THE BYRDS - Turn! Turn! Turn!

The Byrds
"Turn! Turn! Turn!"
Single / B-side: "She Don't Care About Time"
Released: 1 October 1965
Album: Turn! Turn! Turn! (Released: 6 December 1965)
Writers: Book of Eclessiastes, Pete Seeger
Label: Columbia

"Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" — often abbreviated to "Turn! Turn! Turn!" — is a song written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s. The lyrics, except for the title which is repeated throughout the song, and the final verse of the song, are adapted word-for-word from Chapter 3 of the Book of Ecclesiastes, set to music and recorded in 1962. The song was originally released as "To Everything There Is a Season" on The Limeliters' album Folk Matinee and then some months later on Seeger's own The Bitter and the Sweet.

The Byrds single: "Turn! Turn! Turn!", 1965

The Byrds - "Turn! Turn! Turn!"

The song became an international hit in late 1965 when it was covered by the American folk rock band The Byrds, bowing at #80 on October 23, 1965, before reaching #1 on the Hot 100 chart on December 4, 1965, #3 in Canada (Nov. 29, 1965), and also peaking at #26 on the UK Singles Chart.

The song was first released by the folk group The Limeliters on their 1962 album Folk Matinee, under the title "To Everything There Is a Season". The Limeliters' version predated the release of Seeger's own version by several months. One of The Limeliter's backing musicians at this time was Jim McGuinn (aka Roger McGuinn), who would later work with folk singer Judy Collins, rearranging the song for her 1963 album, Judy Collins 3. Collins' recording of the song was retitled as "Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)", a title that would be used intermittently by McGuinn's later band The Byrds, when they released a cover of the song in 1965.

"Turn! Turn! Turn!" was the third single by the American folk rock band The Byrds. The song was also included on the band's second album, Turn! Turn! Turn!, which was released on December 6, 1965. The Byrds' single (b/w "She Don't Care About Time") is the most successful recorded version of the song. This was the second #1 hit for the Byrds, their first was "Mr. Tambourine Man".

The Byrds single: "Turn! Turn! Turn!", 1965

The Byrds - "Turn! Turn! Turn!" (from the album Turn! Turn! Turn!, 1965)

The song's plea for peace and tolerance struck a nerve with the American record buying public as the Vietnam War continued to escalate. The single also solidified folk rock as a chart trend and, like the band's previous hits, continued The Byrds' successful mix of vocal harmony and jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar playing. Pete Seeger expressed his approval of the Byrd's rendering of the song.

During 1965 and 1966, the band performed the song on the television programs Hollywood A Go-Go, Shindig!, The Ed Sullivan Show, and Where the Action Is, as well as in the concert film, The Big T.N.T. Show. Additionally, the song would go on to become a staple of The Byrds' live concert repertoire, until their final disbandment in 1973. The song was also performed live by a reformed line-up of The Byrds featuring Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and Chris Hillman in January 1989.

The recording has been featured in numerous movies and TV shows, including 1983's Heart Like a Wheel, 1994's Forrest Gump, and 2002's In America. Following Joe Cocker's cover of "With a Little Help from My Friends", the song was the first to play on the first episode of the television series The Wonder Years. It was also used in a Wonder Years parody, during The Simpsons episode, "Three Men and a Comic Book". In 2003, it was used in the closing sequence of the Cold Case episode "A Time to Hate" (Season One, episode 7).

The Byrds - "Turn! Turn! Turn!" (live, stereo edit)

The Byrds' TV performance 1965

Allmusic: "..."Turn! Turn! Turn!" remains a familiar song, it is closely linked with McGuinn's masterful arrangement and the Byrds' unforgettable." (Review by William Ruhlmann)

Line-up/ Musicians:

Jim McGuinn - lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals

Gene Clark - rhythm guitar, harmonica, tambourine, vocals

David Crosby - rhythm guitar, vocals

Chris Hillman - electric bass (backing vocal)

Michael Clarke - drums

Link / Review:

wikipedia: Turn!_Turn!_Turn!

songfacts: Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) by The Byrds

allmusic: The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn (To Everything There Is A Season)