Byrds – My Back Pages

I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now

This is my favorite song by the Byrds. I like the Byrds’ arrangement of this great Bob Dylan song. Roger McGuinn’s voice plus Rickenbacker is always a winning combination. Dylan recorded his version in 1964 on his Another Side of Bob Dylan album. I fell for the song because of the line, I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now. Just a great phrase from a catalog that is full of them. 

On the countless Dylan songs that are covered, I will usually like Dylan’s version better…on this one, I prefer the Byrds. The song peaked at #30 on the Billboard 100 in 1967. It’s one of those songs that I so wish I could have written. Even the title is cool because “My Back Pages” is not uttered in the song. 

Bob Dylan helped the Byrds a lot with Mr. Tambourine Man and other songs. The Byrds, in turn, helped widen Bob’s popularity to the new rock audience that was developing, which may not have heard some of these songs as much. 

In 1992 the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert happened, and my cousin had the complete concert on VHS. He had a satellite, so I didn’t have to wait for it to be released almost a year later. I’ll never forget this song being played with Roger McGuinn sharing the stage with Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Neil Young.

Roger McGuinn: “I don’t try to interpret what Bob meant when he wrote the song. He doesn’t do that, and to do that, you spoil it for people who have a different meaning of the song.”

The song being played at Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary concert. Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Neil Young, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and a bunch more. 

 

My Back Pages

Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rollin’ high and mighty traps
Countless with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my maps
We’ll meet on edges, soon, said I
Proud ‘neath heated brow

Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now
Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth
Rip down all hate, I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now

In a soldier’s stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I’d become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
Sisters fled by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now

Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now

My guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

43 thoughts on “Byrds – My Back Pages”

  3. Pingback: Byrds – My Back Pages – MobsterTiger

    1. Oh how I wished I had a Ric 12…I cheaped out and got a Danelectro electric 12…but after some compression…it sounds a lot like a Ric…I still want the real thing though.

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      1. It’s a beaut. Mine was red. Hardest guitar I ever played. Two songs before my left hand cramped up, and I couldn’t keep the little beast in tune. I sold it to another musician that I know. I had a six string Ric back in 68. It was stolen from our hearse along with a bunch of equipment while it was parked at a motel in Houston. We were there for a gig in Freeport, and had to make do with what gear we had left.

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      2. I know what you mean Phil. I have played a Ric bass…did not like it at all…the strings were so far apart. The only Ric that I played that was really comfortable was the John Lennon short neck one…it was easy.
        What a shame about the 6 string!

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    2. Life on the road as a travelling band isn’t always as romantic as you first think, eh Phil! Every band back then seemed to have an old ambulance, hearse or well-thrashed panel van back then. And every one easy-peasy to break into, obviously.

      Thanks Phil, I like to hear tales from the past like this.

      With a few years behind you I guess you can get to feel slightly more forgiving about some light-fingered low-life Houstonite sneaking off with, then hocking your gear? I’d still be mightily pissed myself though!

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      1. Oh man, I was pissed for many years. The theiving bastards got a couple of amps, two guitars and other assorted gear. We had to make do sharing equipment for two nights. The old Caddie hearse was so easy to get into, shame on us for leaving our guitars in the first place. I had my Gibson 335 in the motel room, so at least I had a guitar to play. Nope, traveling was a pain in the butt. We were all teenagers so it was still exciting.

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  6. funny I just heard this one yesterday or maybe the day before on the satellite Classic Vinyl station; it’s not one I’d likely heard more than ten times on any radio station ever. It is a good one, I’d say in the upper tier of Bob’s writing and I agree, the Byrds do a really good job on it

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    1. That one phrase won me over…I love that. Makes you think. Yea they did this one right. You are right…you don’t hear it very much.

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  8. Max the video of the 30th anniv concert had my eyes watering. I’ve listened to the 2-cd set many times, but I’ve never seen the concert. Seeing who was on stage contributing — including the unsung heroes like GE Smith — makes it so much better. I really need to get this DVD.

    Byrds fly across time
    jangle harmony our souls
    all’s well in the world

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    1. I so wish I had the VHS tapes that Ricky gave me…it was the entire concert plus all of the stuff that wasn’t on the main video/cds.
      Yes…all is well in the World

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      2. Lost in moving…I was a moving guy around that time. They could possibly be in a box somewhere…I will keep an eye out.

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  10. Petty really flew the flag for these guys as well as Dylan. Kinda cool they each helped one another out. Imagine if The Eagles would do that? hahaha…Grumpy Don would trash his drum kit if the question came up about helping anyone out….

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    1. There is a story of Roger McGuinn riding down the road and heard American Girl on the radio…he stopped at a phone booth and called his agent…hey! When did I record a song called American Girl? lol
      Oh no…can’t help anyone…he gets youtube channels shut down for trying to show people how to play guitar-bass-drums to their songs…he is a supreme ass.

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  11. I fought against CDs when they first came out, but when I finally succumbed to buying a CD player in 1992 with my tax refund, the 30th Anniversary Concert set was one of the first few I bought with the machine. Great. You may be right about the Byrds bettering Dylan on this one. I tend to prefer his versions, but I can think of two exceptions: Hendrix’s “All Along The Watchtower”, and “The Mighty Quinn” by Manfred Mann, even though I first heard a version by The Hollies. I happened to hear it on the radio today, so it was fresh in my mind.

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    1. This one would have been a great cd set to begin your cd journey.
      Yea on this one I do like more than Dylan which I am with you….I usually like Dylan’s original also. I really like All Along The Watchtower….both Dylan and Hendrix…but yea Hendrix owned it and Dylan started to play it like he did.

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  12. I hadn’t thought about the Byrds helping Bob in with the Rock crowd, but it kinda makes sense. Everybody knew Bob could write but his voice wasn’t looked on as his greatest asset at the time. The Byrds helped make the words sparkle and jangle. Mutually beneficial.

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    1. Yes it was…it also made Mr. Dylan or Zimmerman…a very rich man because they were selling a lot… I think it helped to get his music out there to a ready made audience.

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  15. It’s hard for me to say which version I like better…there are so many. I agree that this one and Dylan’s are the top two…I guess I’d have to say Dylan’s, but it’s close. Marshall Crenshaw does a really nice version too.

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    1. I haven’t checked his out yet…I like Crenshaw…I’m sure it’s really good. I do like Dylan’s as well but something about that Jangle

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  19. I hadn’t realised it came out in ’67, I must’ve come across it a year or two later I think. It has much more of a later 60s vibe to it. I’ve always loved the guitar in this – and a lot of their songs (Rickenbacker, is it? I get confused with that and Gretch sounds).

    Right at the moment, your blog is taking me back to my youth. Nice – and no bad thing! Thanks, Max.

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    1. Yes an electric 12 string Rickenbacker…it made their sound. I will say though….you can get any electric 12 string to sound like that. I have a different made of one and mine sounds really close.
      It’s always nice to visit our youth…I go there a lot!

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