In the early 1960s, The Beatles emerged as a charismatic group of mop-top Liverpudlians, endearing audiences of all ages with their infectious pop melodies. However, as the mid-1960s dawned, the band found themselves thrust into the spotlight amid revelations of their experimentation with psychedelic drugs. Initially, this development stirred controversy, alienating some fans who disapproved of the newfound indulgence.
Meanwhile, The Beatles’ music underwent a rigorous transformation, embracing avant-garde elements that mirrored the surreal experiences associated with psychedelia. Their seminal album, Revolver, marked a significant departure, introducing listeners to a realm of poetic lyrics and abstract song structures. Tracks like ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ and ‘Love You To’ exhibited unconventional sounds, including that of the sitar, reflecting George Harrison’s deepening fascination with Indian culture.
By the time The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967, it was evident that they took inspiration from psychedelia and associated chemicals. This embrace aligned the band with the burgeoning hippie movement characterised by ideals of spiritual enlightenment, peace, and free love.
Whether singing of yellow submarines, cellophane flowers of yellow and green, or Mr. Kite’s circus tricks, The Beatles’ kaleidoscopic embrace of colour was curiously suggestive. But did the band really indulge in psychedelic drugs? And did they openly write of their experiences?
Did The Beatles take drugs?
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From their early years as Teddy Boy ragamuffins, The Beatles were open to experimentation. Various amphetamines were not uncommon in British clubs in the early 1960s, but the foursome didn’t try marijuana, the classic gateway drug, until 1964, when they first met Bob Dylan. The praised American songwriter got the foursome so stoned that Paul McCartney thought, if just for a fleeting moment, that he’d discovered the meaning of life.
During a dinner party in March 1965 attended by Lennon, Harrison, and their respective partners, Lennon’s dentist, John Riley, spiked their coffee with LSD, marking The Beatles’ first encounter with the psychedelic substance. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were soon to follow, with the former finding himself at the centre of a media storm when he publicly admitted to taking the drug.
Later in the decade, it became apparent that John Lennon and his second wife, Yoko Ono, had begun to use heroin habitually. This new chapter of indulgence was evident in the early Plastic Ono Band material, especially the 1969 single ‘Cold Turkey’.
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Was ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ written about drugs?
By the time they released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Fab Four were a dab hand at creating hit psychedelic rock songs. Most notably, John Lennon wrote the wonderfully oblique ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’, which is generally believed to be an alternative initialism code for LSD. However, John Lennon did deny that the song’s titular refrain was related to the drug, insisting instead that it had been inspired by a drawing his son, Julian, had once shown him.
During his 1971 interview with Dick Cavett, Lennon attempted to clear up any confusion surrounding’ Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’. “It never was [about LSD], and no one believes me,” Lennon claimed. “I even saw some famous star introduce me – I’ve forgotten who it was – they were introducing a Lennon/McCartney show, and they were saying how ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ was about LSD. This is the truth: my son came home with a drawing and showed me this strange-looking woman flying around. I said, ‘What is it?’ he said, ‘It’s Lucy in the sky with diamonds’. I thought, ‘That’s beautiful,’ and immediately wrote a song about it.”
“The song had gone out, the whole album had been published, and somebody noticed that the letters spelt out ‘LSD’. I had no idea about it, and of course, after that I checked all the songs to see what the letters spelt out. They didn’t spell out anything, none of the others, and it wasn’t about that at all. Nobody believes you, you see,” he added.
Although Lennon spoke with apparent candour, it is difficult not to notice some pretty obvious references to psychedelic drugs, notably the line, “Suddenly, someone is there at the turnstile / The girl with kaleidoscope eyes”. However, Lennon’s assertion is not to say The Beatles never wrote openly about LSD use; for instance, Harrison wrote the deep cut ‘It’s All Too Much’ as an ode to the psychedelic experience.
What songs does Lucy in the Sky appear in?
Lucy, as supposedly conceived by Julian Lennon, obviously debuted in ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ on 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. However, this was far from the end for the character. The character and song famously received a shoutout in ‘I Am The Walrus’, a song from the Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack. The lyric reads, “Mister city policeman sitting / Pretty little policemen in a row / See how they fly like Lucy in the sky, see how they run / I’m crying”.
Lucy in the Sky has also notably appeared in the lyrics of Pink Floyd’s ‘Let There Be More Light’ and The Clash’s ‘Julie’s Been Working for the Drug Squad’ among many others.
Listen to The Beatles’ ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ below.
