Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

While reading Ian MacDonald's Revolution In The Head I came across an interesting comment with regard to Eight Miles High. MacDonald's footnote reads

When The Byrds' Roger McGuinn wrote 'Eight Miles High' in 1965, he intended to call it "Six Miles High' which more accurately measured the cruising height of an airliner. His colleague Gene Clark, however, persuaded him to alter it on the grounds that 'eight', as in The Beatles' EIGHT DAYS A WEEK, had a more 'poetic ring' to it. (Somach and Somach, p. 165.)

This is of interest as it is but one example of the influence of The Beatles on the music of The Byrds. Try singing "Six Miles High", I think Clark had a point.

Yeah, I think you're right, Peter. Beginning a line on a strong beat, and a long note with a word that begins with a vowel sounds a lot better than a word with an S.
You'd have "Ssssssssssssssssixxxxxxxxxxxxxxx miles high......" Too harsh. (nothing like resurrecting an old thread, eh?)
JimK

MCGuinn tells the story that, while flying to London, Gene Clark asked the altitude of the airplane. McGuin replied "about seven miles high" (about 37,000 feet - about right), and thus the genesis of the song. But "Seven" (not six) didn't make it, as it meant two syllables on the first word. Hence eight.

All correct...8MH, or 42,240 feet AGL (Above ground level) is actually a bit higher than where airliners "Like to be", which usually cruise somewhere between 33,000-37,000 feet.

Up above 42,000 & higher, the air is getting pretty thin, and would be pushing the limits of the maximum ceiling the aircraft can reach, and maintain.

Now, the old Convair B-36 Peacemaker from the early 1950s routinely cruised at around 42,000-45,000 ft, and have been pushed up to about 55,000 feet on occasion. This is largely due to the high aspect ratio of the wing, and extremely long wingspan of the aircraft which will provide enough lift in the thin air.

Same for the Boeing B-52; she routinely cruised up around 45,000 feet as well. Now, the SR-71 Blackbird could really get up there; 85,000-95,000 feet.

Besides the first Vostok & Mercury astronauts, the first to reach "50 Miles High" (300,000 feet) were the X-15 pilots, who, when reaching the 50 mile mark, recieved "Astronauts Wings".

I've read in a several sources though that Gene replaced "Six" with "Eight".

Christian

I always thought it sounded better than "thirteen kilometers high" or "sixty-four furlongs high."

Or 24,640 cubits high - man that one really sucks.

Enough silliness.

I just checked and McGuinn tells the "Seven Miles" story in his introduction to the song on Live from Mars.

Technically that doesn;t preclude the "Six Miles" story, as once your disposed of "Seven" your next choices are Six and EIght.

I'd always heard it was a Lear that they flew around the country in, with McGuinn often getting some yoke time in the cockpit.....and I wondered about that....there is no Lear in the world with an 8-mile ceiling........

According to McGuinn, the song was written on the flight home folowing the Byrds' first trip to England (hence all the Lpndo references). At that time they were flying commercial.

In 1987, I saw Gene Clark play at a small coffee house in Hartford. When he introduced "Eight Miles High," he mentioned how HE was the principal author of the song-- and the way he wrote it was very different!!! He then stated that he was going to play it the way he intended-- not like the Byrds version!!!

I wish that I could have recorded it that night. But, it was much slower and the verses were hauntingly beautiful. At one point, he did stop briefly to mention that: "at this juncture, Roger McGuinn comes in with a blistering solo-- but, I can't do that!!!!

Karl

The way McGuinn tells the story, it was indeed Gene Clark that was the principal author of the song. I don't mean to imply anything different. McGuinn tells the tale as if Clark was consulting him for an idea.

Somewhere else I vaguely remember reading that McGuinn may have contributed a verse and Crosby a line or two, but the bulk came from Clark.

You are a liucky man, I would have loved to hear Clark do his rendition.

Chris Hillman's "Eight Miles High 2005" on his website, is very good also. A very different take on it.

Deanodime wrote:Chris Hillman's "Eight Miles High 2005" on his website, is very good also. A very different take on it.

I'll have to take a listen. Thanks for suggesting this.
JimK

mcd220 wrote:All correct...8MH, or 42,240 feet AGL (Above ground level) is actually a bit higher than where airliners "Like to be", which usually cruise somewhere between 33,000-37,000 feet.

Up above 42,000 & higher, the air is getting pretty thin, and would be pushing the limits of the maximum ceiling the aircraft can reach, and maintain.

In 1960, my family flew from Japan to Hawaii aboard a Pan Am 707, the captain announced the cruising height as 42,000ft.

kvalois wrote:In 1987, I saw Gene Clark play at a small coffee house in Hartford. When he introduced "Eight Miles High," he mentioned how HE was the principal author of the song-- and the way he wrote it was very different!!! He then stated that he was going to play it the way he intended-- not like the Byrds version!!!

I wish that I could have recorded it that night. But, it was much slower and the verses were hauntingly beautiful. At one point, he did stop briefly to mention that: "at this juncture, Roger McGuinn comes in with a blistering solo-- but, I can't do that!!!!

Karl

I would have just been pleased to see Clark, no matter what. I'm sure his version was stellar, as were many of the songs he wrote (not to take anything away from the Byrds version. It too was fantastic.) Clark was under appreciated, especially as a songwriter, IMO.