You Showed Me
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"You Showed Me" 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 ...
and
Jim McGuinn Jim McGuinn, born James Slusarek, is an American radio personality. He served as program director of the now defunct Y100 100.3FM (1997–2005) and its predecessor, WDRE in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1995–97), both of which changed formats ...
(later known as Roger) of
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 ...
in 1964. It was recorded by
the Turtles ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
and released as a
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
at the end of 1968, becoming the group's last big
hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
in the U.S. The song has also been
covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...
or partially incorporated into other songs by a number of other acts over the years, including
the Lightning Seeds The Lightning Seeds (also known as Lightning Seeds) are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1989 by Ian Broudie (vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the bands Big in Japan, Care, and Original Mirrors. Originally a studio-based s ...
,
Salt-N-Pepa Salt-N-Pepa (also stylized as Salt 'N' Pepa or Salt 'N Pepa) is an American hip-hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper). Their debut album, ''Hot, C ...
, and
Lutricia McNeal Lutricia McNeal (born November 27, 1973) is an American soul and pop singer. She achieved worldwide success with her cover version of "Ain't That Just the Way" which sold two million copies worldwide. Biography McNeal was discovered by Roger ...
.


The Byrds version

The song was composed by Clark and McGuinn in early 1964 at a time when the pair were performing as a duo at The Troubadour and other
folk club A folk club is a regular event, permanent venue, or section of a venue devoted to folk music and traditional music. Folk clubs were primarily an urban phenomenon of 1960s and 1970s Great Britain and Ireland, and vital to the second British folk r ...
s in and around Los Angeles. Critic Matthew Greenwald has described "You Showed Me" as "a minor-key romantic ballad", while also commenting that "the song has a near-Beach Boys feel and ends up being an effervescent piece of moody pop." Music historian
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 '' ...
has remarked that "You Showed Me", like many of the songs that Clark had a hand in writing during the 1960s, contains a mix of
major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
and
minor chord In music theory, a minor chord is a chord that has a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a minor triad. For example, the minor triad built on C, called a C minor triad, has pit ...
s arranged in unexpected progressions. He also stated that the song recounts the tale of a lover who is being tutored in the ways of love by a more experienced partner. Soon after writing "You Showed Me", Clark and McGuinn formed a trio with
David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...
and named themselves the Jet Set. The trio began rehearsing at World Pacific Studios under the guidance of their manager Jim Dickson, with Michael Clarke and
Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of and one of the original members of the Byrds, which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby and Michael Clarke. With frequent ...
joining the group soon afterward. Dickson recorded many of the Jet Set's rehearsal sessions at World Pacific and it was during this time that
demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
s of "You Showed Me" were recorded by the band. The song was soon abandoned by the group, who had now changed their name to
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 ...
, and was not included on their debut album, ''
Mr. Tambourine Man "Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written by Bob Dylan, released as the first track of the acoustic side of his March 1965 album '' Bringing It All Back Home''. The song's popularity led to Dylan recording it live many times, and it has been includ ...
''. However, recordings of "You Showed Me" by the Byrds, dating from 1964, were released on the archival albums ''
Preflyte ''Preflyte'' is a compilation album by the American folk rock band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band- ...
'', '' In the Beginning'', ''The Prefylte Sessions'', and ''Preflyte Plus''.


The Turtles version

In 1968, the song was recorded by
the Turtles ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
as part of their album ''
The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands ''The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands'' is the fourth studio album released by the American rock band the Turtles. Produced by Chip Douglas (who returned to work with the Turtles after a brief stint shepherding The Monkees' transition int ...
''. It was also released as a single in 1968, reaching 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "You Showed Me" had been introduced to the Turtles by their producer and former
bass player A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low bra ...
,
Chip Douglas Douglas Farthing Hatlelid (born August 27, 1942), better known as Chip Douglas, is an American songwriter, musician (bass, guitar and keyboards), and record producer, whose most famous work was during the 1960s. He was the bassist of the Turtle ...
, who had first become acquainted with the song after hearing Clark, McGuinn, and Crosby perform it at The Troubadour in 1964. Douglas had also performed the song with Clark during 1966, while he was a member of Gene Clark and the Group. Although the song had originally been an
uptempo A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...
number, Douglas first demonstrated it for the Turtles' vocalists
Howard Kaylan Howard Kaylan (born Howard Lawrence Kaplan, June 22, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with bandmate and friend Mark Volman, a member of th ...
and
Mark Volman Mark Randall Volman (born April 19, 1947) is an American vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, along with his bandmate and friend Howard Kaylan, a member of the 1970s rock duo ...
on a
harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...
with a broken bellows, requiring him to play the song slowly. The slower tempo impressed Kaylan and Volman and consequently, the Turtles' recording of the song uses this slower
arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...
. Their version features an accompaniment of strings, including violins, violas, and cellos.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Salt-N-Pepa version

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
rap trio
Salt-N-Pepa Salt-N-Pepa (also stylized as Salt 'N' Pepa or Salt 'N Pepa) is an American hip-hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper). Their debut album, ''Hot, C ...
incorporated parts of the song into their version, also called "You Showed Me", on their 1990 album, ''
Blacks' Magic ''Blacks' Magic'' is the third studio album by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released on March 19, 1990, by Next Plateau Records and London Records. A critical and commercial success, the album peaked at number 38 on the US ''Billboard' ...
''. It was released as the sixth and final single from that album. This single charted on the US Hot 100 and also reached No. 15 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
when it was released as a single in 1991.


Track listing

# You Showed Me (The Born Again mix) – 3:25 # You Showed Me (The Born Again club mix) – 5:41 # Let's Talk About Sex (Universal club) – 7:16


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


The Lightning Seeds version

In 1996, the song was covered in a
trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...
style by British
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band
the Lightning Seeds The Lightning Seeds (also known as Lightning Seeds) are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1989 by Ian Broudie (vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the bands Big in Japan, Care, and Original Mirrors. Originally a studio-based s ...
and released as a single. It was originally intended to be a B-side to their previous single, "What If...", and utilises loops and samplers from the
Turtles Turtles are an order (biology), order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) an ...
original. The song became the Lightning Seeds' most successful chart release (not including the two versions of "
Three Lions "Three Lions" is a song by the English comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner and the rock band the Lightning Seeds. It was released on 20 May 1996 to mark the England football team's participation in that year's UEFA European Championshi ...
") reaching No. 8 in the UK. By the time the single was released, drummer Chris Sharrock had left the band to join
Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...
' backing group, and new percussionist
Zak Starkey Zak Richard Starkey (born 13 September 1965) is an English rock drummer who has performed and recorded with English rock band the Who since 1996. He is also the third drummer to have appeared with English rock band Oasis. In 2020, Starkey toure ...
took his place in its
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
. Additionally, it peaked at No. 4 in Iceland and No. 42 on the
Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...
. It was also included on the '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' soundtrack.


Critical reception

Dave Sholin from the ''
Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The pu ...
'' wrote, "One of the Turtles' biggest hits comes out of its shell to be artfully re-invented by the Lightning Seeds. A gigantic hit in 1969, it plays well in
Mike Myers Michael John Myers OC (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. His accolades include seven MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollyw ...
' newest comedy, '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery''. The film, like the song, doesn't disappoint." A reviewer from ''
Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...
'' rated it four out of five, adding, "Remixed and reshaped from the version included on ''
Dizzy Heights ''Dizzy Heights'' is the fourth studio album by British alternative rock band The Lightning Seeds, released in 1996, and reached No. 11 in the UK Albums Chart. It was re-issued in Sony Mid Price range in August 1999. Writing and recording ''Diz ...
'', it's a moody, atmospheric offering." David Sinclair from ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' viewed it as a "workmanlike version of the 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 ...
and James McGuinn of the
Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, 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 th ...
, complete with strings and "scratches"."


Music video

The accompanying black-and-white
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for "You Showed Me" was directed by Pedro Romhanyi.


Track listing


Charts


Sampling and controversy

The Turtles version also features a gently rising and falling string section, which was
sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...
by U2 in 1997 for their song "
The Playboy Mansion The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner who lived there from 1974 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the home located in Holmby Hill ...
" on their album '' Pop''. While the song "Showed Me (How I Fell in Love with You)" by singer
Madison Beer Madison Elle Beer (born March 5, 1999) is an American singer. Born in New York, she began posting covers to YouTube in early 2012. Beer gained substantial media coverage when Justin Bieber posted a link to one of her covers. She released her d ...
used this interpolation. The American hip hop group
De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...
also sampled the Turtles' recording of "You Showed Me" for their song "Transmitting Live From Mars (Interlude)" on their 1989 album, ''
3 Feet High and Rising ''3 Feet High and Rising'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group De La Soul, released on March 3, 1989 by Tommy Boy Records. It is the first of three collaborations with producer Prince Paul, which would become the critical and ...
'', but did not ask permission or clear the sample. The Turtles took litigation against the group, suing them for $1.7 million. An out-of-court settlement was reached for an undisclosed sum. It is said to be the first time that a hip hop act was ever sued for unethical use of another artist's music.


Other cover versions

The song has also been covered by
Lutricia McNeal Lutricia McNeal (born November 27, 1973) is an American soul and pop singer. She achieved worldwide success with her cover version of "Ain't That Just the Way" which sold two million copies worldwide. Biography McNeal was discovered by Roger ...
on her 2002 album, ''Metroplex''. In addition,
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
based his song Gorgeous, from his 2010 album ''
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 22, 2010, following a period of public controversy for West. Re ...
'', on elements derived from "You Showed Me". In 2011, the
alternative country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
duo
the Watson Twins The Watson Twins are an American alternative country band based in Los Angeles, formed by identical twin sisters Chandra and Leigh Watson. Biography Chandra and Leigh were born on March 28, 1975, in Tulsa, Oklahoma and raised in Louisville, Ke ...
offered a free download of their cover of "You Showed Me" on their website.


References

{{Authority control 1968 singles The Byrds songs The Turtles songs The Lightning Seeds songs Salt-N-Pepa songs Songs written by Roger McGuinn Songs written by Gene Clark 1964 songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Sampling controversies Music videos directed by Pedro Romhanyi Black-and-white music videos