Eight Miles High - Post-release

Post-release

During the same month that "Eight Miles High" was released as a single, The Byrds' main songwriter, Gene Clark, left the band. His fear of flying was stated as the official reason for his departure, although other contributing factors, including his tendency towards anxiety and paranoia, as well as his increasing isolation within the group, were also at work. Following the release of "Eight Miles High" and Clark's departure, The Byrds never again managed to place a single in the Billboard Top 20.

The Byrds performed "Eight Miles High" on a number of television programs during the 1960s and 1970s, including Popside, Drop In, Midweek, and Beat-Club. Additionally, the song would go on to become a staple of the band's live concert repertoire, until their final disbandment in 1973. A sixteen-minute live version of "Eight Miles High" was included on the Byrds' (Untitled) album in 1970 and another live version was released as part of the 2008 album, Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971. 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.

The song would remain a favorite of Clark's during his post-Byrds solo career and would often be performed live at his concert appearances until his death in 1991. McGuinn also continues to perform an intricate acoustic guitar rendition of the song in his live concerts. Crosby has revisited "Eight Miles High" infrequently during his post-Byrds career, but it was performed during Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's reunion tour of 2000, with Neil Young handling McGuinn's complex guitar solo, while the other three members sang the song's three-part harmonies. Additionally, The Byrds' bass player, Chris Hillman, recorded an acoustic version of "Eight Miles High" as part of his 2005 album, The Other Side.

In addition to its appearance on the Fifth Dimension album, "Eight Miles High" also appears on several Byrds' compilations, including The Byrds' Greatest Hits, History of The Byrds, The Original Singles: 1965–1967, Volume 1, The Byrds, The Very Best of The Byrds, The Essential Byrds and There Is a Season.