Editing My Back Pages (section)

==Cover versions==

==={{Anchor|The Byrds}} The Byrds' version===
{{Infobox song
| name       = My Back Pages
| cover      = TheByrdsMyBackPages.jpg
| alt        =
| caption    = Dutch picture sleeve
| type       = single
| artist     = [[the Byrds]]
| album      = [[Younger Than Yesterday]]
| B-side     = Renaissance Fair
| released   = March 13, 1967
| recorded   = December 5–8, 1966
| studio     = [[CBS Columbia Square|Columbia]], Hollywood, California
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Folk rock]]
| length     = *3:08 (album)
*{{duration|2:31}} (single)
| label      = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| writer     = Bob Dylan
| producer   = [[Gary Usher]]
| chronology = [[The Byrds]] US
| prev_title = [[So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star]]
| prev_year  = 1967
| next_title = [[Have You Seen Her Face]]
| next_year  = 1967
| misc       = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[The Byrds]] UK
 | type       = single
 | prev_title = [[So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star]]
 | prev_year  = 1967
 | title      = My Back Pages
 | year       = 1967
 | next_title = [[Lady Friend]]
 | next_year  = 1967
 }}
{{Audio sample|file=Byrds_-_My_Back_Pages.ogg|type=single}}
}}
The American rock band [[the Byrds]] released a recording of "My Back Pages" on February 6, 1967, as part of their fourth album, ''[[Younger Than Yesterday]]''.<ref name="timeless">{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny|pages=544–546|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref> The title of ''Younger Than Yesterday'' was directly inspired by the song's refrain of "Ah, but I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now."<ref>{{cite book|author=Hjort, Christopher|page=119|year=2008|title=So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973)|publisher=Jawbone Press|isbn=978-1-906002-15-2}}</ref> "My Back Pages" was subsequently issued as a single by the Byrds on March 13, 1967, with the version included on the single being a radio edit that omitted the song's second verse, to reduce the playing time from 3:08 to 2:31.<ref name="timeless"/><ref name="timeless2">{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny|page=207|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref> The single reached number 30 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and number 18 in Canada, but failed to chart in the United Kingdom.<ref name="whitburn">{{cite book|author=Whitburn, Joel|page=130|year=2008|title=Top Pop Singles 1955–2006|publisher=Record Research Inc|isbn=978-0-89820-172-7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.10063.pdf|title=Canadian charts listing|website=Library and Archives Canada|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-date=February 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226212343/https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.10063.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Brown, Tony|page=130|year=2000|title=The Complete Book of the British Charts|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=0-7119-7670-8}}</ref> "My Back Pages" was the last single by the Byrds to reach the Top 40 of the U.S. charts.<ref name="whitburn"/>

The song was initially suggested as a suitable vehicle for the band by their manager Jim Dickson.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hjort, Christopher|page=125|year=2008|title=So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973)|publisher=Jawbone Press|isbn=978-1-906002-15-2}}</ref> Lead guitarist [[Roger McGuinn|Jim McGuinn]] felt that it would make an effective cover version, but [[David Crosby]], the band's rhythm guitarist, felt that covering another Dylan song was formulaic.<ref name="byrdwatcher">{{cite web|title=Younger Than Yesterday|publisher=ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles|url=http://ebni.com/byrds/lpyty.html|access-date=August 9, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428180437/http://ebni.com/byrds/lpyty.html|archive-date=April 28, 2009}}</ref> The Byrds had already released a total of six Dylan covers on their first two albums, ''[[Mr. Tambourine Man (album)|Mr. Tambourine Man]]'' and ''[[Turn! Turn! Turn! (album)|Turn! Turn! Turn!]]'', enjoying particular success with their recordings of "[[Mr. Tambourine Man]]" and "[[All I Really Want to Do]]".<ref name="whitburn"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Mr. Tambourine Man album review|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r3060|access-date=December 30, 2009|archive-date=July 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721001121/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r3060|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Turn! Turn! Turn! album review|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r3061|access-date=December 30, 2009|archive-date=July 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721013404/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r3061|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite Crosby's objections, the band recorded "My Back Pages" between December 5 and 8, 1966, during the [[Studio recording|recording sessions]] for their fourth album.<ref name="timeless3">{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny|pages=622–626|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref> Upon its release, this cover was received well by the critics and is today regarded as one of the Byrds' strongest Dylan interpretations.<ref>{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny|page=201|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Younger Than Yesterday album review|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r3063|access-date=December 30, 2009|archive-date=December 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231050814/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r3063|url-status=live}}</ref> Following its release on ''Younger Than Yesterday'', the song would go on to become a staple of the Byrds' [[Rock concert|live concert]] repertoire, until their final disbandment in 1973.<ref name="timeless4">{{cite book|author=Rogan, Johnny|pages=591–615|year=1998|title=The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited|edition=2nd|publisher=Rogan House|isbn=0-9529540-1-X}}</ref> On December 4, 1968, a later line-up of the Byrds re-recorded an excerpt of "My Back Pages" as part of a medley that was included on their 1969 album, ''[[Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde]]''.<ref name="timeless3"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde|publisher=ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles|url=http://ebni.com/byrds/lpdbmh.html|access-date=September 15, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028054650/http://ebni.com/byrds/lpdbmh.html|archive-date=October 28, 2010}}</ref> The song was performed live extensively during the band's later [[country rock]] period, often segueing into [[Jimmy Reed]]'s "[[Baby What You Want Me to Do]]". Live versions from this time can be found on ''[[Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971]]'' and as a bonus track on the reissue of ''[[Untitled (The Byrds album)|(Untitled)]]''. The song was also performed live by a reformed line-up of the Byrds featuring [[Roger McGuinn]], David Crosby, and [[Chris Hillman]] in January 1989.<ref name="timeless4"/>

In addition to its appearance on the ''Younger Than Yesterday'' album, the Byrds' original version of "My Back Pages" appears on several of the band's compilations, including ''[[The Byrds' Greatest Hits]]'', ''[[History of The Byrds]]'', ''[[The Byrds Play Dylan]]'', ''[[The Original Singles: 1967–1969, Volume 2]]'', ''[[The Byrds (box set)|The Byrds]]'', ''[[The Very Best of The Byrds]]'', ''[[The Essential Byrds]]'', and ''[[There Is a Season]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=My Back Pages album appearances|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/t9896859|access-date=August 9, 2009|archive-date=July 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720221440/https://www.allmusic.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1996, a previously unreleased alternate version of "My Back Pages" (which had been considered for release as a single in 1967) was included as a bonus track on the [[Legacy Recordings|Columbia/Legacy]] reissue of ''Younger Than Yesterday''.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|last=Rogan|first= Johnny|year=1996|title=Younger Than Yesterday|type=booklet|others=The Byrds|publisher=Legacy Recordings}}</ref>

===Other covers===
The song has been covered by numerous artists, including the [[Ramones]], [[Po!]], [[America (band)|America]], [[the Hollies]], [[the Nice]], [[Eric Johnson (guitarist)|Eric Johnson]], [[the Box Tops]], [[Carl Verheyen]], [[Jackson Browne]] & [[Joan Osborne]], [[Marshall Crenshaw]], [[Keith Jarrett]], [[Steve Earle]], La Mancha de Rolando, [[Dick Gaughan]], and [[Anna Nalick]].<ref name=covers/> Austrian singer-songwriter [[Wolfgang Ambros]] recorded a version of the song named "Alt und Jung" ("Old and Young").  In 1995, the German rock musician [[Wolfgang Niedecken]] recorded a German-language ([[Colognian dialect|Kölsch language]]) cover of the song with the title "Vill Passiert Sickher" for his album ''Leopardefell''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Leopardefell|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/r810604|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|access-date=March 14, 2010|archive-date=July 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720221441/https://www.allmusic.com/album/leopardefell-mw0000473403|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, a Japanese-language cover by the Magokoro Brothers is included in the soundtrack of the Dylan film ''[[Masked and Anonymous]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Soundtracks for Masked and Anonymous|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319829/soundtrack|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]]|access-date=March 14, 2010|archive-date=February 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223023804/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319829/soundtrack|url-status=live}}</ref>