It Won't Be Wrong
Encyclopedia
"It Won't Be Wrong" is a song by the American folk rock
band
The Byrds
, which appeared as the second track on their 1965 album, Turn! Turn! Turn!
It was written in 1964 by band member Jim McGuinn
and his friend, Harvey Gerst, an acquaintance from McGuinn's days as a folk singer at The Troubadour
folk club in West Hollywood, California. The song had originally appeared under the alternate title of "Don't Be Long" on the B-side
of a single
that The Byrds had released on Elektra Records
in October 1964, under the pseudonym The Beefeaters. By the time that the song was re-recorded in September 1965, during the recording sessions
for The Byrds' second Columbia Records
' album, its title had been changed to "It Won't Be Wrong".
Lyrically
, the song is a relatively simplistic appeal for a lover to submit to the singer's romantic advances. Musically, however, the guitar riff
following each verse foreshadows the raga
experimentation of the band's later songs "Eight Miles High
" and "Why
", both of which would be recorded within three months of "It Won't Be Wrong". The Byrds' biographer, Johnny Rogan
, has described the difference between the earlier Beefeaters' recording of the song and The Byrds' Columbia version as remarkable. Rogan went on to note "The lackluster Beefeaters' version was replaced by the driving beat of a Byrds rock classic, complete with strident guitars and improved harmonies, that transformed the sentiments of the song from an ineffectual statement to a passionate plea." Both the band and their producer Terry Melcher
also felt that the version included on the Turn! Turn! Turn! album was far more accomplished and exciting than the earlier recording of the song.
After its appearance on the Turn! Turn! Turn! album, "It Won't Be Wrong" was selected as the B-side for The Byrds' "Set You Free This Time
" single in January 1966. However, after initially poor sales of that single, Columbia Records in America began promoting the B-side instead, resulting in "It Won't Be Wrong" charting at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100
. In the United Kingdom, "Set You Free This Time" was released as a single on February 11, 1966, but after the NME
described the B-side as the best track on the single, it was re-released on February 18, 1966 with "It Won't Be Wrong" as the A-side
. This re-issuing of essentially the same single (albeit with its A-side and B-side transposed) twice within the space of two weeks, caused confusion among Radio DJs
over which of the two songs they should play and contributed to the single's failure to chart in the UK.
The Byrds performed the song on the U.S. television program
s Where The Action Is
and Shivaree
during 1966 but there's little evidence to suggest that the song was played regularly during the band's 1960s and 1970s live concerts
. However, the song was performed by a reformed line-up of The Byrds featuring Roger McGuinn
, David Crosby
and Chris Hillman
in January 1989.
In addition to its appearance on The Byrds' second album, "It Won't Be Wrong" also appears on several Byrds' compilations
, including The Original Singles: 1965–1967, Volume 1
, The Very Best of The Byrds
, The Byrds, The Essential Byrds
, There Is a Season
and the expanded and remastered edition of The Byrds' Greatest Hits
. The original Elektra Records version of the song (titled "Don't Be Long") can be found on the albums In the Beginning
, Byrd Parts and The Preflyte Sessions
, as well as on the There Is a Season
box set.
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
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...
, which appeared as the second track on their 1965 album, Turn! Turn! Turn!
Turn! Turn! Turn! (album)
Turn! Turn! Turn! is the second album by the folk rock band The Byrds and was released in December 1965 on Columbia Records . Like its predecessor, Mr. Tambourine Man, the album epitomized the folk rock genre and continued the band's successful mix of vocal harmony and jangly twelve-string...
It was written in 1964 by band member Jim McGuinn
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
and his friend, Harvey Gerst, an acquaintance from McGuinn's days as a folk singer at The Troubadour
The Troubadour
The Troubadour is a nightclub located in West Hollywood, California, USA, at 9081 Santa Monica Boulevard just east of Doheny Drive and the border of Beverly Hills.The club was founded in 1957 by Doug Weston...
folk club in West Hollywood, California. The song had originally appeared under the alternate title of "Don't Be Long" on the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
that The Byrds had released on Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
in October 1964, under the pseudonym The Beefeaters. By the time that the song was re-recorded in September 1965, during 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 The Byrds' second Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
' album, its title had been changed to "It Won't Be Wrong".
Lyrically
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, the song is a relatively simplistic appeal for a lover to submit to the singer's romantic advances. Musically, however, the guitar riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
following each verse foreshadows the raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
experimentation of the band's later songs "Eight Miles High
Eight Miles High
"Eight Miles High" is a song by the American rock band The Byrds, written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, and David Crosby and first released as a single on March 14, 1966 . The single managed to reach the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the Top 30 of the UK Singles Chart...
" and "Why
Why (The Byrds song)
"Why" is a song by the American rock band The Byrds, written by Jim McGuinn and David Crosby and first released as the B-side of the band's "Eight Miles High" single in March 1966. The song was re-recorded in December 1966 and released for a second time as part of the band's Younger Than Yesterday...
", both of which would be recorded within three months of "It Won't Be Wrong". 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...
, has described the difference between the earlier Beefeaters' recording of the song and The Byrds' Columbia version as remarkable. Rogan went on to note "The lackluster Beefeaters' version was replaced by the driving beat of a Byrds rock classic, complete with strident guitars and improved harmonies, that transformed the sentiments of the song from an ineffectual statement to a passionate plea." Both the band and their producer Terry Melcher
Terry Melcher
Terrence P. Melcher was an American musician and record producer, who was instrumental in shaping the sound of American West Coast rock music. His greatest contribution to the culture of the time was producing The Byrds' innovative hits "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and his...
also felt that the version included on the Turn! Turn! Turn! album was far more accomplished and exciting than the earlier recording of the song.
After its appearance on the Turn! Turn! Turn! album, "It Won't Be Wrong" was selected as the B-side for The Byrds' "Set You Free This Time
Set You Free This Time
"Set You Free This Time" is a song by the American folk rock band The Byrds, written by band member Gene Clark and first released in December 1965 on the group's Turn! Turn! Turn! album. According to Clark, the song was written in just a few hours during The Byrds' 1965 British tour, after a night...
" single in January 1966. However, after initially poor sales of that single, Columbia Records in America began promoting the B-side instead, resulting in "It Won't Be Wrong" charting at #63 on 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...
. In the United Kingdom, "Set You Free This Time" was released as a single on February 11, 1966, but after the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
described the B-side as the best track on the single, it was re-released on February 18, 1966 with "It Won't Be Wrong" as the A-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
. This re-issuing of essentially the same single (albeit with its A-side and B-side transposed) twice within the space of two weeks, caused confusion among Radio DJs
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
over which of the two songs they should play and contributed to the single's failure to chart in the UK.
The Byrds performed the song on the U.S. television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
s Where The Action Is
Where the Action Is
Where the Action Is or ' was a music-based television variety show in the United States from 1965–67. It was carried by the ABC network and aired each weekday afternoon...
and Shivaree
Shivaree (TV series)
Shivaree was a Los Angeles-based music variety show that ran in syndication from 1965 to 1966. It was hosted by Gene Weed. In its brief run, the show featured numerous well-known acts, including the Rolling Stones, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, the Byrds, the Bobby Fuller Four, the...
during 1966 but there's little evidence to suggest that the song was played regularly during the band's 1960s and 1970s live concerts
Rock concert
The term rock concert refers to a musical performance in the style of any one of many genres inspired by "rock and roll" music. While a variety of vocal and instrumental styles can constitute a rock concert, this phenomenon is typically characterized by bands playing at least one electric guitar,...
. However, the song was performed by a reformed line-up of The Byrds featuring Roger McGuinn
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
, 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...
and 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....
in January 1989.
In addition to its appearance on The Byrds' second album, "It Won't Be Wrong" also appears on several Byrds' compilations
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, including The Original Singles: 1965–1967, Volume 1
The Original Singles: 1965–1967, Volume 1
The Original Singles: 1965–1967, Volume 1 is a compilation album by American rock 'n' roll band The Byrds. Originally released in 1980, it offered, for the first time, all of the mono single versions of the Byrds' singles released between 1965 and early 1967...
, The Very Best of The Byrds
The Very Best of The Byrds
The Very Best of The Byrds is a compilation album by the American rock band The Byrds, released by Columbia Records in 1997. Initially the compilation was only released in Europe but as of 2006, the album has seen some release in the U.S...
, The Byrds, The Essential Byrds
The Essential Byrds
-Disc one:#"Mr. Tambourine Man" – 2:31#"I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" – 2:32#"All I Really Want to Do" – 2:04#"Chimes of Freedom" – 3:51...
, There Is a Season
There Is a Season
There Is a Season is a four-CD box set by the American rock band The Byrds that was released on September 26, 2006 by Columbia/Legacy. It comprises 99 tracks and includes material from every one of the band's twelve studio albums, presented in roughly chronological order...
and the expanded and remastered edition of The Byrds' Greatest Hits
The Byrds' Greatest Hits
The Byrds' Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by the American rock band The Byrds and was released in August 1967 on Columbia Records . It is the top-selling album in The Byrds' catalogue and reached #6 on the Billboard Top LPs chart but failed to break into the UK Albums Chart...
. The original Elektra Records version of the song (titled "Don't Be Long") can be found on the albums In the Beginning
In the Beginning (The Byrds album)
In the Beginning is a compilation album by the American folk rock band The Byrds and was released in August 1988 by Rhino Records. The album consists of demos, some of which were previously unreleased, recorded during 1964 at World Pacific Studios in Los Angeles, before the band had secured a...
, Byrd Parts and The Preflyte Sessions
Preflyte
Preflyte is a compilation album by the American folk rock band The Byrds and was released in July 1969 on Together Records . The album is a collection of demos recorded by The Byrds at World Pacific Studios in Los Angeles during 1964, before the band had signed to Columbia Records...
, as well as on the There Is a Season
There Is a Season
There Is a Season is a four-CD box set by the American rock band The Byrds that was released on September 26, 2006 by Columbia/Legacy. It comprises 99 tracks and includes material from every one of the band's twelve studio albums, presented in roughly chronological order...
box set.