Byrds - I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better

"I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" is a song by the Los Angeles folk rock band The Byrds that was first released in June 1965 on the B-side of the band's second single, "All I Really Want to Do". It was also included on The Byrds' debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man.^[1] Written by Gene Clark, who also sings the lead vocal, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" features some of The Byrds' early musical trademarks, including Jim McGuinn's jangling 12-string Rickenbacker guitar; Clark's pounding tambourine; McGuinn, Clark and David Crosby's complex harmony singing; and a country-influenced guitar solo.^[2][3][4] Although it was initially released as a B-side, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" was itself heavily promoted by Columbia Records during the time that "All I Really Want to Do" spent on the Billboard charts and as a result, the song actually managed to chart in its own right at #103. Since its release, the song has become a rock music standard, inspiring a number of cover versions over the years. It is also considered by many critics to be one of the band's, as well as Clark's, best and most popular songs, with Rolling Stone magazine ranking it at #234 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.^[6][7]

Lyrically, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" takes a sardonic view of romance, with Clark undecided about whether to break off a relationship with a woman who hasn't been entirely honest with him. The song dates from The Byrds' pre-fame residency at Ciro's nightclub in L.A. as Clark explained during an interview: "There was a girlfriend I had known at the time, when we were playing at Ciro's. It was a weird time in my life because everything was changing so fast and I knew we were becoming popular. This girl was a funny girl, she was kind of a strange little girl and she started bothering me a lot. And I just wrote the song, 'I'm gonna feel a whole lot better when you're gone,' and that's all it was, but I wrote the whole song within a few minutes."

The song is built around a pounding riff that Clark later admitted was based on "Needles and Pins" by The Searchers.^[6] The song's refrain of "I'll probably feel a whole lot better when you're gone" betrays Clark's uncertainty about ending the relationship and whether such an act would be the answer to his problems or not. The use of the word "probably" in the song is key, giving the track a depth of subtext that was unusual for a pop song at the time. Jim Dickson, The Byrds' manager, has noted that this level of subtext was not unusual in Clark's songs of the period: "There was always something to unravel in those songs, the non-explanation of the complex feeling. For instance, if you remember I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, it doesn't say: "I'll feel a whole lot better", but "I'll probably feel a whole lot better." For me, that makes the song. There's a statement followed by a hesitation." Dickson would later work as a producer on Clark's 1984 album Firebyrd, which featured a re-recorded version of "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better".

Cover versions

Tom Petty covered the song on his 1989 solo album, Full Moon Fever.^[3] The Israeli band Hazvuvim (The Flys) performed a version of the song translated into Hebrew on their debut album Bzzz....^{[citation needed]} The Hebrew version was titled "Hasiba hi she...", which means "The Reason Why," the first line of the song.^{[citation needed]}

San Francisco band The Flamin' Groovies also released a cover of the song on their 1978 Sire Records release, Flamin' Groovies Now.^[9] Paisley Underground band The Three O'Clock covered the song on their Baroque Hoedown E.P. Reportedly, Gene Clark sings backing vocal on this version of the song.^[10]

Argentinian rock musician Charly García covered the song on his 1990 album, Filosofía Barata y Zapatos de Goma. The track was named "Me Siento Mucho Mejor" and the lyrics were translated into spanish.

Country pop artist Juice Newton covered the song on her 1985 Old Flame album but the song is slightly retitled as "Feel a Whole Lot Better".^[12] Newton's version also alters some of the song's verse lyrics. Likewise, The Crust Brothers covered the song on their 1998 live album, Marquee Mark, under this slightly altered title.^[13]

Johnny Rivers covered the song in 1973 on his Blue Suede Shoes album and the song was also included on his 2006 compilation album, Secret Agent Man: The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology.^[14][15]

Dinosaur Jr. did a grungy cover on The Byrds tribute album, Time Between – A Tribute to The Byrds.^[16] Reportedly, this version was Gene Clark's favorite cover of the song because he felt that the band had captured the essence of the lyrics, but successfully made the music even more uptempo.^{[citation needed]}

The reason why,
Oh, I can say,
I have to let you go, babe.
And right away.
After what you did
I can't stay on.
And I'll probably feel a whole lot better
When you're gone.

Baby, for a long time
You had me believe
That your love was all mine
And that's the way it would be.
But I didn't know
That you were putting me on.
And I'll probably feel a whole lot better
When you're gone.

Now, I've got to say
That it's not like before,
And I'm not gonna play
Your games any more.
After what you did
I can't stay on.
And I'll probably feel a whole lot better
When you're gone.
Oh, when you're gone.
Oh, when you're gone.
Oh, when you're gone.