<P> During an interview with music journalist Pete Frame, McGuinn noted, "Some people have accused us of being bitter for writing that song, but it's no more bitter than' Positively 4th Street .' In fact, it isn't as bitter as that . We were thumbing through a teen magazine and looking at all the unfamiliar faces and we couldn't help thinking:' Wow, what's happening...all of a sudden here is everyone and his brother and his sister - in - law and his mother and even his pet bullfrog singing rock' n' roll .' So we wrote' So You Want to Be a Rock' n' Roll Star' to the audience of potential rock stars, those who were going to be, or who wanted to be, and those who actually did go on to realize their goals ." </P> <P> Upon release, the band performed the song on a number of television programs, including Popside, Top of the Pops, Drop In, The David Frost Show, and Beat - Club . The band also performed "So You Want to Be a Rock' n' Roll Star" as the final song of their appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, with the help of guest musicians Hugh Masekela and Big Black . The Byrds' performance of the song at Monterey is included on the 1992 The Monterey International Pop Festival CD box set . </P> <P> In addition to its appearance on the Younger Than Yesterday album, "So You Want to Be a Rock' n' Roll Star" 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 . Live performances of the song are included on the live portion of The Byrds' (Untitled) album, as well as on the Live at the Fillmore - February 1969 and Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 albums . </P> <P> The two earliest cover versions of "So You Want To Be A Rock' n' Roll Star" were by the Royal Guardsmen, on their 1967 album The Return of the Red Baron, and the British band the Move, who included the song on their 1968 EP, Something Else from The Move . </P>

Who sang i want to be a rock star