Lady Friend
The Byrds Lyrics

@NowhereMan7

Underrated how? I see the terms underrated and overlooked on just about every song on this entire website. At I point youve got to start questioning it. All songs cant be underrated. The Byrds are still prominent and well remembered and regarded as pioneers of a variety of rock sub genres. David Crosby is an american icon and this is one of his first gems. It was never released on a Byrds album yet people still know it. It gets included on Byrds anthology and compilations. How is it underrated? What kind of praise do you think it really deserves over and above what it already gets over 50 years since it came out?

@NowhereMan7

Underrated how? I see the terms underrated and overlooked on just about every song on this entire website. At I point youve got to start questioning it. All songs cant be underrated. The Byrds are still prominent and well remembered and regarded as pioneers of a variety of rock sub genres. David Crosby is an american icon and this is one of his first gems. It was never released on a Byrds album yet people still know it. It gets included on Byrds anthology and compilations. How is it underrated? What kind of praise do you think it really deserves over and above what it already gets over 50 years since it came out?

@Warp75

Great great B-Side

@vincewhirlwind68

@@Warp75 It is indeed great but it was an 'A' side

@Warp75

@@vincewhirlwind68 Old John Robertson B Side ?
Regardless it’s a great track

@Gabrielishere

For some reason I never imagined David Crosby not being here, and now that's happened, but he will forever be in my ears, mind, and heart. One of my all time favorite songs.

@tishpish4939

RIP Croz. Your masterpiece!

@waynekriegel535

In 1967, I would sit in the car so I could pull in the only radio station in the state that had charted "Lady Friend." I am a Byrds fan!

@waynekriegel535

@Tony Harris There is but you have to look for it. I look for good songs. Easier to find these days than great bands. Erik Voeks has some good stuff, Elvyn songs like "Ellie," "Don't Leave, Don't go," "Lotta Lies" etc. The Grip Weeds are interesting, hard to miss with Guided by Voices, check out "Mr Child." Starry Eyed and Laughing aren't new(70s)but check out "Forever Young," "Dancing Slow," "Jet Plane Rider"etc. Depends on what you're looking for, too.

@mikefrance7498

Lucky bird !

@almar2410

My fav of Croz. R. I. P

@Warp75

RIP David Crosby
Thanks for the music

@VincentGavin

As thrilling a song now as when I first heard it over 30 years ago. Thank you David Crosby RIP

@rokcafella

I've always been a big fan of the Byrds. Especially their early to mid-period songs -the jangly Rickenbacker 12 strings, the harmonies, and song structures and sound which were more folk rock than country rock. When I first heard this song via a compilation I purchased, well after hearing many of their other more well-known songs, I thought, what? How come I haven't heard this before? This is a beautiful lost classic that really typifies their early sound and when they were at their height. I still very much think this, and I still very much think it should have been given more airplay/ respect both in the band and outside of it.
Same goes for David Crosby himself. RIP, there will be no other like you. Respect. You can now fly, like the Byrds.

@RoyFive

Our local rock station only played it for a few days and it dropped into oblivion. A testament to how much those dorks knew.

@frogface66

Definitely one of Crosbys best songs.

@keithgreaves6004

Genius. RIP

@CarrollDeanJones1931

One of David Crosby's best compositions.

@markbellamy349

How was this not a hit? It's a gem. Crosby was a super talent and he brought so much to the Byrds and CSN (and Y). He was essential to both bands' success and popularity.

@joeschmofromidaho8532

Another great David Crosby composition, overlooked in the Byrds' catalogue.

@NowhereMan7

In what regard is it overlooked? A harmless comment for sure but I just see "underated" & "overlooked" comments on almost every single song, aside from massive hits. The song wasnt on any Byrds album, yet its still well known and regarded as one of their best, and one of Crosbys first gems. What do you mean by overlooked?

@user-kn4ge3gn8j

Along with Stranger In A Strange Land. Love The Croz.

@markreilly7052

It's amazing that this wasn't a hit.

@John-k5n6g

Absolute masterpiece of production of it's time i think 😊

@clarenzlarka

Beautiful. . .

@joejackson8513

I was born in 91. My Dad in 53. He shows me and my 3 brothers all the really good stuff from the older days. Lady Friend is at the top of my list. Along with the Beatles, Kinks, Animals....

@salvarriale161

1970

@jltrem

I was born in '52. I did the same with my daughters.

@wobblybobengland

David Crosby thankyou for your work

@19mole76

RIP David Crosby 😢

@Netty_Noo

Beautiful 😍 …

@brianbiechele1958

David, friend. Goodbye. Thank you.

@mattclarke8772

Chris Hillman's bass playing is absolutely amazing on this

@denisrodrigues1455

Rest in peace, David Crosby!

@AntMan201490

The Byrds made their network debut on American Bandstand on Saturday July 29,1967 singing “Have You Seen Her Face” and “Lady Friend”😀👍🏿🎶🎸

@zayogden9155

Really? Chris and David songs. How did Roger's ego stand it?

@brianbiechele1958

David, friend, goodbye. Thank you.

@catalevered

They'd been on Hullabaloo, Shindig and Ed Sullivan before that.

@deniseculton

I should have learned to duck! Heheheheheee!! LOVE DAVID!! <3

@thesurfhotrodscene4060

Fantastic sounds ! One of the best Byrds recordings ever. Sounds like hundreds of Guitars and almost no drums. Probably a great idea from producer Gary Usher who mixed it really cool and different. Check out the newly published Gary Usher Byrds interview on Youtube for the whole story.

@markeggins890

Yes that is gold that interview!

@thesurfhotrodscene4060

Agree, one of the best things on Youtube ! Soooo.. much new information !

@davidmurray2539

Usher and The Byrds should've had years and years of studio time ahead with each other. They were going places creatively where no other band in the world was going at the time. The group's demise after Notorious Byrd Bros. was, to me, the greatest loss to American music that I can think of.

@thesurfhotrodscene4060

Totally agree. Seems that the best things in life never last to long. This was clearly the peak.

@TheBanMan

@@davidmurray2539 [Untitled] was close to a second peak IMHO. Certainly as a live band 5-piece Byrds couldn't hold a candle to it.

@unstrung65

Always a very special Byrd's song !

@drewsturgeon9511

My favourite Byrds song 👍

@vikingdave8225

Should have been a hit.....

@andrewjwheelerjr3414

Another beautiful Byrd's gem to cry to because of the fact that it is truly beautiful to listen when you are think about a lovely warm and beautiful lovely lady friend in mind well peace everyone.

@filton0

Those harmonies. Heaven on Earth.

@53plaat

The only single by the Byrds that bears David Crosby's solo signature, Lady Friend, might be described as his version of Gene Clark's I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better from the Byrds' first album, but it is more direct and punchy. It's a kind of primitive power pop with McGuinn's jangly guitar, complex vocal harmonies and the addition of magnificent horn instruments. It was recorded over several sessions, with the band participating in the Monterey Festival in between. It was at the Festival that the Byrds first played it and, as you can see, it came at a time when Crosby had already become the ‘Crosby character’. His ego had grown out of all proportion and Lady Friend was his attempt to take over the reins of the band, even replacing McGuinn and Hillman's voices in the harmonies with his own, something that was a bad move personally but not so much artistically, because we are talking about the, in the words of McGuinn, the "best harmonic singer in the world". The song was not a success, something that was incomprehensible, and Crosby's days with the Byrds were numbered.

@stevepotocin9501

Only with Gene, there was a lot more where I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better came from...

@soulagent79

Well said. The production definitely has a Phil Spector touch.

@61hink

I think McGuinn was the egomaniac. And Crosby's later work certainly outshone McGuinn's.

@carlweaver3243

Chris Hillman was the Byrds' Secret Weapon. Their Best Musician. His Bass Lines were Awesome, much like McCartney's.

@nickaustin8334

Ten out of ten

@RedGoldGreen-Dub

Lovely song 👌🏻❤️‍🔥😎

@leonardblush2557

Man, did David ever step up to the plate with the writing after Gene left. RIP, old "friend".

@johnyuma1459

crosby hits it out of the park!!!

@davidgrose6349

A good song and a very underrated one at that.

@jamesobrien7338

Rest in peace 💕

@johnhandsome2966

This Gary Usher production sounds perfect to me...I guess it's a point of contention!

@russcohen3779

Love love love

@user-kn4ge3gn8j

Love that middle 8 with the horns & trademark jangly guitars etc. Sounds classically 60s - totally awesome.

@damiensuil2183

simply stunning

@mikesaunders4775

Great song , shame it never made the album.

@章二-k1h

Byrds の最高のシングルのひとつ
そしてDavid の最高傑作！

@boychildnew1

incredible!

@mfbigray

great song imo......remember it well

@jorgeabrahamguzmanchavez2697

simplemente una de las mejores canciones que hicieron the byrds. te olvidas de lo que te hizo una chica!.....

@elyeye66

¿Quién?????

@edhalfen7380

Eight Miles High-ish intro, bass lines anyway...Thanks for the post and allowing us to hear stuff at least I haven't heard in decades...

@Frisbieinstein

Nice tune that could really use a remake.

@volgimarysiuanki1610

Fenomenalne

@evansmith3589

About halfway: sonds much like The Prisoner theme!

@KatharineShaw-z8u

This song was released as a single and failed to chart. It's a great song by Crosby but I don't think Byrds/pop fans thought it was radio friendly enough.

@donaldrenfranz1839

There's great commentary here. It's a complex song, trippy. Despite my liking it, and understanding how hard it was to produce, a listen gives a strong clue as to why it didn't work, why it wasn't a chart buster. It well might have been too complex. Where's the hook that draws a listener in, to replay it 10 times in a row? It does not have that magic.

@leonardoilcaprone3900

MAGIA CROSBY! DANiELE :)

@bandcouver

This stereo mix is a vast improvement over the mono version which does sound like 'mush' according to David Crosby. I concur.

@stevefuji1548

"Lady Friend" really should have been included in the "Notorious Byrd Brothers" album, but there was a lot of friction between David Crosby and the rest of the group during the recording of that album.

@ardd.c.8113

it seems more like a younger than yesterday type of song, but I get your point

@StuffthatsGone

Yeah it was a between album release. It didn’t do well in the charts and that’s probably another reason they left it off. Crosby had a lot of songs and I don’t think McGuinn Liked that

@russcohen3779

Wow

@leriwaters.9744

Press play y magic happens!!!!

@larrymiller4

Nobody else did a song like this back then. It's really an excellent song, but a huge mistake in production was adding trumpets! This song, along with "It Happens Each Day," IMO, should have been a part of YTY, instead of "Mind Gardens."

@FenderBassMustang

Crosby hadn't even written this yet when YTY was recorded. This was recorded in mid 1967, months after YTY was released, and was originally intended to be on NBB. It didn't make the cut on that album due to poor sales as a single, and the firing of Crosby from the band (although the B-side, Hillman's Old John Robertson was on NBB). It is very odd that Lady Friend and Old John Robertson are included as bonus tracks for the YTY reissue rather than NBB.

Regarding the production, Crosby was very critical of Gary Usher's "wall of sound" mixing, although I think he was just making excuses for the poor sales. I do share your opinion on Mind Gardens - it sucks, anything else would be an improvement.

@arddermout6946

Mind gardens wasnt a typical byrds song. I agree

@bandcouver

@@FenderBassMustang I believe David Crosby was talking about the mono single mix of the song, which does sound like 'mush' as Crosby put it. The stereo mix is far better.

@carlweaver3243

The Beatles did Got To Get You Into My Life in '66 and Penny Lane in '67. Both had Brass.

@sunkintree

Trumpets were right on the money. Squares just being squares when they don't like a good orchestral interlude.

@StuffthatsGone

McGuinn's ego probably didn't want the album drowning with Crosby penned masterpieces. A huge one to leave off!

@ColtraneTaylor

What I don't get is that I love Byrds with Crosby but I can't listen to CSNY.

@thesurfhotrodscene4060

@@ColtraneTaylor He lost it when he left the Byrds. Also Gary Usher made his songs sounding so great but David could never understand that and refused to give anyone else credit. To much ego.

@ColtraneTaylor

@@thesurfhotrodscene4060 Well you might say that (and me too) but CSNY were well liked.

@user-kn4ge3gn8j

@@ColtraneTaylor I LOVE CSNY, & love the Byrds too - but only when The Croz was a member, admittedly.

@sunkintree

@@ColtraneTaylor It's Nash. Speaking for myself I think Nash has a piercing high voice that veers far too into uncomfortable levels. And they relegated Crosby to the middle, where his beautiful tenor is drowned out on either side. Just a shame. They would be a much better band had Nash taken the middle and Crosby had the high part they he deserved

@leonardmacpeters1243

W O N D E R F U L L L L L L L L L

@salvarriale161

The band was never the same after David his voice carries such an a**** but I love the dude

@markjamesmeli2520

Crosby's best song

@stephengorin2685

That really is not saying much.

@user-kn4ge3gn8j

Along with Guinevere & Stranger In A Strange Land - & Wooden Ships is pretty damn fine too.

@sunkintree

@@stephengorin2685 It says everything. Crosby was a powerhouse in The Byrds

@joejones9520

@@sunkintree im glad he's finally no longer w/us

@joejones9520

@@sunkintree we all have access to the same info, if you dont know why id feel this way about him then you simply havent researched deeply into his life

@vdklippe

Gary Usher production.

@THEScottCampbell

I really love this song. I just think Crosby doing a song and pulling McGuinn's guitar off it while refusing to sing on songs like "Don't Make Waves" and "Goin' Back" made it look like he wanted to take over The Byrds which would not have worked. The other three hated him by then. Mike Clarke would end up in fist fights with Crosby over and over. McGuinn isn't even on this while Crosby imitated Jim's playing and re-recorded the 12 string part behind Jim's back. Hillman played rhythm guitar and Crosby played bass and Rickenbacker 12 string. He did a good job, but going solo under the band's name seems, well, you know....

@Mandrake591

How do you know Mcguinn is not on this?

@JangleBoxPedals

Crosby DID sing on Don't Make Waves.

@user-kn4ge3gn8j

If McGuinn doesn't play on the track, that would explain a reason for the non-inclusion on YTY I guess.

@hoover728

Couldn’t find verification re: Croz playing 12 string but he did wipe Hillman and McGuinn’s vocals and do all the harmonies himself.

@ColtraneTaylor

REM who?

Crazed REM fans keep saying they were much better than the Byrds. Dolts.

No need to compare them. They were both great in their time.

@carlweaver3243

Possibly influenced by Penny Lane; especially horn break in middle

@MisterBill593

I guess I am the odd man out on this Byrds song. As a song, I always liked it. But the recording itself, for my taste, just way too much going on. Always thought it was poorly mixed as compared to other Byrds recordings of that period. The lack of a strong presence for the drums, in my opinion, hurts rather than helps the song. One needs to remember that in 1967, mono mixes on Top 40 radio stations was still the overriding trend. The recording of this song just did not come over well on AM radio of the time. As for who had the biggest ego in the Byrds, frankly, they probably were all guilty of that at one time or another during the lifetime of that group. That is all water under the dam now. I prefer to remember how great a band they were rather than who was the most unlikable person among them. RIP Gram Parsons, Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, Skip Battin, David Crosby, Kevin Kelley, Clarence White.

@danielgolus4600

1:13 - This short bridge doesn't fit the song whatsoever. Its ugly and crashes the feel and flow of the song. It sounds like it was from an entirely different song, and in a different key. Could be one reason why Lady Friend wasn't a hit.

@unstrung65

It's an unorthodox song in everybodies opinion . So why do you think so many people LOVE this song ???

@Ruda-n4h

Sounds great to me.

@user-kn4ge3gn8j

Disagree (The bridge in this song is what made me fall in love with it.) The bridge is meant to be there to create a dynamic shift in a song to add contrast and enhance other aspects of it to bring the whole thing together in just the right way, which I believe happens in this song. A few other David Crosby songs have hit me that way too. Long live The Croz 😊

@Vito_Tuxedo

@Daniel Golus - The song wasn't a hit because Columbia didn't promote it. The Byrds became 2nd class citizens at Columbia after the Eight Miles High controversy, when that jackball Southern DJ concocted the phony "it's all about drugs" myth. Instead of defending The Byrds, the gutless Columbia suits rolled over and caved. The band's studio work got better, but internal friction got worse, and The Byrds imploded. This was their last great single.

@sunkintree

"and a different key". If anyone needed any proof you don't know what you're talking about, there it is.

@thomasrobinson182

Wish we could have heard the mix with McGuinn's and Hillman's background vocals - wiped and replaced by Crosby.

@billcurreri1253

Good song... not great... and poorly produced