THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
2,080) The Byrds — “You Won’t Have to Cry”
“Arguably the Byrds[‘] [see #1,430, 1,605, 1,965] most underrated song” (Channelllchann, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrfd3-NxqUM), “wonderfully beautiful [and] haunting” (Adrian Denning, https://www.adriandenning.co.uk/byrds.html), with “a quintessential early sixties Beatles-type beat contrasted by the complex vocals of folk trios from the same era”. (Classic Rock Review, https://www.classicrockreview.com/2020/06/1965-the-byrds-mr-tambourine-man/) Matthew Greenwald writes that it is “[o]ne of the more durable songs from the Byrds’ early canon” and has “a certain degree of naïveté in the lyrics, which combine teen angst and a more mature reality-based stance than many of their contemporaries.” (https://www.allmusic.com/song/you-wont-have-to-cry-mt0001980775) “Cry” was written by Gene Clark (see #655) and Roger McGuinn.
As to the LP, Mr. Tambourine Man, Richie Unterberger writes:
One of the greatest debuts in the history of rock, [it] was nothing less than a significant step in the evolution of rock & roll itself, demonstrating that intelligent lyrical content could be wedded to compelling electric guitar riffs and a solid backbeat. It was also the album that was most responsible for establishing folk-rock as a popular phenomenon, its most alluring traits being Rogwer McGuinn’s immediately distinctive 12-string Rickenbacker jangle and the band’s beautiful harmonies. The material was uniformly strong, whether they were interpreting Bob Dylan [see #126, 823, 1,133, 1,162, 1,495, 1,599, 1,711, 1,895, 1,963] (on the title cut and three other songs, including the hit single “All I Really Want to Do”), Pete Seeger (“The Bells of Rhymney”), or Jackie DeShannon [see #1,202] (“Don’t Doubt Yourself, Babe”). The originals were lyrically less challenging, but equally powerful musically . . . .
https://www.allmusic.com/album/mr-tambourine-man-mw0000198797
As to Gene Clark, No Depression tells us that he “infused the [Byrds] with much of its soul and vision, establishing himself as a pivotal folk-rock innovator . . . . [but o]verwhelmed by demands of fame and tired of clashing with the contentious Crosby, Clark left the band in 1966”. (https://www.nodepression.com/album-reviews/gene-clark-with-the-gosdin-brothers-self-titled/)
Mark Deming adds that:
Gene Clark will always be best-known for his short stint as lead singer for the Byrds from 1964 to 1966 . . . . [He] helped invent country-rock with 1968’s Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers album, then teamed with Doug Dillard in the late ’60s to make two records that served as a blueprint for Americana. . . . Clark’s clear and true vocals, his poetic turns of phrase, and his skill at weaving melancholy melodies never wavered. . . . [L]ong after his passing in 1991, has remained influential to each new generation of jangle pop artists . . . . Clark . . . [was in] the New Christy Minstrels, a well-scrubbed folk-pop ensemble . . . . However, [he] longed to perform his own songs and didn’t care for life on the road; after hearing the Beatles for the first time, Clark decided he wanted to form a rock band and he quit . . . and moved to Los Angeles. There, he met . . . [Roger] McGuinn . . . . Clark quickly became the Byrds’ dominant songwriter, penning most of their best-known originals . . . . [But] the combination of [his] dislike of traveling (including a fear of flying) and resentment that his songwriting income made him the best-paid member of the group led to tensions . . . and in 1966 Clark opted to leave . . . .
Here is an alternate version:
From the Byrd’s prehistory:
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