I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better

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"I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better"
album track by The Byrds

from the album Mr. Tambourine Man
Released June 21, 1965
Recorded April 14, 1965, Columbia Studios, Hollywood
Genre Folk rock, Pop
Length 2:32
Label Columbia
Writer Gene Clark
Producer Terry Melcher
Cover versions

Gene Clark, Tom Petty, Johnny Rivers, Hazvuvim, Flamin' Groovies, Charly Garcia
Mr. Tambourine Man track listing
  1. "Mr. Tambourine Man"
  2. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better"
  3. "Spanish Harlem Incident"
  4. "You Won't Have to Cry"
  5. "Here Without You"
  6. "The Bells of Rhymney"
  7. "All I Really Want to Do"
  8. "I Knew I'd Want You"
  9. "It's No Use"
  10. "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe"
  11. "Chimes of Freedom"
  12. "We'll Meet Again"

"I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" is a song by the Los Angeles folk rock band The Byrds, and first appeared on the B-side of the band's second single, "All I Really Want to Do".[1] The song was also included on The Byrds' debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man, in June 1965.[1] The song was written by Gene Clark, who also sang lead vocal on the track.[2][3] Although initially released as a B-side, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" itself was heavily promoted by Columbia Records during the time that "All I Really Want to Do" spent on the Billboard charts and the song actually managed to chart in its own right at #103.[2]

The song is widely considered to be one of the band's, as well as Clark's, best and most popular, with Rolling Stone magazine ranking it at #234 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[4][5] Lyrically, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" takes a sardonic view of romance, with Clark undecided about whether to break off a relationship with a woman who hasn't been entirely honest with him.[3] The song dates from The Byrds' pre-fame residency at Ciro's nightclub in L.A. as Clark explained in interview: "There was a girlfriend I had known at the time, when we were playing at Ciro's. It was a weird time in my life because everything was changing so fast and I knew we were becoming popular. This girl was a funny girl, she was kind of a strange little girl and she started bothering me a lot. And I just wrote the song, 'I'm gonna feel a whole lot better when you're gone,' and that's all it was, but I wrote the whole song within a few minutes."[4]

Musically built around a pounding riff that Clark later admitted was based on "Needles and Pins" by The Searchers, the song's refrain of "I'll probably feel a whole lot better when you're gone" betrays Clark's uncertainty about whether or not such an action would be the answer to his problems.[3][4] The use of the word "probably" in the song is key, giving the track a depth of subtext that was unusual for a pop song at the time.[3] Jim Dickson, The Byrds' manager, echoed this opinion, saying "There was always something to unravel in those songs, the non-explanation of the complex feeling. For instance, if you remember I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, it doesn't say: "I'll feel a whole lot better", but "I'll probably feel a whole lot better." For me, that makes the song. There's a statement followed by a hesitation."[2] Dickson would later re-record Clark performing the song for inclusion on the singer's 1984 album, Firebyrd.[2][6]

The song features some of The Byrds' early musical trademarks: Jim McGuinn's jangling 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, Clark's pounding tambourine, McGuinn, Clark and David Crosby's complex harmony singing, and a country-influenced guitar solo.[3][7] Since its release, the song has become a rock music standard, inspiring a number of cover versions over the years.[8]

[edit] Cover versions

Tom Petty covered the song on his 1989 solo album, Full Moon Fever.[3] The Israeli band Hazvuvim (The Flys) performed a version of the song translated into Hebrew on their debut album Bzzz....[citation needed] Confusingly, the Hebrew version was called "Hasiba hi she...", which means "The Reason Why" (the title of another Clark-penned Byrds song), but it is the first line of the original version of the song.[citation needed]

San Francisco's Flamin' Groovies also released a cover of the song on their 1978 Sire Records release, Flamin' Groovies Now.[9] Paisley Underground band, The Three O'Clock, covered the song on their Baroque Hoedown E.P. Reportedly, Gene Clark sings backing vocal on this version of the song.[10]

Argentinian rock musician Charly García covered the song on his 1990 album Filosofía Barata y Zapatos de Goma. The track was named "Me Siento Mucho Mejor".[citation needed]

Juice Newton covered the song on her album Old Flame but the song is slightly retitled as "Feel a Whole Lot Better".[11] Likewise, The Crust Brothers covered the song on their 1998 live album, Marquee Mark, under this slightly altered title.[12]

Johnny Rivers covered the song in 1973 on his Blue Suede Shoes album and the song was also included on his 2006 compilation album, Secret Agent Man: The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology.[13][14]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited. Rogan House. pp. 543–545. ISBN 0-95295-401-X. 
  2. ^ a b c d Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited. Rogan House. pp. 82–84. ISBN 0-95295-401-X. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:gzfpxxtsld0e. Retrieved 2009-12-01. 
  4. ^ a b c Einarson, John. (2005). Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life and Legacy of The Byrds' Gene Clark. Backbeat Books. p. 65. ISBN 0-87930-793-5. 
  5. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/3. Retrieved 2009-12-01. 
  6. ^ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited. Rogan House. p. 560. ISBN 0-95295-401-X. 
  7. ^ "Mr. Tambourine Man". ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. http://ebni.com/byrds/lpmtm.html. Retrieved 2009-12-01. 
  8. ^ "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better cover versions". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=17:706149. Retrieved 2009-09-21. 
  9. ^ "Flamin' Groovies Now review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:aiftxqy5ldke. Retrieved 2009-12-01. 
  10. ^ "Gene Clark-related records". Byrds Flyght. http://users.skynet.be/fa388247/discoclark2.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-01. 
  11. ^ "Old Flame review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0jfixqw5ldke. Retrieved 2009-12-01. 
  12. ^ "The Crust Brothers: Marquee Mark". The Band web site. http://theband.hiof.no/albums/marquee_mark.html. Retrieved 2009-10-18. 
  13. ^ "Johnny Rivers Discography: 1970 - Present". Johnny Rivers - Official Website. http://www.johnnyrivers.com/jr/discography70+.html. Retrieved 2009-12-01. 
  14. ^ "Secret Agent Man review". Pandora Internet Radio. http://www.pandora.com/music/album/johnny+rivers/secret+agent+man+ultimate+johnny+rivers+anthology+1964+2006. Retrieved 2009-12-01. 
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