The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band'… Read Full Bio ↴The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell-Smith. The band is known for starting the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, all of whom ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 greatest guitarists. The band had a string of hits throughout the mid-1960s, including "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul", "Shapes of Things" and "Over Under Sideways Down".

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".

Respectable
The Yardbirds Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She's so respectable
She's so respectable
Tell me, what kind of girl is this?
-- What kind of girl is this?
She's never ever been kissed
-- What kind of girl?
Rubbidy dub dub dub
-- What kind of girl is this?

She's never ever been in love
-- What kind of girl?
She's never been out in the moonlight
Watching the stars above
She's so respectable
Tell me, what kind of girl is this?
-- What kind of girl is this?
She's never ever been on a date
-- What kind of girl?
What kind of girl is this?
-- What kind of girl is this?
She's never ever been on a date
-- What kind of girl?
Yes, I'm telling you people
She's the kind of girl for me
She's so respectable
-- Did you love her?
No, no, no, no, no, no!
-- Did you hug her?
No, no, no, no, no, no!
-- Did you squeeze her?
No, no, no, no, no, no!
-- Did you kiss her?
No, no, no, no, no, no!
-- What kind of girl is this?
The kind of girl you just can't resist
-- What kind of girl is this?
The kind of girl who's never been kissed
Yeah, I'm telling you people
She's the kind of girl for me
-- She's so respectable
Wow!
She's so respectable
She is so respectable
Tell me, what kind of girl is this?
-- What kind of girl is this?
She never, ever, ever been kissed
-- What kind of girl?
Rubbidy rub dub dub
-- What kind of girl is this?
She never ever been in love
-- What kind of girl?
She never been out in the moonlight
Watching the stars above
-- She's so respectable
Tell me, what kind of girl is this?
-- What kind of girl is this?
She never ever been on a date
-- What kind of girl?
What kind of girl is this?
-- What kind of girl is this?
She never ever been on a date
-- What kind of girl?
Yes I'm telling you people
She the kind of girl for me
She's so respectable
-- Did you love her?
No, no, no, no, no, no!
-- Did you hug her?
No, no, no, no, no, no!
-- Did you squeeze her?
No, no, no, no, no, no!
-- Did you kiss her?
No, no, no, no, no, no!
-- What kind of girl is this?
The kind of girl you just can't resist
-- What kind of girl is this?
The kind of girl who's never been kissed
I'm going down on my knees
She'll go out with me
She's so respectable
Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall
Humpty Dumpty had a big fall
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again
Tell me
Tell me
Tell me
She's so respectable
Tell me
Please tell me

She's the kind of girl for me

Overall Meaning

The Yardbirds' "Respectable" is a playful ode to a young woman who's never been kissed, in love, or out on a date. The lyrics describe the girl's innocence and purity, along with the singer's fascination with her. The chorus, "She's so respectable, Tell me, what kind of girl is this?" repeats throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's captivation with this girl's unspoiled beauty. Despite his admiration for her, the singer assures listeners that he hasn't kissed, hugged, squeezed, or loved her yet. The ending of the song, where the singer goes down on his knees and asks for her to go out with him, adds a humorous and playful feel to the overall theme of the song.

Overall, the lyrics of "Respectable" celebrate purity and innocence, creating a fun and upbeat song that highlights the singer's captivation with an unspoiled girl. The repetition of the chorus adds to the playful, lighthearted tone of the song, emphasizing the singer's admiration of the girl.

Line by Line Meaning

She's so respectable
This girl is highly regarded and well-behaved in society

She's never ever been kissed
She has not yet experienced romantic love or physical intimacy with anyone

Rubbidy dub dub dub
This is an expressive sound without any specific meaning

She's never ever been in love
She has never felt or reciprocated the feeling of true love

She's never been out in the moonlight Watching the stars above
She has not yet experienced romantic/romanticized settings or moments

She's never ever been on a date
She has not gone out with anyone officially or romantically

Yes, I'm telling you people She's the kind of girl for me
The singer feels attracted to this girl despite her lack of love and dating experiences

Did you love her? No, no, no, no, no, no! Did you hug her? No, no, no, no, no, no! Did you squeeze her? No, no, no, no, no, no! Did you kiss her? No, no, no, no, no, no!
The artist did not express any romantic or physical affections towards this girl yet

The kind of girl you just can't resist The kind of girl who's never been kissed
This girl's purity and innocence make her irresistible to the artist

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall Humpty Dumpty had a big fall All the king's horses and all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty together again Tell me Tell me Tell me She's so respectable Tell me Please tell me
These lines are non-related lyrics added as fillers or for fun purposes

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MATTHEW JAMES AITKEN, PETER ALAN WATERMAN, MICHAEL STOCK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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