Saturday April 30, 2022 “Chestnut Mare” The Byrds
This is one of my favorite story songs and I always think of it as a Roger McGuinn solo but I can’t think of any birds named Roger or McGuinn so we’ll go with today’s version by The Byrds.
Jim McGuinn, who would later change his name to Roger to be more in tune with the universe according to his Indian guru, had been an accompanist for the Limeliters, the Chad Mitchell Trio, Bobby Darin and musical director for Judy Collins' third album. Gene Clark had been a member of the New Christy Minstrels, David Crosby had been a member of Les Baxter's Balladeers, Chris Hillman had been a member of the Hillmen and Michael Clarke had been a conga player in San Francisco. They would all come together and form The Byrds at the famous Troubadour Club in LA in 1964.
According to songwriter Roger McGuinn, “Chestnut Mare” is based on Peer Gynt, an 1867 play written by the Norwegian author Henrik Ibsen. In the play, Peer Gynt is a young boy who tells lots of fanciful tales, including one where he tracks a reindeer and goes for a crazy ride on its back. According to street legend the song is about heroin…horse, you get it.
The Byrds would spin out to several additional successful bands and solo careers including Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Flying Burrito Brothers, McGuinn, Clark & Hillman, and the Desert Rose Band. The Byrds are members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, have recorded a dozen albums, have three top twenty singles (surprised it's that few, me too) and have sold more than five million albums.
According to McGuinn, he ran out of breath on the last note of “Chestnut Mare”, so it cut out sooner than intended.
Stay safe and well…and regardless of your preference on the song's meaning, Peer Gynt or drugs it’s still a cool story song.