The Byrds, known for their expert way of blending folk, psychedelic, and country rock to transcendent effect, were a trailblazing sound of 1960s rock. From “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” to “Mr. Tambourine Man,” the band achieved chart success and helped redefine the sound of an entire generation.
Uncut magazine, purveyors of music journalism, compiled a list of the “Byrds’ 20 Best Songs,” and let’s just say, the list soars.
Encompassing “Ballad of Easy Rider,”“My Back Pages,” and “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better,” the publication recruited Byrds frontman and leader Roger McGuinn, along with several other “famous fans,” to offer their thoughts on the greatest musical contributions from the genre-defying, experimental band.
“Looking back, you can see there were several main stages of Byrds music,” McGuinn says. “We started out with the folky thing, mixing Dylan and Pete Seeger with The Beatles, then we dabbled in a bit of jazz fusion with ‘Eight Miles High,’ which was misconstrued as psychedelic. It wasn’t meant to be, but it was branded that way. Then we did things that were purposefully psychedelic, like ‘Artificial Energy,’ and then we got into country with Sweetheart of the Rodeo.”
The Byrds’ Best Song of All Time
Topping the list of the best Byrds songs? “Eight Miles High.”
Off The Byrds’ Fifth Dimension album released July 1966, the song hit No. 14 on the U.S. chart and No. 24 in the U.K. But that doesn’t mean the single, released months earlier in March, is not No. 1 worthy.
“A daring ascent into raga-rock, fusing modal jazz, Indian music, and nascent psychedelia,” Uncut writes. “Sounds as timeless and progressive today as it did in 1966.”
McGuinn adds, “‘Eight Miles High’ is out there. It’s spatial. I was trying to emulate [John] Coltrane’s saxophone with my Rickenbacker. It’s got a lot of what Coltrane was going for on ‘India,’ which was to capture the elephants in India with his wails, and there’s that tabla beat. He was trying to incorporate Indian music into jazz, and we were trying to incorporate his attempts to do that into a rock ’n’ roll song. So there’s a lot of things going on.”
Inspiration for ‘Eight Miles High’
Written by McGuinn, David Crosby, and Gene Clark, the song kind of borrowed its title from a hit by The Beatles.
“[Gene] didn’t like the number seven, because the Beatles had ‘Eight Days a Week’ out and he thought that was much cooler. So we changed it to ‘Eight Miles High,’ even though commercial airliners didn’t go to 42,000 feet,” McGuinn says.
He adds, “The Gavin Report came out with a tip sheet for radio and they banned the record because they thought it was a flagrant drug ad. Some of the band still like to pretend that it is.”
“Eight Miles High” peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 14. Often considered the first psychedelic rock song, it was stunted on the charts due to radio bans in the U.S. Didn’t matter that the band confirmed the song was about a flight they took to London.
The Byrds’ First No. 1 Hit
Formed in 1964 in Los Angeles, The Byrds first hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart with their cover of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” a song written by Bob Dylan. On May 15, 1965, the track entered the charts and hit the top six weeks later.
“The song’s success made The Byrds one of the most influential bands in folk rock,” Billboard writes, “thanks largely to then-22-year-old frontman Roger McGuinn’s jangly 12-string Rickenbacker guitar virtuosity, which inspired Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, R.E.M.’s Peter Buck and Mumford & Sons, among other contemporary acts.”
“Eight Miles High” — and The Byrds — continue to soar 60 years later.
Related: 1975 Hit Named Greatest Song From Top-5 ‘Best Rock Band’ of All Time
This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.