Eight Miles High

by The Byrds

Eight Miles High cover art
  • Type: Single
  • Released: 14 March 1966
  • Label: Columbia
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 6:17
  • Community rating: 4.26/5 from 3 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Widely recognized as one of the first true psychedelic rock singles, taking massive inspiration from the free jazz of John Coltrane and the classical ragas of Ravi Shankar. Roger McGuinn's dizzying, 12-string Rickenbacker guitar solos simulate the chaotic, disorienting experience of a transatlantic flight, which was immediately interpreted by radio stations as a drug reference. The resulting radio ban severely hampered its commercial success but solidified its countercultural legacy.

Genres

Descriptors: drugs, soaring, melodic, space, jangly

Tracklist

  1. Eight Miles High (3:33)
  2. Why (2:44)

Credits

  • The Byrds - primary artist
  • David Crosby - written-by
  • Gene Clark - written-by
  • Jim McGuinn - written-by
  • Bob Dylan - written-by
  • Pete Seeger - adapted by

More from The Byrds: full discography