Everybody’s Been Burned

Everybody’s Been Burned

The Byrds

“Everybody’s Been Burned” is an old song David Crosby had been banging around for years prior to this. First written in 1962, two years before The Byrds were even formed, Crosby had recorded demo versions as early as 1963.

A rather dark song about cynicism and emotional shields (a subject heavy on his mind, evidently), Crosby originally conceived of “Everybody’s Been Burned” as a ballad for a torch singer. You can still hear echoes of that idea in the dusky, seductive manner Crosby teases out the song, note by sustained note.

First released as the B-side to the “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” single in January 1967, it remains one of their most enduring songs.