An Original Man (A Song For Keith)

Album: Birdland (2003)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is a tribute to Keith Relf, who was The Yardbirds original lead singer and was electrocuted in 1976 while playing his guitar at his home. Birdland was the first Yardbirds studio album since 1967. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France
  • On The Yardbirds official site, bass player Chris Dreja said: "I remember writing the lyrics. I was at home and there was this book about the band on the table, and there was a photograph of Keith. I remember thinking how much he influenced these rock guys of today, their look and their attitude - I see little Relf copies all over the place. Relfy was the original man in that sense. I just wanted to write some lyrics encompassing what he was. He died young; he was immensely talented, a lot of it unrecognized. He was the real thing. So that's what really inspired me. The Gregorian chants on the fade very much fitted the reflectiveness of that song."

Comments: 3

  • Albert from NyThe Yardbirds were and will always be one of the best bands of all time..They shaped the way a band should sound and play....
  • D. R. from Okc, OkFor me the Yardbirds were one of those bands that had a magic. Jeff certainly had the guitar magic, but the rest of the guys completed the Yardbirds sound - and they still have it!
  • Ed from Lebanon, NhWhat a fitting way to close this album - to the one original Yardbird who never got the chance to join the re-formed Yardbirds.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.

Crystal Waters

Crystal WatersSongwriter Interviews

Waters tells the "Gypsy Woman" story, shares some of her songwriting insights, and explains how Dennis Rodman ended up on one of her songs.

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Judas Priest

Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton talk twin guitar harmonies and explain how they create songs in Judas Priest.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.