So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star - wikipedia So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' 1967 Danish picture sleeve. Single by The Byrds from the album Younger Than Yesterday B - side `` Everybody 's Been Burned '' Released January 9, 1967 Format 7 '' single Recorded November 28 -- 30, December 1, 1966 Studio Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA Genre Rock Length 2 : 05 Label Columbia Songwriter ( s ) Jim McGuinn, Chris Hillman Producer ( s ) Gary Usher The Byrds singles chronology `` Mr. Spaceman '' ( 1966 ) `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' ( 1967 ) `` My Back Pages '' ( 1967 ) `` Mr. Spaceman '' ( 1966 ) `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' ( 1967 ) `` My Back Pages '' ( 1967 ) Audio sample file help Music video `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' ( audio ) on YouTube `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Jim McGuinn and Chris Hillman and included on the band 's 1967 album, Younger Than Yesterday. The song was inspired by the manufactured nature of the Monkees and was released as a single on January 9, 1967 ( see 1967 in music ), reaching number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, but failing to chart in the United Kingdom. Contents 1 Composition and content 2 Release 3 Cover versions 4 In the media 5 References 6 External links Composition and content Written in late 1966, `` So You Want to be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' has been described by Byrds expert Tim Conners as `` an acerbic, but good - natured swipe at the success of manufactured rock bands like the Monkees ''. The Monkees television series had debuted in America in September 1966, and had launched the pre-fabricated band to international fame. The manufactured nature of the group caused the Byrds ' bass player, Chris Hillman, and lead guitarist, Jim McGuinn, to look upon the current state of the pop world with more than a little cynicism -- something that was reflected in the song 's lyrics. Musically, `` So You Want to be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' features a driving, circular Rickenbacker guitar riff by McGuinn and, what Conners has called, an `` unstoppable bass hook '' from Hillman. Hillman has stated that he composed the song 's bass part during a recording session for South African musician Hugh Masekela. The song also features Masekela 's trumpet playing, which represents the first use of brass on a Byrds recording. In addition, `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' features the sound of hysterical teenage pop fans screaming. These screams were recorded at an August 15, 1965 Byrds ' concert in Bournemouth, by the band 's publicist, Derek Taylor, at McGuinn 's request. Rolling Stone editor David Fricke has written that although the song 's lyrics are heavily sarcastic, beneath the playful cynicism there is a deeper, implicit irony to the song ; The Byrds had, themselves, achieved almost overnight success with the release of their debut single, a cover of Bob Dylan 's `` Mr. Tambourine Man ''. However, the band members all knew, from their common bitter personal experiences, that the most difficult part of success was in remaining successful, staying ahead of the curve artistically, and staying sane under the immense pressure of stardom. During an interview with music journalist Pete Frame, McGuinn said : Some people have accused us of being bitter for writing that song, but it 's no more bitter than `` Positively 4th Street. '' In fact, it is n't as bitter as that. We were thumbing through a teen magazine and looking at all the unfamiliar faces and we could n't help thinking : `` Wow, what 's happening... all of a sudden here is everyone and his brother and his sister - in - law and his mother and even his pet bullfrog singing rock ' n ' roll. '' So we wrote `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' to the audience of potential rock stars, those who were going to be, or who wanted to be, and those who actually did go on to realize their goals. Release Upon release, the band performed the song on a number of television programs, including Popside, Top of the Pops, Drop In, The David Frost Show, and Beat - Club. The band also performed `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' as the final song of their appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, with the help of guest musicians Hugh Masekela and Big Black. The Byrds ' performance of the song at Monterey is included on the 1992 The Monterey International Pop Festival CD box set. In addition to its appearance on the Younger Than Yesterday album, `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' also appears on several Byrds ' compilations, including The Byrds ' Greatest Hits, History of The Byrds, The Original Singles : 1965 -- 1967, Volume 1, The Byrds, The Very Best of The Byrds, The Essential Byrds, and There Is a Season. Live performances of the song are included on the live portion of The Byrds ' ( Untitled ) album, as well as on the Live at the Fillmore - February 1969 and Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 albums. Cover versions The two earliest cover versions of `` So You Want To Be A Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' were by the Royal Guardsmen, on their 1967 album The Return of the Red Baron, and the British band the Move, who included the song on their 1968 EP, Something Else from The Move. Hookfoot, the British group who served as Elton John 's backing band for a number of years, also released the song as a single in 1974. The song was covered by Scottish hard rock band Nazareth, as part of the track `` Telegram '', on their 1976 album Close Enough for Rock ' n ' Roll. Black Oak Arkansas covered the song on their 1977 The Best of Black Oak Arkansas album, with the song later being included on the Hot & Nasty : The Best of Black Oak Arkansas compilation album in 1993. In 1979, `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' was recorded by the Patti Smith Group and released as the third single from their album Wave. The song was also covered by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers during their Southern Accents tour, and it appears on the 1985 live album, Pack Up the Plantation : Live ! In 1984, McGuinn joined R.E.M. on stage at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey, for a rendition of `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star ''. R.E.M. 's Peter Buck explained : `` When we played ' Rock ' n ' Roll Star ', where it has that part where it goes ' la la la la la la la ', he played C-F-G, and I said, ' That 's weird, we do C - D - G '. Then he played it that way and said, ' You know, I like that better. I think I 'll change it '. And I went, ' You mean you 're going to change the chord of the song ? ' and he went, ' Yeah, I 've never played it that way, and I like it a lot better '. Roger McGuinn 's been playing that song for twenty years, and here I suggest he plays it this way, and he does ! '' Unrest recorded a version of `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' in 1985 for their self - titled debut album. They later re-recorded the song during the sessions for their fourth album, Malcolm X Park, released in 1988. Crowded House performed the song ( along with `` Mr. Tambourine Man '' and `` Eight Miles High '' ) with McGuinn in Los Angeles on April 7, 1989. The performances were released as B - sides on the `` I Feel Possessed '' CD single. The Swedish pop group Roxette included the song in their 1993 MTV Unplugged show. Ronnie Wood also covered `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' on his 2001 solo album, Not for Beginners. The German Alternative Rock / Punk Band Beatsteaks covered the song on their 2004 `` Hand in Hand '' single. In 2006, Les Fradkin released a cover version of the song on his album Goin ' Back. Also, the Dutch rock band Golden Earring covered the song as a bonus track on their This Wheel 's on Fire CD single. Jon Bon Jovi has also covered the song in live concerts. Pearl Jam have covered `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' a number of times at live concerts. Pearl Jam 's singer, Eddie Vedder, also covered it during his 2012 American solo tour. The British rock band Charlie released a song titled `` Killer Cut '' in 1979, that is essentially a sequel to `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' and begins with the lyrics `` So you want to be a rock and roll star, well, times have changed / That 's all I 'll say / You still need an electric guitar but most of all you need that radio, radio play. '' Counting Crows have been known to perform a few lines from `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' as an introduction to their song `` Mr. Jones '' during live performances. In the Media The original Byrds ' recording of `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' was featured in the 1983 comedy - drama film Purple Haze ( see 1983 in film ). It was also Featured in the 2002 film The Country Bears. References Jump up ^ `` Younger Than Yesterday review ''. Allmusic. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 31. Jump up ^ Hjort, Christopher. ( 2008 ). So You Want To Be A Rock ' n ' Roll Star : The Byrds Day - By - Day ( 1965 - 1973 ). Jawbone Press. p. 118. ISBN 1 - 906002 - 15 - 0. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel. ( 2008 ). Top Pop Singles 1955 - 2006. Record Research Inc. p. 130. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 172 - 1. Jump up ^ Eder, Bruce. `` So You Want to be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star song review ''. AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved 2018 - 03 - 27. ^ Jump up to : `` Younger Than Yesterday ''. ByrdWatcher : A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 2010 - 10 - 28. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 31. ^ Jump up to : Rogan, Johnny. ( 1998 ). The Byrds : Timeless Flight Revisited ( 2nd ed. ). Rogan House. p. 193. ISBN 0 - 9529540 - 1 - X. Jump up ^ `` Certain Songs # 160 : The Byrds -- `` So You Want to Be A Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' ``. Medialoper. Oxford Media Works. Retrieved 2018 - 03 - 27. ^ Jump up to : Frame, Pete. ( February 1973 ), `` History of The Byrds '', Zigzag, London Jump up ^ Hjort, Christopher. ( 2008 ). So You Want To Be A Rock ' n ' Roll Star : The Byrds Day - By - Day ( 1965 - 1973 ). Jawbone Press. pp. 60 -- 61. ISBN 1 - 906002 - 15 - 0. ^ Jump up to : Fricke, David. ( 1996 ). Younger Than Yesterday ( 1996 CD liner notes ). Jump up ^ Rogan, Johnny. ( 1998 ). The Byrds : Timeless Flight Revisited ( 2nd ed. ). Rogan House. pp. 616 -- 617. ISBN 0 - 9529540 - 1 - X. Jump up ^ Rogan, Johnny. ( 1998 ). The Byrds : Timeless Flight Revisited ( 2nd ed. ). Rogan House. p. 219. ISBN 0 - 9529540 - 1 - X. Jump up ^ `` The Monterey International Pop Festival box set review ''. Allmusic. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 26. ^ Jump up to : `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star album appearances ''. Allmusic. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 18. Jump up ^ `` Something Else from The Move review ''. Allmusic. Retrieved 2011 - 03 - 24. Jump up ^ Joynson, Vernon. ( 1998 ). The Tapestry of Delights. Borderline Productions. ISBN 1 - 89985 - 509 - 2. Jump up ^ `` The Best of Black Oak Arkansas ''. Allmusic. Retrieved 2009 - 10 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Amazon.com Product Listing ''. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 19. Jump up ^ `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star by The Patti Smith Group ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2008 - 03 - 06. Jump up ^ `` Pack Up the Plantation : Live ! review ''. Allmusic. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 01. Jump up ^ DeMuir, Harold ( 1984 ). `` Interview with R.E.M. 's Peter Buck ''. East Coast Rocker. Little Falls, New Jersey : Arts Weekly, Inc. Jump up ^ Sprague, David ( 2007 ). `` Unrest ''. Trouser Press. Retrieved October 16, 2015. Jump up ^ Ankeny, Jason. `` Unrest : Malcolm X Park > Review ''. Allmusic. Retrieved October 16, 2015. Jump up ^ `` I Feel Possessed CD Single track listing ''. Discogs. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Roxette - MTV Unplugged Set List ''. Atmosphere Music. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Les Fradkin - Music Press reviews ''. lesfradkin.com. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 01. Jump up ^ `` The Continuing Story of Golden Earring ''. Golden Earring Research by Casper Roos. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 06. Jump up ^ `` Jon Bon Jovi News ''. IHeartJBJ. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 01. Jump up ^ `` So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star by Pearl Jam ''. Pearl Jam : Ten Club ( Official website ). Retrieved 2009 - 11 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Review : Eddie Vedder brings Pearl Jam favorites, impressive new songs to Tulsa concert ''. World Publishing Co ( TulsaWorld.com. Retrieved 2012 - 11 - 21. Jump up ^ `` Counting Crows Bootleg Guide : Part 3 - This Desert Life Tour Bootlegs ''. Counting Crows Bootleg Guide. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009 - 11 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Counting Crows : Mr. Jones ''. Thefrontloader.com. Retrieved 2009 - 11 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Purple Haze movie credits ''. Yahoo ! Movies. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 01. External links Lyrics 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 Tom Petty Discography Awards and nominations Songs Studio albums Full Moon Fever ( 1989 ) Wildflowers ( 1994 ) Highway Companion ( 2006 ) Singles `` Stop Draggin ' My Heart Around '' `` I Wo n't Back Down '' `` Runnin ' Down a Dream '' `` Free Fallin ' '' `` A Face in the Crowd '' `` Yer So Bad '' `` You Do n't Know How It Feels '' `` Saving Grace '' Other songs `` Square One '' Related articles Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Blue Stingrays Mudcrutch Traveling Wilburys Patti Smith Studio albums Horses Radio Ethiopia Easter Wave Dream of Life Gone Again Peace and Noise Gung Ho Trampin ' Twelve Banga Live albums Horses / Horses The Coral Sea Compilations The Patti Smith Masters Land ( 1975 -- 2002 ) iTunes Originals Outside Society EPs Hey Joe / Radio Ethiopia Set Free Singles `` Hey Joe '' `` Gloria '' `` Pissing in a River '' `` Pumping ( My Heart ) '' `` Ask the Angels '' `` Because the Night '' `` Privilege ( Set Me Free ) '' `` Frederick '' `` Dancing Barefoot '' `` So You Want to Be a Rock ' n ' Roll Star '' `` People Have the Power '' `` Up There Down There '' `` Summer Cannibals '' `` E-Bow the Letter '' `` Gimme Shelter '' Promotional singles `` 1959 '' `` Glitter in Their Eyes '' `` When Doves Cry '' Other songs `` Piss Factory '' `` Redondo Beach '' `` Free Money '' `` Rock N Roll Nigger '' Books Seventh Heaven Witt Ha ! Ha ! Houdini ! Babel Woolgathering Early Work The Coral Sea Patti Smith Complete Strange Messenger Auguries of Innocence Just Kids M Train Early Morning Dream Band members Lenny Kaye Jay Dee Daugherty Ivan Král Richard Sohl Related articles Discography Patti Smith : Dream of Life Cowboy Mouth Fred `` Sonic '' Smith 50 Photographs Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=So_You_Want_to_Be_a_Rock_%27n%27_Roll_Star&oldid=842394580 '' Categories : 1967 singles 1979 singles The Byrds songs Patti Smith songs Songs written by Roger McGuinn Songs written by Chris Hillman Song recordings produced by Gary Usher 1967 songs Columbia Records singles Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Español Norsk nynorsk Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 22 May 2018, at 05 : 02. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. 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Question: who wrote so you want to be a rock and roll star
Answer: Jim McGuinn