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.
You're Still on My Mind
The Byrds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A honky-tonk song
"One more," I keep sayin'
"And then I'll go home"
What good will it do me
I know what I'll find
An empty bottle, a broken heart
And you're still on my mind
The people are dancin'
And havin' their fun
And I sit here thinkin'
About what you have done
To try and forget you
I've turned to the wine
An empty bottle, a broken heart
And you're still on my mind
Alone and forsaken
So blue I could cry
I just sit here drinkin'
'Til the bottle runs dry
What good will it do me
I know what I'll find
An empty bottle, a broken heart
And you're still on my mind
An empty bottle, a broken heart
And you're still on my mind
The songwriter is expressing the depth of his pain in this song. He is struggling to let go of his ex-lover, who still haunts him. The set-up of the song is in a honky-tonk bar, with the jukebox playing country music and people dancing. However, the singer is not able to enjoy it by being lost in his own thoughts. He desires to leave and put an end to his agony, but he cannot resist listening to one last honky-tonk song. Unfortunately, this song prompts him to reminisce about his former lover and contemplate the heartbreak she caused him. He tries to escape from the pain but knows that it will only lead him to go home with an empty bottle and a broken heart.
As he gazes at the laughing and happy people around him, it becomes evident that he's still alone and deserted from his love. He has been trying to forget his ex-love by turning to alcohol but finds it impossible to escape from the memories of the past. The final verse reveals the depth of his pain; he's lonely, so much so that he would cry if he could. He remains in the bar, consumed with grief and sipping the last dregs of his drink, reminded that his ex-lover still occupies his thoughts.
Overall, The Byrds' song "You're Still on My Mind" is a classic tale of heartbreak and the difficulty of moving on. The lyrics express the emotional turmoil one feels after a relationship has ended and the struggle to overcome difficult experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
The jukebox is playin'
The music is playing from the jukebox
A honky-tonk song
The music playing is a type of Honky tonk music
"One more," I keep sayin'
The person is saying they want to hear one more song before leaving
And then I'll go home
They plan on leaving after hearing one more song
What good will it do me
The person questions the purpose of their actions
I know what I'll find
They know the outcome of their actions
An empty bottle, a broken heart
They will end up with nothing but a broken heart and empty bottles
And you're still on my mind
They cannot get over their thoughts about a particular person
The people are dancin'
Others are enjoying themselves by dancing
And havin' their fun
They are having a good time
And I sit here thinkin'
The person is sitting and contemplating
About what you have done
They are thinking about the actions of a particular person
To try and forget you
They are trying to forget a certain someone
I've turned to the wine
They have resorted to drinking to ease their mind
Alone and forsaken
They feel abandoned and alone
So blue I could cry
They are feeling down and depressed
I just sit here drinkin'
They sit alone and continue to drink
'Til the bottle runs dry
They will continue to drink until the bottle is empty
An empty bottle, a broken heart
They have nothing left but a broken heart and empty bottles
And you're still on my mind
They cannot move on from their thoughts about a certain person
Lyrics © GLAD MUSIC CO.
Written by: L. MCDANIEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
George Moore
This album was years and years ahead of anyone/anything else. Great doesn't describe this 👌 👏
Wayne Johanson
Groundbreaking album. They just invented Country Rock Music.
benjamin priess
This is hard country. They called it country rock for marketing purposes only. If you want hard country, this is hard country as hard country can be.
Alea Ta Flea
@benjamin priess I agree but this is also the beginning of the Cosmic Cowboy sound, which was still hard country but soared.
joseph lemko
A classic album from a great band, no matter how many different members they had.✌
Brendan Barry
2 studio albums in 1965, 1 in 1966, 1 in 1967 and 2 more in 1968!!! And they're all classics!
Diamond Dave
Really dig this. Gram’s voice—from the heart
Peter Black
What a bold departure from the mainstream pop rock the band had been making. In my opinion this should have won Country album of the year.
Frito Buggers
Unfortunately it was made by some dirty hippie rock and roller types years before their music was incorporated into main stream Nashville.
jay soper
what a great jukebox song!