Psychedelic Boogie: The Story Behind “Over Under Sideways Down” by The Yardbirds

People have debated the first rock ‘n’ roll record for decades. There are many contenders. When white teenagers were exposed to rhythm and blues records, it opened up a door that most kids happily ran through. The idea that rock ‘n’ roll was a fad and would be swept under the rug was commonplace. It seemed to blow up and burn out as fast as it arrived. Just as Chuck Berry and Little Richard were finding their groove, the backlash from parents and community leaders wished it would all go away. Suddenly, there was a wave of innocent, pretty boys who weren’t seen as a threat to America’s daughters. Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell suddenly took up bedroom wall space where Elvis Presley and James Dean had been.

When the British Invasion happened, the bands were inspired by American rockers and early blues singers. Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Howlin’ Wolf, and Muddy Waters inspired English kids to pick up guitars. The Yardbirds started performing in 1963 as a traditional blues outfit. Over the years, they evolved into a diverse unit playing everything from rock to jazz and chants to psychedelia. Let’s look at the story behind “Over Under Sideways Down” by The Yardbirds.

Leaps and Bounds

Barely a decade had passed since “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets hit the top of the charts when The Yardbirds were having success of their own with songs like “For Your Love” and “Heart Full of Soul.” As Jeff Beck replaced Eric Clapton, the band started expanding their sound, experimenting with all types of different elements. “Shapes of Things” was one of the first psychedelic songs to hit the charts, and The Yardbirds were looking for a follow-up.

In 2021, drummer Jim McCarty told writer Emily Wells, “Growing up in the London suburbs never had much influence in what I would become—not until I heard American rock music, Buddy Holly, Everlys, etc. This is what I based my style upon. Plus a bit of jazz.”

Cars and girls are easy come by in this day and age
Laughing, joking, drinking, smoking ’til I’ve spent my wage
When I was young, people spoke of immorality
All the things they said were wrong are what I wanna be

The Recording

The Yardbirds were in the studio looking to record a song to release after “Shapes of Things.” The band began jamming and used an old rocker for a template.

In the 1983 book Yardbirds, McCarty wrote, “We got the idea from listening to Mike Raven, who used to play lots of old rock and roll on his radio program. We were in the studio and thought, ‘Let’s do a “Rock Around the Clock”-type boogie.’ We started off with a boogie bass that Jeff played, and I added a heavy off-beat coupled with tinkling on the rims a la Bill Haley, and then we put the tune over the top. Jeff came up with the riff at the beginning, and Simon [Napier-Bell] came up with the ‘Over, Under, Sideways, Down’ idea. That was just about his only real involvement with us in the recording studio.”

Over, under, sideways, down
(Hey!) Backwards, forwards, square, and round
(Hey!) Over, under, sideways, down
(Hey!) Backwards, forwards, square, and round
When will it end? (When will it end?)
When will it end? (When will it end?)

Sounds and Textures

McCarty told Wells, “Having fun with the music was the reason the sound still stands up. We did blues covers but wanted to make them different in some way. Jeff Beck was ideal because he added so many different sounds and textures—and we all worked as a team—it was a good chemistry. Nobody on the business level was quite able to hold it all together. Maybe with the right manager, we would have lasted longer.”

I find comment ’bout my looks irrelativity
Think I’ll go and have some fun ’cause it’s all for free
I’m not searching for a reason to enjoy myself
Seems it’s better done than argued with somebody else
Over, under, sideways, down
(Hey!) Backwards, forwards, square, and round
(Hey!) Over, under, sideways, down
(Hey!) Backwards, forwards, square, and round
When will it end? (When will it end?)
When will it end? (When will it end?)

The Intro

In his 2018 book Nobody Told Me: My Life with the Yardbirds, Renaissance, and Other Stories, McCarty recalled, “We needed an intro, and Jeff peeled one out, an instantly recognizable peel that completely took us by surprise. … Over and over we listened back to that line, going back and forth over whether it belonged in the song. And then, like a flash of lightning, we realized that it did. More than that, it made the song.”

Over, under, sideways, down
(Hey!) Backwards, forwards, square, and round
(Hey!) Over, under, sideways, down
(Hey!) Backwards, forwards, square, and round

Still Rocking

McCarty is the only member to be in every lineup of the band. “I keep doing it because I am able, first thing, and I enjoy playing that amazing repertoire,” he said. “It always makes people happy, and now it’s not 350 nights of the year—maybe 30 tops. I’ve always liked a broad range of music and got very attracted to the ‘balladeer’ sort of singer/songwriter, in more of a prog/folk style. This came out of Renaissance and carried on through Illusion and my solo stuff. I love to write songs with meaning, and enjoy singing them too.”

Over, under, sideways, down
(Hey!) Backwards, forwards, square, and round
(Hey!) Over, under, sideways, down
(Hey!) Backwards, forwards, square, and round

Credits

The song is credited to all band members: McCarty, Beck, Chris Dreja, Keith Relf, and Paul Samwell-Smith. Said McCarty, “It was very much like a microcosm of a life, really. Very extreme, because we’d go from being on top of the charts and going to fantastic places and traveling to places like California that were just our dream after being in a sort of post-war London, which was rather dismal and rather miserable. Suddenly we were going to sunny California where things were happening and things were rich and there were lovely girls and cars and everything.”

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Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images