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".

Sweet Music
The Yardbirds Lyrics

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Sweet music
Sweet music
Why do my heart skips a beat?
Pretty music
What makes the soul come out of me?
Pretty music
Somebody's really gotta tell me
Pretty music

What makes this music sound so sweet?
Pretty music
Sweet music
Sweet music
What puts the rhythm on in my feet?
Pretty music
They start to tap with every beat
Pretty music
Well, it's a strange, strange feeling but it's real
Pretty music
It gives me such a magic thrill
Pretty music
Sweet music
Could it be the beat of the drums?
Could it be the harp that charms?
The wailing guitars are so great
They really put the rhythm of today
I've gotta really, really know why
Pretty music
Some of the music brings tears to my eyes
Pretty music
Emotion really starts to scream in my soul
Pretty music
Like love so new, just won't grow old
- Pretty music
Sweet Music
Could it be the beat of the drums?
Could it be the harp that charms?
The wailing guitars are so great
They really put the rhythm of today
I've gotta really, really know why
- Pretty music
Some of the music brings tears to my eyes
- Pretty music
Emotion really starts to scream in my soul
- Pretty music
Like love so new, just won't grow old
- Pretty music
Sweet music
Sweet music,
Sweet music,

Sweet music,
Sweet music.

Overall Meaning

The Yardbirds' hit song Sweet Music is all about the power of music and how it affects our bodies and our personalities. The singer of the song is trying to understand why music has such a profound impact on him, from the way it makes his heart beat faster to the way it makes tears come to his eyes. The lyrics explore different aspects of music – the beat of the drums, the sound of the harp, the wailing guitars – and try to pinpoint what it is specifically that makes them so powerful.

Throughout the song, the singer is in awe of the beauty and emotional force of music. He describes it as "strange" and "magic", and talks about how it brings out something deep inside him that he can't quite explain. The final lines of the song – "Like love so new, just won't grow old" – suggest that the singer believes that music is something that will always be fresh and new, no matter how much time passes.

Overall, Sweet Music is a celebration of the ways in which music touches our lives and moves our souls. It's a song that speaks to anyone who has ever been deeply affected by a piece of music, and it captures the wonder and mystery of this powerful art form.

Line by Line Meaning

Sweet music
The music is enjoyable to listen to

Why do my heart skips a beat?
The music has a strong emotional impact on the listener

What makes the soul come out of me?
The music evokes a strong emotional response

Somebody's really gotta tell me
The listener wants to know what makes the music sound so good

What makes this music sound so sweet?
The listener is trying to understand the appeal of the music

What puts the rhythm on in my feet?
The listener feels compelled to dance to the music

They start to tap with every beat
The listener's feet automatically start tapping to the rhythm

Well, it's a strange, strange feeling but it's real
The listener is experiencing an intense and unusual emotion

It gives me such a magic thrill
The music gives the listener a powerful and pleasurable sensation

Could it be the beat of the drums?
The listener is wondering if the drums are what make the music so appealing

Could it be the harp that charms?
The listener is wondering if the harp is what makes the music so appealing

The wailing guitars are so great
The guitars in the music are particularly impressive

They really put the rhythm of today
The guitars contribute to the contemporary sound of the music

I've gotta really, really know why
The listener is very curious about what makes the music so appealing

Some of the music brings tears to my eyes
Some of the music is very emotional and moves the listener to tears

Emotion really starts to scream in my soul
The music evokes a strong emotional response from the listener

Like love so new, just won't grow old
The music is timeless and continues to be enjoyable

Sweet music
The music is enjoyable to listen to

Sweet Music
The music is enjoyable to listen to