Carole King and Gerry Goffin developed some of music’s biggest hits, but in the late ’60s, one of their ballads was covered by the Byrds and pushed one of its members to leave the band.
“Goin’ Back” was written by the songwriting duo in 1966 and gained popularity as an anthem of lost innocence that often comes with adulthood. King penned the track in hopes of recapturing youthful innocence. Before King ever released her version of the song, it was first released by Dusty Springfield.
The ballad was originally meant to be released by Goldie of Goldie & the Gingerbreads, but the singer’s changes to her version led to disagreements with King and Goffin. Goldie’s version was ultimately scrapped from being released, and King decided to give it to Springfield.
Springfield’s version of “Goin’ Back” became an international hit that landed at No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart and ranked in the Top 10 in Singapore and Australia. Despite its popularity, the track was never released in the US, with “Goin’ Back” reaching the States in 1967 when it was covered by the Byrds.
The ballad led David Crosby to leave the Byrds
Their baroque pop cover that had a noticeable country feel landed at No. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when it was released in mid-October. It was released as a single and as part of their album The Notorious Byrd Brothers.
Critics praised their version of “Goin’ Back” as a “soft, slow blues ballad material with combined folk and electronic frosting,” but the track itself caused tensions within the band. Producer Gary Usher was the one who introduced the track to the band, with Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman more than open to recording it.
Rhythm guitarist David Crosby was less than enthusiastic and left the King ballad as a “lightweight” fluff compared to the direction the band needed to go. As a result, Crosby was dismayed to learn that the Byrds were going ahead with recording the song, and another factor made it incredibly personal.
Crosby felt the band needed to focus on more original material instead of a cover and wanted the band to include his song “Triad” on the album. McGuinn and Hillman weren’t on board with the idea and instead went with “Goin’ Back.”
According to American Songwriter, Crosby took part in the early takes of the song, but refused to be a part of the remaining sessions. Road manager Jim Seiter recalls how “David sat on a couch for three days and didn’t do a thing.”
The situation eventually boiled over when McGuinn confronted Crosby. Reports claimed that he told Crosby that if he didn’t want to be a part of the recording, he could just leave the band.
“Goin’ Back” ended up being one of the reasons he left the Byrds, but not the sole reason. There were already growing tensions in the band regarding Crosby’s songwriting, his attitude towards the band, and personal conflicts.
“He just wasn’t making it, man. He’s a great talent, you know, and a nice cat — I like him — but he was getting a little too big for his britches, you know, trying to rule the machine, you know; getting hard to work with. So it was by mutual consent, like the three remaining Byrds got together and decided that it would be better if he wasn’t around anymore,” said McGuinn.
King and Goffin’s track ended up being covered by multiple artists in the following years, including Phil Collins, Marianne Faithfull, and Bruce Springsteen.
Related: 1962 Hit, a No.1 Cover for George Harrison, Is Still a Powerful Rock Classic 64 Years Later
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