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 the acoustic-duo Together, and then later Renaissance, a progressive rock group memorable for being heavily influenced by medieval instruments and sound, and guitarist Jimmy Page formed Led Zeppelin - the latter of which was initially intended as a direct successor to the Yardbirds. Dreja was first invited to play guitar in the new group, then known as "The New Yardbirds", however he turned it down, opting to become a photographer instead. He captured the back cover of Led Zeppelin's first album.
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.
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. In 2003, the Yardbirds released the album "Birdland" featuring original personnel Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja, along with contributions from Jeff Beck, and John Idan replacing Relf on lead vocals.
Dreja left the band in 2012, leaving McCarty as the sole original member of the band in the present lineup.
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", known as 'rave-ups'.
Still I'm Sad
The Yardbirds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See the stars come falling down from the sky
Gently passing, they kiss your tears when you cry
See the wind come softly blow your hair from your face
See the rain hide away in disgrace
Still I'm sad
Ah, ah, ah, ah
For myself, my tears just fall into dust
Day will dry them, night will find they are lost
Now I find the wind is blowing time into my heart
Let the rain fall, for we are apart
How I'm sad
How I'm sad
Oh how I'm sad
The Yardbirds’ “Still I’m Sad” expresses the feeling of melancholy and heartbreak in a way that leaves a deep, resonating impact on its audience. The songwriter is lamenting over the loss of a loved one, and the lyrics are vivid in depicting the emotions that come with such a loss. The first verse talks about how the stars fall from the sky, as if to kiss away tears while a person cries. It's a beautifully poetic way of implying the presence of hope or comfort in the midst of sadness. This idea of being lost in the moment and letting the world be washed away by tears is emphasized throughout the song's first part.
The second verse begins with more stoicism as the songwriter realizes that they cannot stay in the past forever. They acknowledge that time is fleeting, and eventually, the tears will be dried up by the day, wasted and lost at night. The metaphor of rain is continued throughout the song as the songwriter encourages the rain to fall as they carry the burden of separation. The despair is at its peak in the chorus, where the songwriter repeats, 'how I'm sad, how I'm sad,' conveying the feeling of the bittersweet mourning after a breakup or loss.
Line by Line Meaning
See the stars come falling down from the sky
As I stand here feeling sad, I see stars falling from the sky.
Gently passing, they kiss your tears when you cry
These stars softly pass by, gently kissing your tears as you cry.
See the wind come softly blow your hair from your face
The wind softly comes, blowing your hair off your face.
See the rain hide away in disgrace
Rain hides away in shame, unable to console your sadness.
Still I'm sad
Regardless of the stars, wind or rain, I am still feeling very sad.
For myself, my tears just fall into dust
I shed tears for my sadness, but they seem to just disappear into nothingness.
Day will dry them, night will find they are lost
As time passes, my tears will dry during the day, and will eventually be lost forever in the night.
Now I find the wind is blowing time into my heart
The wind now seems to be carrying time, and blowing it into my heart, reminding me of my sadness.
Let the rain fall, for we are apart
The rain may continue to fall, as we are still separated from each other.
How I'm sad
All in all, I'm feeling incredibly sad and gloomy.
How I'm sad
Repeated again, showing the depth of the singer's sadness.
Oh how I'm sad
The singer expresses their deep sadness through an exclamation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jim Mccarty, Paul Samwell-Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@NigarSuleyman99
See the stars come falling down from the sky,
Gently passing, they kiss your tears when you cry.
See the wind come softly blow your hair from your face,
See the rain hide away in disgrace.
Still I'm sad.
For myself my tears just fall into dust,
Day will dry them, night will find they are lost.
Now I find the wind is blowing time into my heart,
Let the rain fall, for we are apart.
Still I'm sad,
Still I'm sad,
Oh, Still I'm sad.
@lokieblade
{intro}
See the stars come falling down from the sky
Gently passing, they kiss your tears when you cry
See the wind come softly blow your hair from your face
See the rain hide away in disgrace
Still, I'm sad
{Bridge}
For myself, my tears just fall into dust
Day will dry them, night will find they are lost
Now I find the wind is blowing time into my heart
Let the rain fall, for we are apart
How I'm sad
How I'm sad
Oh, how I'm sad
@paulwaelder6940
I still have that LP and I enjoy listening to this great band
@finditukcom
Let us all just be thankful this song exists......
@jimmydasani8922
Cant believe Rainbow transformed this song into a heavy hitting hard rock jam
@DuncanWEDD2019
Also covered by 70's disco poppers, Boney M! (C'mon, you can imagine it in your head).
@ernestocheguewasa4601
@@DuncanWEDD2019
I guess you mean Frank Farian, since Boney M. were his puppets 😉
@DuncanWEDD2019
@@ernestocheguewasa4601 Yes.
@josefnagy3662
This was not what you woul expect from this band in the60s. I´m glad they made this record, one of my all time favorites.
@martanemeth4038
Az enyém is .)))) Yes, it is also one of my favourites.
@chuckbarlow5532
When this album was released I was in the 8th grade. One day in gym class a guy noticed that the shower and locker room had the perfect echoey acoustics and launched into this chant and soon 3 classes of boys (about 100) were chanting this song.The teachers freaked and thought we were devil worshiping or something.
@lakshyachaubey307
r/thathappened