Fifth Dimension Songs Ranked

Fifth Dimension is the third album by the American folk rockb and the Byrds and was released in July 1966 on Columbia Records. Most of the album was recorded following the February 1966 departure of the band’s principal songwriter genre Clark. In an attempt to compensate for Clark’s absence, guitarists Jim McGuinn and David Crosby stepped into the breach and increased their songwriting output. In spite of this, the loss of Clark resulted in an album with a total of four cover versions and an instrumental, which critics have described as “wildly uneven” and “awkward and scattered”. However, the album is notable for being the first by the Byrds not to include any songs written by Bob Dylan, whose material had previously been a mainstay of the band’s repertoire. Here are all of Fifth Dimension’s songs ranked.

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10. Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)

“Their cover of Hey Joe is sung and played at a quite fast tempo. That may keep some people from giving it a listen because they like Jimi Hendrix’s slower version (or maybe they like the version the Leaves did I don’t know). It doesn’t bother me at all that it’s fast. I still love Jimi’s version, but I like fast songs a li’l bit better.”

9. Captain Soul

“Captain Soul is an instrumental, and that’s just about it. I mean it’s a good instrumental but it’s not my favourite instrumental ever, or even my favourite instrumental by the Byrds. Wanna hear another Byrds song with classical strings???? Of course you do! Unless you don’t like strings or orchestras in songs (I love them but everyone has an opinion).”

8. What’s Happening?

“What’s Happening? is a song that asks “what’s going on?” and “what’s happening?”. The lyrics are relatable to a person who is growing up and trying to figure out what’s going on in the world. Other than the lyrics this song isn’t too entertaining. Sure there’s some good guitar work but it’s not too interesting instrument and vocal-wise.”

See more: The Byrds Albums Ranked

7. John Riley

“It’s a beautiful traditional song and the Byrds execute it perfectly with their blending harmonies with the instruments and added strings. I like it better than Wild Mountain Thyme!”

6. Wild Mountain Thyme

“Wild Mountain Thyme adds another element that the Byrds previously had never used in their albums, classical strings. The strings combined with those lovely harmonies gloriously enhance the song to make it beautiful. This song is best paired while travelling through a beautiful landscape.”

5. Mr. Spaceman

“Mr. Spaceman is a severely catchy song that is an unspoken classic. It’s the first of the many Byrds sci-fi themed songs. I mean McGuinn seriously thought those aliens were real. There’s also a short and sweet guitar solo. The only big problem with this song is that it’s too short!!!! I See You is not generally a praised song on this album but it’s super, super catchy. Almost too catchy.”

See more: The Byrds Songs Ranked

4. I Come and Stand At Every Door

“I Come and Stand at Every Door is a great song about a child who died in the Hiroshima attacks who just wants people to give peace a chance. So that children like them won’t have to die (Amen!). It’s so sad and beautiful it sometimes just makes you think what life would be like if these children could actually be heard…”

3. I See You

“An uptempo song with a lot of jazz influence. They were listening to a lot of Coltrane when they made the album. I See You is not generally a praised song on this album but it’s super, super catchy. Almost too catchy.”

2. 5D (Fifth Dimension)

“The album starts with the title track 5D (Fifth Dimension). Now I’m not joking when I say this song got me into the Byrds’ work. This McGuinn-penned song really makes you feel like you’re travelling through another dimension, and that’s what I love about it.”

1. Eight Miles High

“This song is the best song on the album, a classic song. It’s finally getting the recognition now it deserved in 1966. Song-wise, the song is probably one of the best songs written, ever. It’s the story about their trip to England, specifically London, and they couldn’t have worded it more perfectly. Ex: “rain grey town, known for it’s sound”.