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".
Evil Hearted You
The Yardbirds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You always try to put me down,
With the things you do,
And words,
You spread around against me.
Evil hearted you.
You kept,
With your phoney smile,
And with,
Your siren song smiling, beguiling,
You lead me on 'til all hope's gone,
Persuading, degrading,
On my knees I try to please.
But I love you,
Just the same,
And I want you,
To remain,
By my side,
And you'll see,
Just how much you,
Mean to me.
Evil hearted you.
You always try to put me down,
With the things you do,
And words,
You spread around against me,
About me.
What would you,
Do without me?
Smiling, beguiling,
You lead me on 'til all hope has gone.
The Yardbirds's song "Evil Hearted You" is a heartfelt expression of a person who is caught in the vicious cycle of loving someone who constantly puts them down, leading them on and degrading them. The lyrics describe the singer's frustration and despair as they try to please their partner, who toys with their emotions with a phoney smile and siren song. The singer recognizes their partner's manipulative tendencies, describing them as "evil hearted."
Despite the constant disappointments, the singer admits they are still in love with their partner, wishing for them to stay by their side. The song's central conflict lies in the singer's desire to hold onto the relationship, even though they recognize its toxicity. The repeated refrain of "evil hearted you" emphasizes the partner's hurtful behavior and reinforces the singer's desire to break free.
Overall, "Evil Hearted You" is a poignant and relatable song that captures the pain of being in a toxic relationship with someone who constantly brings you down.
Line by Line Meaning
Evil hearted you.
You are a cruel and malevolent person.
You always try to put me down,
You make an effort to belittle and criticize me.
With the things you do,
Your actions are mean-spirited and harmful.
And words,
Your spoken or written communication is full of vitriol and disdain.
You spread around against me.
You talk negatively about me to others.
You kept,
You persistently
Kidding me along,
Lead me on by pretending to be sincere or truthful about your feelings.
With your phoney smile,
With a fake smile that doesn't reflect your true emotions.
And with,
Additionally,
Your siren song smiling, beguiling,
Seducing me with your alluring and deceitful words and actions.
You lead me on 'til all hope's gone,
You deceive me until I am left with no optimism or faith.
Persuading, degrading,
Convincing me to do something while devaluing my worth or dignity.
On my knees I try to please.
I strive to satisfy you even if it means debasing myself.
But I love you,
Despite your cruel behavior, I still have affection for you.
Just the same,
Nevertheless,
And I want you,
I desire you to be with me.
To remain,
To stay with me even after everything.
By my side,
Beside me at all times.
And you'll see,
You will realize and comprehend.
Just how much you,
The amount of affection you
Mean to me.
Have for me but cruelly hidden in your actions.
What would you,
What could you possibly
Do without me?
Achieve or function without my support?
Smiling, beguiling,
Deceptively charming and tempting.
You lead me on 'til all hope has gone.
You deceive me until I am left with no optimism or faith.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juan Camacho
Evil hearted you.
You always try to put me down,
With the things you do,
And words,
You spread around against me.
Evil hearted you.
You kept,
Kidding me along,
With your phoney smile,
And with,
Your siren song smiling, beguiling,
You lead me on 'til all hope's gone,
Persuading, degrading,
On my knees I try to please.
But I love you,
Just the same,
And I want you,
To remain,
By my side,
And you'll see,
Just how much you,
Mean to me.
Evil hearted you.
🎸🎸🎸
You always try to put me down,
With the things you do,
And words,
You spread around against me,
About me.
What would you,
Do without me?
Smiling, beguiling,
You lead me on 'til all hope has gone.
Sonja R
The back up vocals were a big reason why I fell in love with this masterpiece. They are are hauntingly beautiful.
Brenda Drumm
I was about 16 when this song came out I'm now 73 still remember the song
Krzyszczynski
If back-up vocals are your thing, can I recommend Useless Information by The Move, a track from their 1968 debut album.
SPARTA_JKD
Jeff Beck killing it on guitar 1year before I was even born. What a legend, to think he was only about 20 here playing shit this good.
For those about to rock, Sir Jeff Beck, we salute you. R. I. P. 🎸🙏🏼
Gerardo Rosales
😢😢😢😢
Lisbeth Harrell
I was a 15-year-old girl the first time I heard this song. I loved it the instant I heard it. This has always been my favorite Yardbirds song and it always will be. Brilliant.
Marc Fedak
Wow, that was an incredibly fast descending scale by Jeff Beck around 1:13 - 15.
patrick hurley
A brilliant song by an excellent band.
Julio Cesar 🇧🇷
And an excellent composer: Graham Goldman.
shelley Ganz
THEIR BEST...(GRAHAM GOULDMAN...) Killer lead guitar/vocals/melody/lyrics=Amazing Tune!! LUV THIS!!