"The World Turns All Around Her" is a song written by

Gene Clark Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...

that was first recorded by

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

for their second album ''

Turn! Turn! Turn! "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 fin ...

'' (1965).

Music and lyrics

"The World Turns All Around Her" is one of several songs written by Clark with lyrics about broken love and the pain of teenage romance. The song has been described as being about "the unrealized potential of womanhood." According to music critic

Johnny Rogan John Rogan (14 February 1953 – 21 January 2021) was a British author of Irish descent best known for his books about music and popular culture. He wrote influential biographies of the Byrds, Neil Young, the Smiths, Van Morrison and Ray Davies. ...

, the theme of the song is "understanding through loss." The singer has lost his girlfriend, but doesn't feel jealous or resentful. Rather than expressing the cliche of asking her new boyfriend to care for his ex-girlfriend, he instead asks that he help her realize her potential. The song ends with the singer suggesting that the new boyfriend may eventually recognize that he too must set her free in order for her to become all that she can be. Despite the sad and philosophical content, the music is set to a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

beat. Byrds biographer Christopher Hjort described the tune as one of Clark's "catchiest." ''Rolling Stone Album Guide'' contributor

Rob Sheffield Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author. He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at ''Blen ...

described the music as being "morosely uptempo." Rogan feels that applying this music to "a plaintive love song" reinforces the impact of the lyrics. Clark was reportedly pleased with the effect, stating "I liked the song very much. I thought the fast, electric treatment worked out OK." ''Something Else!'' contributor Beverly Paterson described the music as having "sparkling sheen and needle-sharp hooks." Rogan praised the vocal

harmonies In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However, ...

but felt that the instrument playing was a little too loose.

Recording

"The World Turns All Around Her" was recorded on August 28, 1965, at Columbia Recording Studio A in Hollywood, California. The Byrds also recorded "

She Don't Care About Time "She Don't Care About Time" is a song by American folk rock band the Byrds. It was released on a non-album single in October1965, as the B-side to "Turn! Turn! Turn!". The song was written by Gene Clark, the Byrds' main songwriter between 1964 and ...

" at that session.

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

describes "The World Turns All Around Her" as a "strong composition." Clark biographer John Einarson described it as "indicative of lark'sexpanding poetic vision" and one of the highlights of ''Turn! Turn! Turn!''. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' contributor Joe Tangari describes it as "exquisite pop" and ''Rolling Stone'' contributor Billy Altman described it as "thoughtful, original pop." Writer Jeremy Simmonds described it as a "timeless number." "The World Turns All Around Her" appeared on several Byrds' compilation albums, including ''

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

'' (1990 box set), ''

The Very Best of The Byrds The Very Best of The Byrds is a compilation album by the American rock band The Byrds, released by Columbia Records in 1997. Initially the compilation was only released in Europe and Canada but as of 2006, the album has seen some release in the U. ...

'' (1997), and ''

The Essential Byrds ''The Essential Byrds'' is a comprehensive two- CD compilation album by the American rock band the Byrds. It was released in 2003 as part of Sony BMG's ''The Essential'' series. ''The Essential Byrds'' did not chart in the U.S. or the UK. A 3.0 edi ...

'' (2003).

Other versions

The Byrds recorded an alternate mix of "The World Turns All Around Her" that incorporated

bongo drums Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...

. This version was included as a bonus track on the 1996 CD release of ''Turn! Turn! Turn!''. "The World Turns All Around Her" has been recorded by several artists including

Skydiggers Skydiggers are a Canadian roots rock band from Toronto formed by Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson. Since 1990, they have released 19 albums/EPs and have had a number of singles that have appeared on the Canadian charts. Their most successful album i ...

and

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:World Turns All Around Her The Byrds songs 1965 songs Songs written by Gene Clark Song recordings produced by Terry Melcher