The Byrds covered ‘Hey Joe’ before Jimi Hendrix
When thinking of the ultimate Jimi Hendrix cuts, the likes of ‘Purple Haze’ and, ironically, his cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along the Watchtower’ are usually the two that usually spring to mind first. Following these indomitable pieces, ‘Voodoo Chile’, ‘Foxy Lady’ and ‘Little Wing’ are also in contention. Part of this hallowed second rung is undoubtedly ‘Hey Joe’, with the opening riff one of the guitarist’s finest. Remarkably though, the track is actually a cover of an American standard, and Hendrix was beaten to it by his countercultural peers, The Byrds. Adding excitement to proceedings, for this piece, David Crosby assumed vocal duties.
A popular rock standard in the 1960s, ‘Hey Joe’ has been taken on by various artists over the years, ranging from Hendrix to French hero Johnny Hallyday. It was so everpresent during the countercultural period that in 1968, Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention released the parody ‘Flower Punk’, in a biting dig at the hippie lifestyle Zappa made no bones about loathing.
As with any standard, the authorship is contested. Many recordings credit it to Billy Roberts, Dino Valenti, or as a traditional piece. However, the Californian folk musician Roberts was the first to register the track for copyright in 1962.
Scottish folk artist Len Partridge claimed he helped Roberts pen the song, with the pair playing together in Edinburgh’s clubs in 1956. Elsewhere, there’s a claim that Roberts took inspiration from a trio of earlier tracks, including his girlfriend Niela Horn’s ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go to Town’, the early 20th-century ballad ‘Little Sadie’ and Carl Smith’s 1953 country classic ‘Hey Joe!’. Significantly, Smith’s piece also describes a man on the run after shooting his wife, a narrative Hendrix would mythologise with his version.
Los Angeles garage rock band The Leaves were the first to score an American hit with ‘Hey Joe’ in 1966. This was the start of it becoming a rock cornerstone, with The Byrds, The Standells, The Surfaris, and even Love quickly recording covers that helped it become a classic of the era. Accordingly, by the time The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their version in December 1966, it was already making cultural waves.
Whilst the Jimi Hendrix version is undoubtedly the best, with it one of his definitive guitar-playing performances, The Byrds’ rendition of ‘Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)’ is certainly deserving of more attention. Released on their 1966 masterpiece Fifth Dimension, the cover is a pacier take than Hendrix’s, coloured by the jangly 12-string licks of Roger McGuinn. A fine piece of psychedelia, drummer Michael Clarke adds a different aspect with his constant use of the cowbell that drives it along.
On The Byrds’ version, the late David Crosby takes the vocal reigns, with a palpable attitude carrying his delivery. In the liner notes of Fifth Dimension, McGuinn claimed that Crosby, who had a folk background, wanted to record the song as far back as 1964, but the rest of the band blocked his request. “The reason Crosby did lead on ‘Hey Joe’ was because it was his song,” McGuinn said. “He didn’t write it but he was responsible for finding it. He’d wanted to do it for years but we would never let him.”
However, after contemporaries The Leaves and Love scored minor success with it, Crosby was angered as it could have been The Byrds, so the rest of the band finally relented to cool his fury. McGuinn concluded: “Then both Love and The Leaves had a minor hit with it and David got so angry that we had to let him do it.”
Listen to ‘Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)’ below.
