECE' lol..maybe it's 'Rest in PEACE'.
Marie Carnes
Jeff Beck forever in our hearts. Rest in peace. ☮
Canes Venatici
@Imtiyaz Latoo What on earth did do Jeff Beck to get into Hell? Could you explain?
Candy's Life
I hope him and my dad are up there rocking the place and driving my nana foolish while doing so.
Jorge Mario Rodas
Tried to dance this one today, October , 2021, and found out I still can do it despite my 75 years!