# The “tasteless” 1967 song that pushed David Crosby towards his exit from The Byrds

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-tasteless-1967-song-that-pushed-david-crosby-towards-his-exit-from-the-byrds/
- Published: 2026-11-15T21:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T21:22:05+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/song-pushed-david-crosby-to-leave-the-byrds/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- The Byrds rejected Crosby’s song ‘Triad’ for their 1967 album.
- Crosby refused to perform on ‘Goin’ Back’ after the decision.
- McGuinn and Chris Hillman fired him; Crosby later joined Crosby, Stills & Nash.

## Summary

Tensions between David Crosby and Roger McGuinn over The Byrds’ musical direction came to a head in 1967 when the band chose not to record Crosby’s song ‘Triad’. McGuinn reportedly called the song “tasteless”, and Crosby’s refusal to take part in recording the selected alternative contributed to his dismissal from the group.

The article describes ‘Triad’ as a song in which Crosby’s narrator tries to persuade two women to enter a threesome, and notes that one character expresses fear and embarrassment. The band instead chose to record Dusty Springfield’s ‘Goin’ Back’; road manager Jim Seiter said Crosby sat out for three days. Crosby later joined Crosby, Stills & Nash and, in a 2018 documentary, joked that he had been fired because he was “an asshole”.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.