I 'll Feel a Whole Lot Better - wikipedia I 'll Feel a Whole Lot Better `` I 'll Feel a Whole Lot Better '' 1965 Dutch picture sleeve Single by the Byrds from the album Mr. Tambourine Man A-side `` All I Really Want to Do '' Released June 14, 1965 ( 1965 - 06 - 14 ) Recorded April 14, 1965 Studio Columbia, Hollywood, California Genre Folk rock, pop Length 2 : 32 Label Columbia Songwriter ( s ) Gene Clark Producer ( s ) Terry Melcher the Byrds singles chronology `` Mr. Tambourine Man '' ( 1965 ) `` I 'll Feel a Whole Lot Better '' ( 1965 ) `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' ( 1965 ) `` Mr. Tambourine Man '' ( 1965 ) `` All I Really Want to Do '' ( 1965 ) `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' ( 1965 ) Music video `` I 'll Feel a Whole Lot Better '' ( audio ) on YouTube `` I 'll Feel a Whole Lot Better '' is a song by the Los Angeles folk rock band the Byrds, first released in June 1965 on the B - side of the band 's second single, `` All I Really Want to Do ''. It was also included on the Byrds ' debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man. Written by Gene Clark, who also sings the lead vocal, `` I 'll Feel a Whole Lot Better '' features some of the Byrds ' early musical trademarks, including 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. Although it was initially released as a B - side, `` I 'll Feel a Whole Lot Better '' was itself heavily promoted by Columbia Records during the time that `` All I Really Want to Do '' spent on the Billboard charts. As a result, the song actually managed to chart in its own right at number 103. Since its release, the song has become a rock music standard, inspiring a number of cover versions over the years. It is also considered by many critics to be one of the band 's, as well as Clark 's, best and most popular songs, with Rolling Stone magazine ranking it at number 234 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Contents 1 Background and content 2 Cover versions 3 References 4 External links Background and content Music critic Mark Deming has noted that 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 has n't been entirely honest with him. The song dates from the Byrds ' pre-fame residency at Ciro 's nightclub in Los Angeles, as Clark explained during an 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 gon na 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. '' The song is built around a pounding riff that Clark later admitted was based on `` Needles and Pins '' by Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono. The song 's refrain of `` I 'll probably feel a whole lot better when you 're gone '' betrays Clark 's uncertainty about ending the relationship and whether such an act would be the answer to his problems or not. Mark Deming has pointed out that the use of the word `` probably '' in this refrain is key and lends the track a depth of subtext that was unusual for a pop song in the mid-1960s. Jim Dickson, the Byrds ' manager, has noted that this level of subtext was not unusual in Clark 's songs of the period. Said Dickson, `` 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 does n'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. '' Dickson would later work as a producer on Clark 's 1984 album Firebyrd, which featured a re-recorded version of `` I 'll Feel a Whole Lot Better ''. Cover versions Don Nix on his 1976 album Gone Too Long with George Harrison, retitled `` Feel a Whole Lot Better ''. Tom Petty covered the song on his 1989 solo album, Full Moon Fever. Petty 's version was released as the fifth single from the album and peaked at number 18 on the US Rock chart. `` Feel a Whole Lot Better '' Single by Tom Petty from the album Full Moon Fever Released Genre Rock, Folk rock, Power pop Length 2 : 49 Label MCA Records Producer ( s ) Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Mike Campbell The Israeli band Hazvuvim ( The Flys ) performed a version of the song translated into Hebrew on their debut album Bzzz... The Hebrew version was titled `` Hasiba hi she... '', which means `` The Reason Why, '' the first line of the song. In 1978, country singer Bobby Bare covered the song on his album Sleeper Wherever I Fall. San Francisco band The Flamin ' Groovies also released a cover of the song on their 1978 Sire Records release, Flamin ' Groovies Now. Paisley Underground band The Three O'Clock covered the song on their Baroque Hoedown EP. Reportedly, Gene Clark sings backing vocal on this version of the song. 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 '' and the lyrics were translated into Spanish. Country pop artist Juice Newton covered the song on her 1985 Old Flame album but the song is slightly retitled as `` Feel a Whole Lot Better ''. Newton 's version also alters some of the song 's verse lyrics. Likewise, The Crust Brothers covered the song on their 1998 live album, Marquee Mark, under this slightly altered title. 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. Dinosaur Jr. did a grungy cover on the Byrds tribute album, Time Between -- A Tribute to The Byrds. Reportedly, this version was Gene Clark 's favorite cover of the song because he felt that the band had captured the essence of the lyrics, but successfully made the music even more uptempo. Marty Stuart 's 2017 album Way Out West features a mash - up of `` I 'll Feel A Whole Lot Better '' and some original Stuart lyrics. Not only that but the album was produced by Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, who also plays guitars on the track as he did on Petty 's version from Full Moon Fever. References ^ Jump up to : Rogan, Johnny. ( 1998 ). The Byrds : Timeless Flight Revisited ( 2nd ed. ). Rogan House. pp. 543 -- 545. ISBN 0 - 9529540 - 1 - X. ^ Jump up to : Rogan, Johnny. ( 1998 ). The Byrds : Timeless Flight Revisited ( 2nd ed. ). Rogan House. pp. 82 -- 84. ISBN 0 - 9529540 - 1 - X. ^ Jump up to : `` I 'll Feel a Whole Lot Better review ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Mr. Tambourine Man ''. ByrdWatcher : A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 01. Jump up ^ `` I 'll Feel A Whole Lot Better cover versions ''. AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 12, 2009. Retrieved 2009 - 09 - 21. ^ Jump up to : Einarson, John. ( 2005 ). Mr. Tambourine Man : The Life and Legacy of The Byrds ' Gene Clark. Backbeat Books. p. 65. ISBN 0 - 87930 - 793 - 5. Jump up ^ `` The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 01. Jump up ^ Rogan, Johnny. ( 1998 ). The Byrds : Timeless Flight Revisited ( 2nd ed. ). Rogan House. p. 560. ISBN 0 - 9529540 - 1 - X. Jump up ^ `` Sleeper Wherever I Fall review ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Flamin ' Groovies Now review ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Gene Clark - related records ''. Byrds Flyght. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Filosofía Barata y Zapatos de Goma review ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2010 - 04 - 30. Jump up ^ `` Old Flame review ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 01. Jump up ^ `` The Crust Brothers : Marquee Mark ''. The Band web site. Retrieved 2009 - 10 - 18. Jump up ^ `` Johnny Rivers Discography : 1970 -- Present ''. Johnny Rivers -- Official Website. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Secret Agent Man review ''. Pandora Internet Radio. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Time Between -- A Tribute to The Byrds review ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2010 - 04 - 28. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics The Byrds Roger McGuinn Gene Clark David Crosby Chris Hillman Michael Clarke Kevin Kelley Gram Parsons Clarence White Gene Parsons John York Skip Battin Studio albums Mr. Tambourine Man Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! Fifth Dimension Younger Than Yesterday The Notorious Byrd Brothers Sweetheart of the Rodeo Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde Ballad of Easy Rider ( Untitled ) Byrdmaniax Farther Along Byrds Live albums ( Untitled ) Live at the Fillmore - February 1969 Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 Compilations The Byrds ' Greatest Hits Preflyte The Byrds ' Greatest Hits Volume II The Best of The Byrds : Greatest Hits, Volume II History of The Byrds The Byrds Play Dylan The Original Singles : 1965 -- 1967, Volume 1 The Original Singles : 1967 -- 1969, Volume 2 Never Before In the Beginning 20 Essential Tracks from the Byrds Box Set ( 1965 - 1990 ) The Very Best of The Byrds The Preflyte Sessions The Essential Byrds Box sets The Byrds There Is a Season Tribute albums Time Between -- A Tribute to The Byrds Singles `` Mr. Tambourine Man '' / `` I Knew I 'd Want You '' `` All I Really Want to Do '' / `` I 'll Feel a Whole Lot Better '' `` Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! '' / `` She Do n't Care About Time '' `` Set You Free This Time '' `` It Wo n't Be Wrong '' `` Eight Miles High '' / `` Why '' `` 5D ( Fifth Dimension ) '' `` Mr. Spaceman '' `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' `` My Back Pages '' `` Have You Seen Her Face '' `` Lady Friend '' / `` Old John Robertson '' `` Goin ' Back '' `` You Ai n't Goin ' Nowhere '' `` Lay Lady Lay '' `` Was n't Born to Follow '' `` Ballad of Easy Rider '' `` Jesus Is Just Alright '' / `` It 's All Over Now, Baby Blue '' `` Chestnut Mare '' `` Full Circle '' Other notable songs `` You Showed Me '' `` Spanish Harlem Incident '' `` Here Without You '' `` The Bells of Rhymney '' `` Chimes of Freedom '' `` Lay Down Your Weary Tune '' `` He Was a Friend of Mine '' `` The World Turns All Around Her '' `` If You 're Gone '' `` The Times They Are a-Changin ' '' `` Triad '' `` Hickory Wind '' `` Nothing Was Delivered '' Associated people Bob Dylan Jimmi Seiter John Guerin Terry Melcher Gary Usher Jacques Levy Kim Fowley Derek Taylor Johnny Rogan See also : Discography Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=I%27ll_Feel_a_Whole_Lot_Better&oldid=813121206 '' Categories : 1965 songs The Byrds songs Columbia Records singles Tom Petty songs Songs written by Gene Clark Song recordings produced by Terry Melcher Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Song articles with missing songwriters All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2009 Articles with unsourced statements from January 2010 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español 日本 語 Norsk nynorsk Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 1 December 2017, at 22 : 19. 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Question: who wrote i'll feel a whole lot better
Answer: Gene Clark