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"He Was a Friend of Mine" is a traditional folk song in which the singer laments the death of a friend. The earliest known version of the song is titled "Shorty George" (Roud 10055)〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=The Ballad Index )〕 and was first recorded by musicologist couple John A. and Ruby Terrill Lomax in 1939 at the Clemens State Farm in Brazoria County, Texas in a version performed by African-American inmate Smith Casey, who accompanied himself on guitar.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Library of Congress/The American Folklife Center )〕 Alan Lomax described the song as a "blues" that was "a dirge for a dead comrade."〔 The song has since been recorded by many artists, including Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, The Washington Squares, Bobby Bare, Mercury Rev, The Black Crowes, The Mitchell Trio, Willie Nelson, Nanci Griffith, Cat Power, The Leaves and, in a reworded version, The Byrds.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=17:1812652 ) 〕 The version recorded by Willie Nelson was used in the film ''Brokeback Mountain'' and inaccurately credits Bob Dylan as the songwriter. Dylan had arranged an early version of the tune in 1961 and his version can be heard on the compilation album ''The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Bob Dylan Home Page )〕 ==The Byrds' version== The Byrds included a recording of "He Was a Friend of Mine" on their 1965 album ''Turn! Turn! Turn!'' (''see'' 1965 in music). In The Byrds' version, the song's melody is altered and the lyrics are changed to lament the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The band's lead guitarist Jim McGuinn rewrote the song's lyrics in late 1963 to give it a more contemporary slant and transform it into a eulogy for President Kennedy.〔 McGuinn explained the origins of the song in an interview: "I wrote the song the night John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I suppose you could say it's one of the earliest Byrds songs. The arrangement used was as I'd always sung it. I just thought it was a good idea to include it on the ''Turn! Turn! Turn!'' album."〔 Due to the extensively rewritten lyrics of The Byrds version, the officially registered songwriting credit for the song is "Traditional/new words and arrangement McGuinn". Following its appearance on the band's second album, the song would go on to become a staple of The Byrds' live concert repertoire, until their final disbandment in 1973. The band also performed the song during their appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival on June 17, 1967, where band member David Crosby made controversial remarks alleging that Kennedy had not been killed by Lee Harvey Oswald alone, but was actually the victim of a U.S. Government conspiracy. The Byrds’ performance of "He Was a Friend of Mine" at Monterey was included in the 2002 ''The Complete Monterey Pop Festival'' DVD box set.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Allmovie )〕 In 1990, a reformed line-up of The Byrds, featuring Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and Chris Hillman, re-recorded the song for ''The Byrds'' box set. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「He Was a Friend of Mine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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