Jon Savage on song: The Byrds go nuclear

The Byrds' I Come and Stand at Every Door is a hypnotic and haunting song, told from the viewpoint of a child incinerated at HiroshimaThere's no intro, just a chiming chord and straight into the vocal: "I come and stand at every door, but no one hears my silent tread. I knock and yet remain unseen, for I am dead, for I am dead." It's the recognisable Byrds sound, that Rickenbacker whine, but the tempo is slow, deliberate, with Michael Clarke's drums – so alive and mobile elsewhere â€â€...

Read full article Share article