1967......#1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #2 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #1 UK Singles Chart, #1 Canada, #2 Australia
Original video edited and AI remastered with HQ stereo sound.
"So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds. Written by Jim McGuinn and Chris Hillman, it was included on the band's 1967 album, Younger Than Yesterday. The song was inspired by the manufactured nature of the Monkees and was released as a single on January 9, 1967, reaching number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, but failing to chart in the United Kingdom.
Written in late 1966, "So You Want to be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" has been described by Byrds expert Tim Conners as "an acerbic, but good-natured swipe at the success of manufactured rock bands like the Monkees." The Monkees television series had debuted in America in September 1966, and had launched the pre-fabricated band to international fame. The manufactured nature of the group caused the Byrds' bassist, Chris Hillman, and lead guitarist, Jim McGuinn, to look upon the current state of the pop world with more than a little cynicism—something that was reflected in the song's lyrics.
Musically, "So You Want to be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" features a driving, circular Rickenbacker guitar riff by McGuinn and what Conners has called an "unstoppable bass hook" from Hillman. Hillman has stated that he composed the song's bass part during a recording session for South African musician Hugh Masekela. The song also features Masekela's trumpet playing, which represents the first use of brass on a Byrds recording. In addition, "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" features the sound of hysterical teenage pop fans screaming. These screams were recorded at a Byrds' concert on August 15, 1965 in Bournemouth by the band's publicist, Derek Taylor, at McGuinn's request.
Upon release, Billboard magazine described the song as a "powerful rocker with teen-oriented lyric about becoming a rock star and the outcome of that stardom", predicting that the song could be a "giant". Cash Box said the single is a "wild, steady-moving pounder" that can be a bounce back hit for the Byrds. To promote the song, the band performed it on a number of television programs, including Popside, Top of the Pops, Drop In, The David Frost Show, and Beat-Club. The band also performed "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" as the final song of their appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, with the help of guest musicians Hugh Masekela and Big Black. The Byrds' performance of the song at Monterey is included on the 1992 The Monterey International Pop Festival CD box set.
In addition to its appearance on the Younger Than Yesterday album, "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" also appears on several Byrds' compilations, including The Byrds' Greatest Hits; History of The Byrds; The Original Singles: 1965–1967, Volume 1; The Byrds; The Very Best of The Byrds; The Essential Byrds; and There Is a Season. Live performances of the song are included on the live portion of The Byrds' (Untitled) album, as well as on the Live at the Fillmore - February 1969 and Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 albums.
