Full Circle Song
Encyclopedia
"Full Circle Song" is a song written by Gene Clark
in 1972 that utilizes an allegorical wheel of fortune motif to comment on the unpredictable nature of fame and fortune. The song originally appeared in January 1973 on Clark's Roadmaster
album, which was initially released exclusively in Holland. A re-recorded version of "Full Circle Song", with the alternate title of "Full Circle", was included on The Byrds
' 1973 reunion album, Byrds
. Although the song can be interpreted as an autobiographical commentary on Clark's own critically lauded but financially unrewarding solo career, Clark always denied that this had been his intention.
"Full Circle Song" was initially recorded in April 1972 at Wally Heider Studios
, Los Angeles as part of the recording sessions
for Clark's second solo album
for A&M Records
. For these sessions, Clark and record producer
Chris Hinshaw assembled a top flight crew of L.A. studio musician
s, including Sneaky Pete Kleinow
, Clarence White
, Byron Berline
, and Spooner Oldham
, but progress on the proposed album was slow. The recording sessions were eventually abandoned, due to A&M's frustration at the lack of progress in the studio, and consequently the album was shelved. Some months later, Gene's friend and ex-manager
of The Byrds, Jim Dickson, approached Dave Hubert, the head of A&M's foreign markets division, regarding a possible Europe
an release for the eight tracks completed during the abandoned album sessions. Despite protests from some A&M executives, these tracks were compiled with three other previously unreleased Clark songs and issued in Holland as the Roadmaster album.
Prior to the Dutch release of Roadmaster, Clark decided to re-record "Full Circle Song" in late 1972, for inclusion on The Byrds' reunion album, since, at that time, the song was gathering dust in the A&M tape vaults. During recording sessions for the album, the song was renamed "Full Circle" and, for a time, it provided the working title
for the reunion album, although ultimately the album would be released under the eponymous title Byrds. Clark was uncomfortable with the song being used as the title track for the album because he felt that the public might mistakenly assume that it had been written specifically for The Byrds' reunion. Clark confirmed that this was not the case during a 1979 interview with The Byrds' biographer, Johnny Rogan
: "I'd already recorded that song a couple of years earlier [sic] and it wasn't really written about anything specific. It was just an idea I had."
The Byrds' recording of the song is similar in feel to the Roadmaster version but it features the addition of a soaring David Crosby
harmony vocal
and some striking mandolin
playing from The Byrds' bass player
, Chris Hillman
. Following the release of the reunion album, "Full Circle" was issued as a single on April 11, 1973 (b/w "Long Live the King") but it missed the Billboard Hot 100
, bubbling under
at #109, and failed to enter the UK Singles Chart
altogether. Oddly, the song was re-released as a single in the UK some two-and-a-half years later on August 8, 1975 but again, it failed to chart.
The song has been covered
by a number of artists, including Dan Fogelberg
, on his 2003 album, Full Circle, and George Elliott, on his Men Don't Smoke album. Joe Algeri has also covered the song on his The Stockholm Years album and on the various artists tribute album
, Full Circle: A Tribute to Gene Clark. In addition, "Full Circle" was recorded by Walter Clevenger for the 2007 Byrds' tribute album, Timeless Flyte: A Tribute to The Byrds — Full Circle.
Gene Clark
Gene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark was an American singer-songwriter, and one of the founding members of the folk-rock group The Byrds....
in 1972 that utilizes an allegorical wheel of fortune motif to comment on the unpredictable nature of fame and fortune. The song originally appeared in January 1973 on Clark's Roadmaster
Roadmaster (album)
Roadmaster is a country rock album by Gene Clark from 1973. The album was compiled from various unreleased recordings for A&M Records made in 1970 through 1972, eight tracks yielded from an April 1972 recording session featuring Clarence White, Spooner Oldham, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Byron Berline and...
album, which was initially released exclusively in Holland. A re-recorded version of "Full Circle Song", with the alternate title of "Full Circle", was included on The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
' 1973 reunion album, Byrds
Byrds (album)
Byrds is the twelfth album by the American rock band The Byrds and was released in March 1973 on Asylum Records . It was recorded as the centerpiece of a reunion between the five original members of The Byrds: Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke...
. Although the song can be interpreted as an autobiographical commentary on Clark's own critically lauded but financially unrewarding solo career, Clark always denied that this had been his intention.
"Full Circle Song" was initially recorded in April 1972 at Wally Heider Studios
Wally Heider Studios
Wally Heider Studios was a recording studio in San Francisco, California between 1969 and 1980, started by recording engineer and studio owner Wally Heider.-History:...
, Los Angeles as part of the recording sessions
Studio recording
The term studio recording means any recording made in a studio, as opposed to a live recording, which is usually made in a concert venue or a theatre, with an audience attending the performance.-Studio cast recordings:...
for Clark's second solo album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
for A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
. For these sessions, Clark and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Chris Hinshaw assembled a top flight crew of L.A. studio musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
s, including Sneaky Pete Kleinow
Sneaky Pete Kleinow
Peter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist...
, Clarence White
Clarence White
Clarence White was a guitar player for Nashville West, The Byrds, Muleskinner, and the Kentucky Colonels. His parents were Acadians from New Brunswick, Canada...
, Byron Berline
Byron Berline
Byron Berline is an American fiddle player.-Biography:Berline started playing the fiddle at age five and quickly developed a talent for it. In 1965, he recorded the album Pickin' and Fiddlin with the Dillards...
, and Spooner Oldham
Spooner Oldham
Dewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and at FAME Studios on such hit R&B songs as "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge, "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett and "I Never Loved a Man" by Aretha...
, but progress on the proposed album was slow. The recording sessions were eventually abandoned, due to A&M's frustration at the lack of progress in the studio, and consequently the album was shelved. Some months later, Gene's friend and ex-manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
of The Byrds, Jim Dickson, approached Dave Hubert, the head of A&M's foreign markets division, regarding a possible Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an release for the eight tracks completed during the abandoned album sessions. Despite protests from some A&M executives, these tracks were compiled with three other previously unreleased Clark songs and issued in Holland as the Roadmaster album.
Prior to the Dutch release of Roadmaster, Clark decided to re-record "Full Circle Song" in late 1972, for inclusion on The Byrds' reunion album, since, at that time, the song was gathering dust in the A&M tape vaults. During recording sessions for the album, the song was renamed "Full Circle" and, for a time, it provided the working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
for the reunion album, although ultimately the album would be released under the eponymous title Byrds. Clark was uncomfortable with the song being used as the title track for the album because he felt that the public might mistakenly assume that it had been written specifically for The Byrds' reunion. Clark confirmed that this was not the case during a 1979 interview with The Byrds' biographer, Johnny Rogan
Johnny Rogan
Johnny Rogan is an author of Irish descent best known for his books about music and popular culture. He has written influential biographies of The Byrds, The Smiths and Van Morrison. His writing is characterised by "an almost neurotic attention to detail", epic length and a sometimes hostile...
: "I'd already recorded that song a couple of years earlier [sic] and it wasn't really written about anything specific. It was just an idea I had."
The Byrds' recording of the song is similar in feel to the Roadmaster version but it features the addition of a soaring David Crosby
David Crosby
David Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
harmony vocal
Vocal harmony
Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are sung at the same time as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical choral music and opera and in the popular styles from...
and some striking mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
playing from The Byrds' bass player
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, Chris Hillman
Chris Hillman
Christopher Hillman was one of the original members of The Byrds which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, and Michael Clarke....
. Following the release of the reunion album, "Full Circle" was issued as a single on April 11, 1973 (b/w "Long Live the King") but it missed the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, bubbling under
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
at #109, and failed to enter the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
altogether. Oddly, the song was re-released as a single in the UK some two-and-a-half years later on August 8, 1975 but again, it failed to chart.
The song has been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by a number of artists, including Dan Fogelberg
Dan Fogelberg
Daniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass music...
, on his 2003 album, Full Circle, and George Elliott, on his Men Don't Smoke album. Joe Algeri has also covered the song on his The Stockholm Years album and on the various artists tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
, Full Circle: A Tribute to Gene Clark. In addition, "Full Circle" was recorded by Walter Clevenger for the 2007 Byrds' tribute album, Timeless Flyte: A Tribute to The Byrds — Full Circle.