Backwards Forwards Square and Round

In 1966, the Yardbirds recorded their most well-known Psychedelic Rock song ‘Over Under Sideways Down’ which was inspired by the Bill Haley and His Comets’ song ‘Rock Around the Clock’.  Jeff Beck plays both the lead guitar and bass guitar on this tune which reached number 10 in the UK and number 13 in the US.  ‘Over Under Sideways Down’ was ranked number 23 in Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.  It was the title song to the Epic released album Over Under Sideways Down that came out in the US, Germany, France and Italy and it contained all original material.  The Columbia album Yardbirds came out in the UK a month earlier and it acquired the nickname Roger the Engineer after a caricature was drawn of the record’s audio engineer Roger Cameron by rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja. The album is included in Robert Dimery’s 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.  In 2012, the album was ranked number 350 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.  Some recordings were made in stereo and others were in mono, which didn’t seem to be all that important in the sixties, at least before Revolver and Sgt. Pepper were released.

The Yardbirds came along about a year after the Beatles spearheaded the British Invasion on America.  They got their name after Keith Relf read Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road as it referred to rail yard hobos.  Eric Clapton replaced the original lead guitarist Anthony Topham in the Yardbirds, but he left in March 1965, and recommended Jimmy Page as his replacement, but he declined and Jeff Beck took over.  They made the offer again more than a year later, Jimmy accepted although Beck was playing lead guitar, so Jimmy ended up playing bass (squeezing in lead guitar parts whenever he could get away with it).

This song was written by all five band members of the Yardbirds.  Jimmy Page was not on this recording, as he joined the band after the recording was in the can, but before the song was released.  Keith Relf sings lead vocals, and plays harmonica along with Jeff Beck playing lead guitar, and bass guitar.  Chris Dreja plays rhythm guitar, and does backing vocals with Jim McCarty playing drums, and backing vocals and Paul Samwell-Smith does backing vocals.  This song was all about having a good time with some decadence thrown in, as this was the ‘60s.  Cars and girls were easy to come by especially for rock stars, so they laughed, drank, smoked, and did whatever it took to have fun.  This song contains an Eastern sound with Beck incorporating a sitar flavor on the song’s signature instrumental riff.

Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Cars and girls are easy come by in this day and age,
Laughing, joking, drinking, smoking,
Till I’ve spent my wage.
When I was young people spoke of immorality,
All the things they said were wrong,
Are what I want to be.
(Hey)
Over under sideways down,
(Hey)
Backwards forwards square and round.
(Hey)
Over under sideways down,
(Hey)
Backwards forwards square and round.
When will it end, when will it end,
When will it end, when will it end.
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
I find comment ‘bout my looks irrelativity,
Think I’ll go and have some fun,
‘cause it’s all for free.
I’m not searching for a reason to enjoy myself,
Seems it’s better done,
Than argued with somebody else.
(Hey)
Over under sideways down,
(Hey)
Backwards forwards square and round.
(Hey)
Over under sideways down,
(Hey)
Backwards forwards square and round.
When will it end, when will it end,
When will it end, when will it end.
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Over under sideways down…

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where the theme is Around/Down/Sideways/Up.