Turn! Turn! Turn! Songs Ranked
“Turn! Turn! Turn!”, or “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)”, is a song written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s and first recorded in 1959. The lyrics – except for the title, which is repeated throughout the song, and the final two lines – consist of the first eight verses of the third chapter of the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. The song was originally released in 1962 as “To Everything, There Is a Season” on folk group the Limeliters’ album Folk Matinee, and then some months later on Seeger’s own The Bitter and the Sweet. The song became an international hit in late 1965 when it was adopted by the American folk-rock group the Byrds. The single entered the U.S. chart at number 80 on October 23, 1965, before reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 4, 1965. In Canada, it reached number 3 on November 29, 1965, and also peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. Here are all of the Turn! Turn! Turn! songs ranked.
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11. Oh! Susannah
“They really could have done without this song on the album. They had other instrumentals, originals, and covers that they could have used other than this song. It’s not a bad song though, just boring at times. A prime example of how Byrds-ified does not always mean better.”
10. Wait and See
“The Byrds move on to the pleasant but insubstantial McGuinn-Crosby ballad, ‘Wait and See’. It’s about as strong as some of the more obscure numbers on ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, but one expects more from the Byrds at this point.”
9. If You’re Gone
“Another sad, Clark-penned song. This man is the best at writing depressing, sad tracks. A simply beautiful song about not being able to stand someone being gone. Gene Clark wrote this about his emotional insecurities. The backup vocals provide a constant drone throughout the song”
See more: The Byrds Albums Ranked
8. The Times They Are A-Changin’
“The take of ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ is dripping with irony and ennui, and is essentially worthless. The argument that this song could not be effectively covered as an upbeat folk-rock tune is proven false by the far superior (and EARLIER), punkish alternate take included on this CD.
7. Satisfied Mind
“Elsewhere, the solemn cover of Porter Wagoner’s ‘Satisfied Mind’ is graced by hair-raising choral harmonies, with the verses changed and one removed, totally altering the song’s message. Crosby’s harmony, in particular, has a haunting shiver to it.”
6. Set You Free This Time
“This is to say nothing of the original material, which on all but one song is first-rate. In particular, Gene Clark turns in three mournful, low-key masterpieces with ‘Set You Free This Time’ (boasting a surprisingly dense lyric and a sparse solo vocal), ‘The World Turns All Around Her’ and ‘If You’re Gone’.”
5. The World Turns All Around Her
“The World Turns All Around Her’ is subtly psychedelic and mildly experimental, being a modal, celtic- sounding song that could have passed for an Irish mountain ballad. (An alternate take is included, but besides an unintentionally goofy bongo track, it’s no different.)”
See more: The Byrds Songs Ranked
4. It Won’t Be Wrong
“There is also a trippy edge to the McGuinn number ‘It Won’t Be Wrong’, a moving, urgent plea graced with brilliant, piercing guitar work and insistent time and mood changes. It even has a country-ish bridge and, in a slightly less ‘pop’ arrangement, might have fit well on 1968’s ‘Notorious Byrd Brothers’ LP.”
3. Lay Down Your Weary Tune
“The Byrds here turn in a surprisingly grungy take on ‘Lay Down Your Weary Tune’, for example, with a bleary edge helped along by beautiful and unusual harmonies. Elsewhere, the solemn cover of Porter Wagoner’s ‘Satisfied Mind’ is graced by hair-raising choral harmonies, with the verses changed and one removed, totally altering the song’s message.”
2. He Was a Friend of Mine
“The traditional song, ‘He Was a Friend of Mine’, is retrofitted by McGuinn with new lyrics about JFK, nimble bass runs by Chris Hillman, and another lovely harmony from Crosby.
1. Turn! Turn! Turn!
“One of the many great covers from the Byrds. This cover is a classic and possibly one of the Byrds most famous songs. When you listen to it, you’ll understand why. It’s a little ditty stripped from The Book of Ecclesiastes mixed with the Byrds folk-rock/pop style and it works. A greatly executed piece of work.”
