Their music bridged the gaps between the socially and spiritually conscious folk music of Bob Dylan, the studio trickery of The Beach Boys, and the sardonic rock of The Beatles. Some of their trademark songs include pop versions of Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man and Pete Seeger’s Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season), and the originals I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, and Eight Miles High. Throughout their career they helped forge such subgenres as folk rock, raga rock, psychedelic rock, jangle pop, and – on their 1968 classic Sweetheart of the Rodeo – country rock inviting Gram Parsons on rhythm guitar.
The original and most successful lineup consisted of Chris Hillman, David Crosby, Michael Clarke, Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark. After several line-up changes (with lead singer/guitarist McGuinn as the only consistent member), they broke up in 1973.
In 1991 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and several band members launched successful solo careers after leaving the group. The most successful was David Crosby who was inducted again for his work with Crosby, Stills & Nash. Other than The Beatles, the only artist with all members inducted twice are, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
I Knew I'd Want You
The Byrds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've had me on your trip, right from the start
And when you looked at me, with love in your eyes
I knew I'd want you, oh yeah
I'd like to hold you, if you want me to
I've found something new girl, just by looking at you
And it's in your smile, and it's in the way
I meet so many people, I feel I don't know
But I felt so close to you, when you said hello
I'd like to love you, and together we'd find
The place we've been looking for, we'll have peace of mind
There we'll be happy, and there I'll know why
I knew I'd want you, oh yeah
The Byrds' song "I Knew I'd Want You" is a love song with honest and simple lyrics. The singer expresses his feelings of being drawn towards the girl he's interested in from the very start. He talks about how he wants to love her with all his heart, and how he found something new just by looking at her. When she looked at him with love in her eyes, he knew he wanted her. The singer expresses his desire to hold her and find a place where they can be happy together.
The song is very simple and straightforward, and the lyrics are relatable to anyone who has felt that spark of attraction towards someone. The singer talks about how many people he meets, but he has never felt as close to anyone as he does to her. The song conveys a sense of hope and optimism, that they will find a place where they can be happy and at peace together.
Overall, "I Knew I'd Want You" is a sweet and romantic song that captures the essence of falling in love. The lyrics are simple but effective in conveying the singer's feelings for the girl he's interested in.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd like to love you , with all of my heart
I want to love you with all my heart.
You've had me on your trip, right from the start
I've been following you since the beginning.
And when you looked at me, with love in your eyes
You looked at me with love in your eyes.
I knew I'd want you, oh yeah
I knew I would want to be with you.
I'd like to hold you, if you want me to
If you want, I would like to hold you.
I've found something new girl, just by looking at you
By just looking at you, I found something new.
And it's in your smile, and it's in the way
It's in your smile and the way you are.
I knew I'd want you, oh yeah
I knew I would want to be with you.
I meet so many people, I feel I don't know
I meet a lot of people, but I don't feel close to them.
But I felt so close to you, when you said hello
But I felt close to you when you said hello.
I'd like to love you, and together we'd find
I want to love you, and we would find together.
The place we've been looking for, we'll have peace of mind
We'll find the place we've been looking for, and be at peace.
There we'll be happy, and there I'll know why
There we will be happy, and I'll know why.
I knew I'd want you, oh yeah
I knew I would want to be with you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GENE CLARK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Natalia Carolina Pérez Motta
I'd like to love you , with all of my heart
You've had me on your trip, right from the start
And when you looked at me, with love in your eyes
I knew I'd want you, oh yeah
I'd like to hold you, if you want me to
I've found something new girl, just by looking at you
And it's in your smile, and it's in the way
I knew I'd want you, oh yeah
I meet so many people, I feel I don't know
But I felt so close to you, when you said hello
I'd like to love you, and together we'd find
The place we've been looking for, we'll have peace of mind
There we'll be happy, and there I'll know why
I knew I'd want you, oh yeah
Robert Nesfield
Another beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Gene Clark song; done as only the Byrds could do it.
Joaquin Lezcano
@freelywheely only in Mr tambourine man
freelywheely
Actually, the Wrecking Crew did this with Roger.
Earth Love
My favorite by The Byrds...Gene Clark...what a gifted artist; very sensitive.
L xx
Hauntingly beautiful song, adore The Byrds, them at their best..
eyraudpa
I always loved this song, melodious and nostalgic
Glicksman1
A perfect example of how you don't need to do too much to a great song. Just sing it.
Natalia Carolina Pérez Motta
I'd like to love you , with all of my heart
You've had me on your trip, right from the start
And when you looked at me, with love in your eyes
I knew I'd want you, oh yeah
I'd like to hold you, if you want me to
I've found something new girl, just by looking at you
And it's in your smile, and it's in the way
I knew I'd want you, oh yeah
I meet so many people, I feel I don't know
But I felt so close to you, when you said hello
I'd like to love you, and together we'd find
The place we've been looking for, we'll have peace of mind
There we'll be happy, and there I'll know why
I knew I'd want you, oh yeah
davegmalherbe
Natalia Carolina Pérez Motta
Beautiful !
Harry Balls
Had this on a 45 when I was a kid in the sixties. What a beautiful song and so “Byrds” with that electric twelve string.