Título: Eight Miles High
Seção: Composition
Background: "Eight Miles High" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn (a.k.a. Roger McGuinn), and David Crosby and first released as a single on March 14, 1966 (see 1966 in music). Musically influenced by Ravi Shankar and John Coltrane, "Eight Miles High", along with its McGuinn and Crosby-penned B-side "Why", was influential in developing the musical styles of psychedelic rock, raga rock, and psychedelic pop. Accordingly, critics often cite "Eight Miles High" as being the first bona fide psychedelic rock song, as well as a classic of the counterculture era. The song was subject to a U.S. radio ban shortly after its release, following allegations published in the broadcasting trade journal the Gavin Report regarding perceived drug connotations in its lyrics.

Conteúdo: The song's lyrics are, for the most part, about the group's flight to London in August 1965 and their accompanying English tour, as hinted at by the opening couplet: "Eight miles high and when you touch down, you'll find that it's stranger than known." Although commercial airliners fly at an altitude of six to seven miles, it was felt that "eight miles high" sounded more poetic than six and also recalled the title of the Beatles' song "Eight Days a Week".  According to Clark, the lyrics were primarily his creation, with a minor contribution being Crosby's line, "Rain grey town, known for its sound"--a reference to London as home to the British Invasion, which was then dominating the U.S. music charts. Other lyrics in the song that explicitly refer to the Byrds' stay in England include the couplet: "Nowhere is there warmth to be found/Among those afraid of losing their ground", which is a reference to the hostile reaction of the UK music press and to the English group the Birds serving the band with a copyright infringement writ, due to the similarities in name. In addition, "Round the squares, huddled in storms/Some laughing, some just shapeless forms" describes fans waiting for the band outside hotels, while the line "Sidewalk scenes and black limousines" refers to the excited crowds that jostled the band as they exited their chauffeur-driven cars.  Although the basic idea for the song had been discussed during the band's flight to England, it didn't actually begin to take s

user: What was the composition?

assistant: The song's lyrics are, for the most part, about the group's flight to London in August 1965 and their accompanying English tour,

user: When did the composition take place?

assistant: Clark began writing the song's lyrics on November 24, 1965,

user: What was the name of the song?

assistant: Eight Miles High

user: Was there more than one song?

assistant: The influence of these recordings on the band would manifest itself in the music of "Eight Miles High" and its B-side "Why".

user: Was the song ever produced?

assistant: Over the following days, Clark expanded this fragment into a full poem, eventually setting the words to music and giving them a melody.

user: Was there anything else interesting in the article?

assistant: McGuinn has contended that it was he who conceived the initial idea of writing a song about an airplane ride