The band's original lineup consisted of Neil Young (vocals, guitar), Stephen Stills (vocals, guitar), Richie Furay (vocals, guitar), Bruce Palmer (bass) and Dewey Martin (drums). Palmer left the band in 1968 and was replaced by Jim Messina. The band's only Top 40 single, "For What It's Worth", was released in 1967. The band split in 1968. Despite lasting for under 25 months, the band was massively influential on many later folk rock and country rock artists and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
The band only released three albums in its short life, "Buffalo Springfield" (1966), "Buffalo Springfield Again" (1967) and "Last Time Around" (1968). "For What It's Worth", which peaked at #7 in early 1967, was the band's only Top 40 single in the United States. 1967's "Rock 'n' Roll Woman" came the closest to giving the band a second Top 40 entry, peaking at #44.
Stills and Young would go on to perform with David Crosby and Graham Nash in the hugely popular rock act Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young shortly after Buffalo Springfield's demise. Furay and Messina went on to found country-rock group Poco, before Furay embarked on his own solo career. After Messina left Poco, he formed Loggins and Messina with singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins.
On October 23 and 24, 2010, Young, Furay and Stills, along with drummer Joe Vitale and Rick Rosas (replacing the deceased Dewey Martin and Bruce Palmer, respectively) reunited for two performances for the Bridge Schools Benefit concert in Mountain View, California.
The band played six concerts starting in Oakland, CA, on June 1, 2011, followed by dates in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, before moving on to play the 2011 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. A proposed full tour in 2012 never took place. On February 27, 2012, founder member Furay announced that the band was on indefinite hiatus.
Merry-go-round
Buffalo Springfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now just look at me
Spreading your eyes to see you standing for me
It's a lover you see
Not just to anyone
Not just to fee
Someone you can come maple leave
What in the world did you do
To make me love just you?
What did you do to me?
What you did to me
This time next time
Which ever let be
There's something I can't deny
I'm telling you now
Your love is something to me
It's like a sweet lullaby
A melody that could only imply
Loving you seems to me worth a try
What in the world did you do
To make me love just you?
What did you do to me?
What you did to me
What did you do to me?
The opening lines of Buffalo Springfield's "Merry-Go-Round" paint a vivid picture of confusion and disorientation; being upside down on a merry-go-round is a visual metaphor for feeling lost and out of control. The singer of the song is addressing a lover, who they see as someone special - not just anyone, not just someone to pass the time with. The way the singer speaks of their lover is almost as if they're in awe of them, their eyes "spreading" to take in the full scope of their presence.
The lyrics then shift to the singer's feelings; they can't explain why they love this person so much. They're asking what this person has done to them to make them feel this way. The repetition of this question highlights just how baffled the singer is by their own emotions. Nonetheless, they can't deny how they feel, and they're willing to give love a try, even though they know it's not necessarily an easy road.
Overall, "Merry-Go-Round" is a song about the confusing, overwhelming, and ultimately powerful experience of falling in love. The lyrical content is subtly complex, but the simplicity and directness of the music helps to reinforce the emotions being expressed.
Line by Line Meaning
Upside down on a merry-go-round
Feeling disoriented and uncertain, like being on a spinning carnival ride
Now just look at me
Feeling exposed and vulnerable, as if someone is scrutinizing you
Spreading your eyes to see you standing for me
Looking intently to see if someone is there to support and defend you
It's a lover you see
Realizing that the one standing up for you is someone you love
Not just to anyone
Recognizing that this love is not something superficial or fleeting
Not just to fee
Not something one can buy or sell, nor something one can control or manipulate
Someone you can come maple leave
Someone you can depend on and trust, like the reliable shade of a maple tree
What in the world did you do
Expressing wonder and amazement at the power of love
To make me love just you?
Asking what it was about that person that captured your heart and devotion
What did you do to me?
Acknowledging that love can be both exhilarating and terrifying, and wondering if it was worth it
This time next time
Acknowledging the uncertainty and impermanence of love
Which ever let be
Accepting that love sometimes has to run its course, regardless of our wishes
There's something I can't deny
Admitting that there is a powerful emotional connection between two people
I'm telling you now
Asserting the sincerity and conviction of one's feelings
Your love is something to me
Stating that the other person's love is valuable and significant to oneself
It's like a sweet lullaby
Comparing the soothing and comforting effect of love to a gentle melody
A melody that could only imply
Suggesting that the depth and meaning of love cannot be fully expressed through words or music
Loving you seems to me worth a try
Deciding that the joys and sorrows of love are worth the risk of heartbreak and disappointment
What did you do to me?
Repeating the rhetorical question as a personal reflection and affirmation of love
Contributed by Christopher A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Conley Entwistle
OMG, I miss this supergroup!. My first concert, in 1966
Abe
It’s not supergroup, they weren’t famous at the time. Crosby, Still, Nash & Young is a Supergroup.
Gibby
What a band! I have the demos box set and highly recommended it for fans.....great stuff...this tune takes me right back to the 60s and feels good.....
Abe
Yeah, that 4 CD box set is better than their whole studio albums. Even tho it contains all tracks from their studio albums.
Abe
My favorite member of the band is Richie Furay. His voice is amazingly beautiful which made Neil Young’s songs legendary. I think it was a great decision that Neil had made, letting Richie Furay sing his songs. Neil’s songs with Richie’s lead vocals are my most favorite songs of BSF. Buffalo Springfield is the best Rock n’ Roll band ever.
Abe
I’m a huge Neil Young Fan since I was teenager. I was loving with this song everywhere. So good that Neil didn’t sing his several BS songs, bc Richie Furay made them heavenly beautiful and immoral.
stan proctor
More great music from one of the best bands to emerge from the '60's. I've often wished they had stayed together longer, but with all that talent pulling in different directions it's easy to see why the breakup was imminent. The members continued to make more great music well into the '70's and beyond...(CS&N, CSN&Y, Neil & Crazy Horse, Ritchie with Poco, Loggins & Messina, the list goes on...)
nyg1954
never heard most of this.just what was on retrospective.good stuff
OlRetro
Excellent sound - thanks! Cheers, '62 Mathew St. (Total Retro Rock)
clifford hauenstein
This was a great song...