Names for songs must be chosen very carefully in order to avoid later all sorts of misunderstandings. Members of the legendary band The Beatles are well aware of this. For more than forty years they have been forced to explain why the song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in 1967, is called that.
Of course, The Beatles have songs with weirder titles, but this one has become one of the most talked about. The fact is that the first letters of the nouns in the phrase Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds add up to the abbreviation LSD, which in most rock music lovers immediately evokes associations with the well-known hallucinogenic drug.
A match (or not a match) was discovered immediately after the release of the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the authors of the song, had to make excuses, because there was a serious hype, and the BBC even refused to let the song air.
The story of creation and the meaning of the song
Lennon himself claimed that he composed the words of the composition under the influence of the drawing of his son Julian, who depicted his classmate Lucy O’Donnell on it. The girl flies through the sky dotted with diamonds. Lennon also said that he took the images from the fairy tale “Alice in Wonderland”.
Julian later said that he really liked the girl, but he could not explain why he portrayed her in this form. Lucy also confirmed this version, but it was much later, in 2004.
And yet, it was not possible to dispel doubts that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was associated with the use of LSD. It’s not just the controversial name. The text of the song and the video clip shot for it involuntarily suggests the idea that the composition of the composition could not have done without “acid”.
A few years ago, Paul McCartney added fuel to the fire by confirming that some of The Beatles’ songs, including Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, do contain hints of drugs. But, according to him, it is not worth exaggerating their influence on the work of the group.
Perhaps, as is usually the case, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Be that as it may, the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band turned out to be very successful, and the song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds became one of the Beatles’ most striking compositions.
In 1974, Elton John performed a new version of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, in which John Lennon accompanies him on guitar. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
There are some other funny rumors connected with Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. In 2005, the Daily Mail ran an article that the song was about artist and actress Lucy Richardson. And in Russia, some are even sure that The Beatles dedicated the song to Lyudmila Zykina, with whom they once performed at an event in the United States.
Interesting Facts
- Lucy O’Donnell died in 2009 from complications of lupus.
- References to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds are found in the songs of many famous bands (Pink Floyd, Spleen, Civil Defense).
- The song was named after the Australopithecus, whose skeleton was found in 1974 by archaeologists Johanson and Gray, as well as the variable star BPM 37093, allegedly representing a huge diamond.
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Lyrics by The Beatles
picture yourself in a boat on a river,
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly,
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green,
Towering over your head
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
And she’s gone
chorus:
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers,
That grow so incredibly high
Newspaper taxis appear on the shore,
Waiting to take you away
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds,
And you’re gone
picture yourself on a train in a station,
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties,
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile,
The girl with the kaleidoscope eyes
Lyrics of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Alternate
Imagine yourself in a boat on a river
Under the gummy sky grow tangerines
Someone calls you and you answer slowly
Girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Yellow and green cellophane flowers
rise above your head
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
But she’s gone
Chorus:
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Follow her to the fountain bridge
Where people on rocking horses eat marshmallows
Everyone smiles when you float through the flowers
That grow so unbelievably high
Newspaper taxis appear on the shore
Ready to take you away
Get in the back seat so your head is in the clouds
And you’re gone
Imagine yourself on a train at the station
With plasticine porters in mirrored ties
Suddenly someone appears at the turnstile
Girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Song quote
LSD appeared there quite unconsciously. Before someone pointed it out, I didn’t even think about it. This is by no means an acid song.
John Lennon
