Other lyrics in the song that explicitly refer to the Byrds' stay in England include the couplet: 'Nowhere is there warmth to be found/Among those afraid of losing their ground', which is a reference to the hostile reaction of the UK music press and to the English group the Birds serving the band with a writ of copyright infringement because of the similarities in their names. Īccording to Clark, the lyrics were primarily his creation, with a minor contribution being Crosby's line, 'Rain grey town, known for its sound'-a reference to London as home to the British Invasion, which was then dominating the U.S. The song's lyrics are, for the most part, about the group's flight to London in August 1965 and their accompanying English tour, as hinted at by the opening couplet: 'Eight miles high and when you touch down, you'll find that it's stranger than known.' Although commercial airliners fly at an altitude of six to seven miles, it was felt that 'eight miles high' sounded more poetic than six and also alluded to the title of the Beatles' song ' Eight Days a Week'. Top 20 hit, and was their last release before the departure of Clark, who was the band's principal songwriter at the time. 'Eight Miles High' became the Byrds' third and final U.S. The song was also included on the band's third album, Fifth Dimension, which was released on July 18, 1966. 'Eight Miles High' reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 24 in the UK Singles Chart. The failure of 'Eight Miles High' to reach the Billboard Top 10 is usually attributed to the broadcasting ban, but some commentators have suggested the song's complexity and uncommercial nature were greater factors. The band strenuously denied these allegations at the time, but in later years both Clark and Crosby admitted that the song was at least partly inspired by their own drug use. radio ban shortly after its release, following allegations published in the broadcasting trade journal the Gavin Report regarding perceived drug connotations in its lyrics.

Accordingly, critics often cite 'Eight Miles High' as being the first bona fide psychedelic rock song, as well as a classic of the counterculture era. Musically influenced by sitar player Ravi Shankar and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, the song was influential in developing the musical styles of psychedelia and raga rock. It was first released as a single on March 14, 1966. ' Eight Miles High' is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn (a.k.a.

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