Shapes of Things

"Shapes of Things"
West German picture sleeve
Single by the Yardbirds
B-side	"You're a Better Man Than I" (UK) "New York City Blues" (US, initially "I'm Not Talking")
Released	25 February 1966 (1966-02-25)
Recorded	December 1965 – January 1966
Studio	Chess, Chicago Columbia and RCA, Hollywood
Genre	Psychedelic rock
Length	2:24
Label	Columbia (UK) Epic (US)
Songwriter(s)	Jim McCarty Keith Relf Paul Samwell-Smith
Producer(s)	Giorgio Gomelsky
The Yardbirds UK singles chronology
"Evil Hearted You" / "Still I'm Sad" (1965) "Shapes of Things" (1966) "Over Under Sideways Down" (1966)
The Yardbirds US singles chronology
"I'm a Man" (1965) "Shapes of Things" (1966) "Over Under Sideways Down" (1966)

"Shapes of Things" is a song by the English rock group the Yardbirds. With its Eastern-sounding, feedback-laden guitar solo and environmentalist, antiwar lyrics, several music writers have identified it as the first popular psychedelic rock song. It is built on musical elements contributed by several group members in three different recording studios in the US, and was the first Yardbirds composition to become a chart hit; when released as a single on 25 February 1966, the song reached number three in the UK and number eleven in the US.

The song features Jeff Beck's musical use of feedback, which he learned to control by finding the guitar's resonant frequencies and bending the strings. Music writers have called his work on "Shapes of Things" groundbreaking, and cited its influence on the guitar playing of Paul McCartney and Jimi Hendrix. Several live Yardbirds recordings with Beck and later with Jimmy Page have been released.

In 1968, Beck reworked "Shapes of Things" as the lead track on his solo debut Truth. The new arrangement, along with other album tracks, has been described as a precursor to heavy metal. "Shapes of Things" is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's permanent exhibit of the "Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", and several artists have recorded renditions of the song.