Allusions to and influences of the drug culture on 1960s music
Popular American culture
The 1960s were a time of major societal change that permeated all aspects of popular American culture.
It was a time when the generation informally known as “flower children” sought to expand individual and collective consciousness. They learned about and embraced Eastern thought, philosophy, spiritualism, and social and political activism.
Curiosity about expanding the mind led to experimentation, influenced in some cases by the use of cannabis (marijuana) as well as more powerful drugs, including hallucinogenics. The effects of these substances—upon artists as well as other members of popular American culture—became evident in the allusions to these new experiences in the lyrics of popular music. This phenomenon was unmistakable in the songs of the world’s most popular rock group of the decade, The Beatles.
In The Beatles on Marijuana and LSD (In Their Own Words) (Marks 2009) George Harrison reflected:
“I was only 23 when we made Sgt. Pepper, and I’d already been through India and LSD and was on the road to transcendentalism. After having such an intense period of growing up, much success in The Beatles and realizing that this wasn’t the answer to everything, the question came: What is it all about? And then, purely because of the force-fed LSD experience, I had the realization of God.”
This social catharsis propelled by popular icons such as Harrison and the other members of The Beatles grew out of the disillusionment with the Vietnam War and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
But the liberation of the societal constraints inherited from the post-World War II era and the dialogues growing out of the ongoing fears of the Cold War were no more evident than in the explosion of creativity in the performing arts, particularly popular music. The sounds that emanated from vinyl records were resplendent in the sounds of rock ‘n’ roll. The prominent styles grew out of the music of the late 1950s and early 1960s of Elvis Presley, and the a capella vocal groups from South Philadelphia and New York. The “Motown” sound of Detroit reflected the new civil rights movement as the recording company became the first major record label to feature African-American musical artists. The West Coast “surfing” sounds of the Beach Boys added to the diversity and eclectic nature of the 1960s musical landscape. By the mid-1960s, a new wave of popular music was ushered in with the European Invasion—and The Beatles were at the forefront. Starkly different from anything in the “rock” world of America their new chord progressions, melodies and lyrics created a colorful palette of a new European rock sound.
Cannabis and The Beatles
Given this new musical style and culture, it was not a stretch for The Beatles to write “I’d love to turn you on”—a reference to “getting high” on cannabis or other drugs—in the song A Day in the Life. In the song With a Little Help from My Friends, the lyrics “I get high with a little help from my friends,” reflects the social communal nature of the drug culture.
In Marvin Marks’ depiction of interviews with The Beatles, each member of the group provides an insightful freeze-frame of their respective states of mind and social context. First, Paul McCartney tells how the musical icon Bob Dylan introduced them to the world of cannabis during their first trip to perform in New York:
Paul: One thing that he did introduce us to was pot… Bob came ‘round to our hotel, and he said to us, “Here, try a bit of this.” It is very indiscreet to say this, because I don’t know whether Bob is telling people he turned The Beatles on to marijuana. But it was funny.
Ringo Starr provides the context through which the artistic and creative curiosity of the time as well as the need to experience different ideas and aspects of the popular culture were enhanced by what he describes as the liberating feeling of the effects of cannabis:
Ringo: Grass was really influential in a lot of our changes, especially with the writers. And because they were writing different material, we were playing differently. We were expanding in all areas of our lives, opening up to a lot of different attitudes.
John Lennon’s comments paint a picture of the lifestyle and workplace impact of the use of cannabis:
John: We were smoking marijuana for breakfast during that period. Nobody could communicate with us; it was all glazed eyes and giggling all the time. In our own world.
(John is referring to when they were filming the movie Help!.)
Finally, George, full of wonderment, communicates the psycho-emotional sense of the popular American culture seeking the act and positive societal outcome of loving others throughout society:
George: Suddenly I felt the most incredible feeling come over me. It was something like a very concentrated version of the best feeling I’d ever had in my whole life. It was fantastic. I felt in love, not with anything or anybody in particular, but with everything. Everything was perfect, in a perfect light, and I had an overwhelming desire to go ‘round the club telling everybody how much I loved them—people I’d never seen before.
These four statements seem to frame a symbolic snapshot of the history of The Beatles and their relationship with cannabis. A closer look at representative examples of The Beatles’ lyrics suggests the influences that the drug culture had upon them.
The rhythms in Fool on the Hill paint a colorful landscape upon which to realize the disorientation of the “world spinning ‘round,” “head in a cloud,” and the “man of a thousand voices.”
Fool on the Hill (Lennon/McCartney)
But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning ’round.
Well on the way
Head in a cloud
The man of a thousand voices talking perfectly loud
The experience of the story line in I am the Walrus takes us on an almost Alice in Wonderland-like journey meeting a colorful cast of characters that float on a seeming euphoric cloud or altered mental-emotional state directly related to the influences and outcome of the drug experience.
I am the Walrus (Lennon/McCartney)
I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together
Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen
I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob
Mister City Policeman sitting
Pretty little policemen in a row
See how they fly like Lucy in the sky
Other examples of familiar texts and musical settings that include lyrical allusions and musical influences of cannabis and other drugs include:
Strawberry Fields Forever (Lennon/McCartney)
Let me take you down
‘Cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real
And nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever
No one I think is in my tree, I mean it must be high or low
That is you can’t, you know, tune in but it’s all right
That is I think it’s not too bad
A Little Help from My Friends (Lennon/McCartney)
I get by with a little help from my friends
I get high with a little help from my friends
Epilogue
We often associate various eras and genre of music with cultural and social influences that impact both music and lyrics. Popular American culture and the music created by musical artists impacted by the use of cannabis and other drugs has been predated by such genres as jazz.
Societal trends explain experiencing these substances in order to probe the curiosity associated with cannabis and other drugs. These experiments were attempts to expand the imagination, increase the ability to conceptualize and enhance one’s range of tactile experiences, escapism or mere recreation.
For The Beatles, as icons of the decade, and for the generation of baby boomer “flower children,” the allusions and influences of popular American culture including those of the drug culture were apparent in The Beatles’ lyrics and musical sounds. In the songs they composed over these tumultuous times, art reflected life in their music, lyrics and iconic identity, putting them in the forefront of the 1960s and popular American culture.
References
Marks, M. (2009, August 27). The Beatles on marijuana & LSD (in their own words). Music by Day.
