--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think what makes the Byrds stand up all…" description: "\"I think what makes the Byrds stand up all these years is the basis in folk music. Folk music, being a timeless art form, is the foundation of the Byrds..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/roger-mcguinn-13462_art_i-think-what-makes-the-byrds-stand-up-al_278867.jpg" --- # I think what makes the Byrds stand up all these years is… ![“I think what makes the Byrds stand up all these years is the basis in folk music. Folk music, being a timeless art form, is the foundation of the Byrds. We were all from a folk background. We considered ourselves folk singers even when we strapped on electric instruments and dabbled in different…” quote by Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/roger-mcguinn-13462_art_i-think-what-makes-the-byrds-stand-up-al_278867.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/roger-mcguinn-13462_art_i-think-what-makes-the-byrds-stand-up-al_278867.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/roger-mcguinn-13462_art_i-think-what-makes-the-byrds-stand-up-al_278867.jpg) > “I think what makes the Byrds stand up all these years is the basis in folk music. Folk music, being a timeless art form, is the foundation of the Byrds. We were all from a folk background. We considered ourselves folk singers even when we strapped on electric instruments and dabbled in different things.” [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Byrds’ longevity stems from their folk roots, which provided a timeless foundation even as they embraced electric sounds. **In simple terms:** Folk roots kept them relevant. Key Takeaway Embrace core identity while evolving. Themes music heritage innovation Mood nostalgic reflective Type historical musical When to use this quote - songwriting - live performance - record production Key Concepts genre blending authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How does a band retain authenticity while innovating? - Can genre fusion broaden audience appeal? A Different Perspective Risk of alienating original fans when changing style. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) [Background](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/background/) [Basis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basis/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Byrds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/byrds-255425/) [Byrds Folk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/byrds-folk-2709007/) [Considered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/considered/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-things/) [Electric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Folk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folk/) [Folk Background](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folk-background-2709009/) [Folk music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folk-music/) [Foundation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foundation/) [Foundation Byrds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foundation-byrds-2709010/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments/) [Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes/) [Makes Byrds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-byrds-2709008/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Ourselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ourselves/) [Singers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singers/) [Stand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand/) [Stand up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-up/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Timeless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/timeless/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [We detested folk music because it was cerebral and sedate and we had no time for that. But the Byrds were OK because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-mael/we-detested-folk-music-because-it-was-cerebral-and-sedate-and-we-had/) [Ron Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-mael/) > [My family making music was like a folk background, really: banging on tabletops, playing banjo and all kinds of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-davies/my-family-making-music-was-like-a-folk-background-really-banging-on/) [Dave Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-davies/) > [The original Byrds were very much Beatles-influenced, and then we gradually got our own sound. We started mixing things together more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/the-original-byrds-were-very-much-beatles-influenced-and-then-we/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [When The Byrds started country-rock, we had no idea there would be such a thing. We were just trying to honor the music. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/when-the-byrds-started-country-rock-we-had-no-idea-there-would-be/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I'm happy with the Byrds as a good memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-m-happy-with-the-byrds-as-a-good-memory/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I would do a Byrds tour or a Byrds record in a minute. I miss that band now. I've tried to convince Roger over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/i-would-do-a-byrds-tour-or-a-byrds-record-in-a-minute-i-miss-that/) [David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/) > [Folk-rock hasn't changed much over the decades since the Byrds started it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-forbert/folk-rock-hasn-t-changed-much-over-the-decades-since-the-byrds/) [Steve Forbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-forbert/) > [The Byrds flew off the fallout shelter, eight miles high and falling fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/the-byrds-flew-off-the-fallout-shelter-eight-miles-high-and-falling/) [Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/) > [I just got into it like a lot of people through the rock 'n' roll bands in the late '60s that turned to country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/i-just-got-into-it-like-a-lot-of-people-through-the-rock-n-roll-bands/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [I really dig The Byrds. I think they are the most underrated - in their original form - pop group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/i-really-dig-the-byrds-i-think-they-are-the-most-underrated-in-their/) [Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/) > [You don't see a lot of difference between the Gin Blossoms and the Byrds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-forbert/you-don-t-see-a-lot-of-difference-between-the-gin-blossoms-and-the/) [Steve Forbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-forbert/) > [Before I joined The Beach Boys, I was working at Columbia Records as a producer, and saw The Byrds come in and do their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/before-i-joined-the-beach-boys-i-was-working-at-columbia-records-as-a/) [Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/) > [The Rascals are something else. They're up there with the Beatles, and Stones and Byrds. That level of musicality. They have a real chemistry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-van-zandt/the-rascals-are-something-else-they-re-up-there-with-the-beatles-and/) [Steven Van Zandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-van-zandt/) > [I remember that first week at the Whisky and the gigs we (The Buffalo Springfield) did with the Byrds, We could really smoke !…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-stills/i-remember-that-first-week-at-the-whisky-and-the-gigs-we-the-buffalo/) [Stephen Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-stills/) > [That's one of the things I like best about folk music is the beautiful melodies - and the harmonies - that exist in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/that-s-one-of-the-things-i-like-best-about-folk-music-is-the/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) ## More by Roger McGuinn > [One of my favorite albums is Bob Gibson and Bob Camp, 'At the Gate of Horn.' It was a really dynamic album, almost like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/one-of-my-favorite-albums-is-bob-gibson-and-bob-camp-at-the-gate-of/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I always got a kick out of it when they called it the California Sound because it really came out of Liverpool and Greenwich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-always-got-a-kick-out-of-it-when-they-called-it-the-california/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [... Andres Segovia literally created the genre of classical guitar, which hadn't existed before around 1910. There was flamenco, which he borrowed from, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/andres-segovia-literally-created-the-genre-of-classical-guitar-which/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [Now, you can just get a laptop, get some software, put a microphone on it and make a record. You have to know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/now-you-can-just-get-a-laptop-get-some-software-put-a-microphone-on/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [That's one of the things I like best about folk music is the beautiful melodies - and the harmonies - that exist in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/that-s-one-of-the-things-i-like-best-about-folk-music-is-the/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [Im not attracted to expensive things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/im-not-attracted-to-expensive-things/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I've always loved the songs of the sea. I was first introduced to them back in 1957, at the Old Town School of Folk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-ve-always-loved-the-songs-of-the-sea-i-was-first-introduced-to-them/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I play a couple basic folks songs and break them down. I did that on a six string. I can't recall all the songs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-play-a-couple-basic-folks-songs-and-break-them-down-i-did-that-on-a/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I don't want to be an oldies act, kind of dragging around on the road just for the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-don-t-want-to-be-an-oldies-act-kind-of-dragging-around-on-the-road/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [My favorite guitar now is my Martin HD-7 because it's got everything. 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Get a business model like that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-think-the-good-thing-about-the-internet-is-to-give-something-away/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I'm not attracted to expensive things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-m-not-attracted-to-expensive-things/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [But in my imagination this whole thing developed and I started mixing up old folk songs with the Beatles beat and taking them down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/but-in-my-imagination-this-whole-thing-developed-and-i-started-mixing/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [Leadbelly's guitar is in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/leadbelly-s-guitar-is-in-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I love being on the sea and the rolling of the ship, and for me, it's not really happening until we get a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-love-being-on-the-sea-and-the-rolling-of-the-ship-and-for-me-it-s/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) [Explore all 50 Roger McGuinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. 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