Music / Mr. Tambourine Man

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me / In the jingle jangle morning I'll come following you

Mr. Tambourine Man is the debut studio album by The Byrds, released in 1965. Much of the album consists of songs written by Bob Dylan. Hits and fan favorites include the title track, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", and "All I Really Want to Do".

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Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Mr. Tambourine Man" (2:20)
2. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" (2:31)
3. "Spanish Harlem Incident" (1:58)
4. "You Won't Have to Cry" (2:07)
5. "Here Without You" (2:36)
6. "The Bells of Rhymney" (3:30)

Side Two

1. "All I Really Want to Do" (2:02)
2. "I Knew I'd Want You" (2:14)
3. "It's No Use" (2:23)
4. "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe" (2:46)
5. "Chimes of Freedom" (3:50)
6. "We'll Meet Again" (2:07)

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Bonus Tracks (1996 Reissue):

1. "She Has a Way" (2:25)
2. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better (Alternate Version)" (2:28)
3. "It's No Use (Alternate Version)" (2:24)
4. "You Won't Have to Cry (Alternate Version)" (2:07)
5. "All I Really Want to Do (Single Version)" (2:02)
6. "You and Me" (2:11)

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Principal Members:

• Gene Clark - tambourine, backing and lead vocals, guitar
• Michael Clarke - drums
• David Crosby - guitar, vocals
• Chris Hillman - bass
• Jim "Roger" McGuinn - lead vocals, guitar

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We'll Trope Again:

• Added Alliterative Appeal: "Spanish Harlem Incident" has the line: "Gypsy gal, the hands of Harlem cannot hold you to its heat''
• Album Title Drop: "Mr. Tambourine Man"
  Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me.
• Anti-Love Song: "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" and "It's No Use". The former is an upbeat song about "probably feel[ing] a whole lot better" after a break-up, while the latter is about giving up on a bad relationship.
• Break Up Song:
  • "Here Without You"
  Words in my head keep repeating things that you said when I was with you
  • "She Has a Way"
  I was really good to her but how she broke my heart
  She looked so young and she seemed so sweet but I was wrong from the start
  She has a way about her that makes her run around
  Now I wonder if she'll ever wanna settle down
• Cover Version: The title track (from Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home), "Spanish Harlem Incident", "All I Really Want to Do" and "Chimes of Freedom" (from Another Side of Bob Dylan). Non-Dylan covers, but covers nevertheless are "The Bells Of Rhymney"(music by Pete Seeger, lyrics by Welsh poet Idris Davies), "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe" (Jackie DeShannon) and "We'll Meet Again" (made famous by Vera Lynn).
  • Covered Up: The title track.
• Cradle of Loneliness: "Here Without You"
  Daytime just makes me feel lonely
  At night I can only dream about you
  Girl you're on my mind nearly all of the time
  It's so hard being here without you
• Face on the Cover: The band shown from a fish eye lens.
• Fish-Eye Lens: The album cover.
• Folk Rock: One of the definitive albums of the genre.
• Genre Turning Point: The Byrds' cover of "Mr. Tambourine Man" was responsible for Bob Dylan "going electric". They performed the song for Bob Dylan and, in David Crosby's words, the very next day he hired an electric band.
• I Just Want to Be Free: "Chimes of Freedom"
  Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
  For the countless confused, accused, misused, srung-out ones and worse
  And for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
  We gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
• "I Want" Song: "All I Really Want to Do", where the protagonist lists all the things he doesn't want to do to his love interest (coming across as a Suspiciously Specific Denial half of the time) and concludes that "all I really want to do is be friends with you".
  No, I ain't lookin' to fight with you
  Frighten you or tighten you
  Drag you down or drain you down
  Chain you down or bring you down
  All I really want to do
  Is baby be friends with you
• Love at First Sight: "I Knew I'd Want You" contains the line "You had me on your trip right from the start."
• One-Man Song: "Mr. Tambourine Man".
• Pep-Talk Song:
  • "You Won't Have to Cry"
  There's no reason to feel blue because of what he says to you
  And I wouldn't want to see you hurt no more
  I could never do you wrong 'cause my love for you's too strong
  And you won't have to cry anymore
  • "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe"
  Don't doubt yourself when
  Daylight fades and darkness begins
  It's only come to show you that you're the one
  Who knows where it's at
  The rest; who think they've got it pat, know nothing, aah
  • "We'll Meet Again" (of course!)
  Keep smiling true, just like you always do
  Till the blue skies make the dark clouds fade away
  Some sunny day, hey hey hey
• The Power of Love: "You Won't Have to Cry", "Spanish Harlem Incident".
• The Power of Rock: "Mr. Tambourine Man"
  Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
  I'm not sleepy and there ain't no place I'm going to
  Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
  In the jingle jangle morning , I'll come followin' you
• Take That!: "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe" scolds people who try to bring the unsure woman in the song down.
  The rest; who think they've got it pat, know nothing, aah

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