Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
In 1963, three-year-old Julian Lennon showed his father a drawing he had made at nursery school. The paper depicted a classmate named Lucy Vodden with the words "Lucy , in the Sky with Diamonds" written above it. John Lennon looked at the picture and immediately decided to write a song about it. Ringo Starr was present when Julian first spoke the title upon returning home from school that day. Lennon later told reporters that he thought the phrase beautiful and wrote the music right away. Julian recalled showing his father everything he built or painted at school, but this specific image sparked the idea for the track. The child did not know why he called it that or why it stood out among his other drawings. He simply said he had an affection for Lucy at that age. Lucy Vodden lived in Surbiton, Surrey, until she died on the 28th of September 2009 of complications from lupus at the age of 46.
John Lennon stated that the lyrics were largely derived from the literary style found in Lewis Carroll's novel Alice in Wonderland. The title of Julian's drawing reminded him of the chapter titled "Which Dreamed It?" from Through the Looking Glass. In that story, Alice floats in a boat beneath a sunny sky while buying an egg that turns into Humpty-Dumpty. Lennon visualized a woman serving in a shop turning into a sheep before they rowed somewhere in a boat. Paul McCartney remembered helping Lennon finish the song at Kenwood, Lennon's home. McCartney claimed he contributed the lines about newspaper taxis and cellophane flowers to the composition. A 1968 interview with Rolling Stone magazine confirmed McCartney's contribution to those specific lyrics. The pair worked together to create an Alice in Wonderland idea where they imagined being in a boat on a river. Every so often the scene broke off to show Lucy in the sky with diamonds all over the sky. This Lucy was described as God or the Big Figure, similar to the White Rabbit character.
Recording sessions for the track began with rehearsals in Studio 2 at Abbey Road on the 28th of February 1967. The instrumental backing was finished the following evening during the first take. Track one of the four-track tape contained acoustic guitar and piano while track two held McCartney's Lowrey organ part. Ringo Starr played drums on track three and a guide vocal by Lennon appeared on track four during the verses. Take eight replaced the guide vocal with Harrison's tambura drone. The four tracks were then mixed together and recorded onto the first track of a second four-track tape. On the 2nd of March, double-tracked vocals accompanied by McCartney on the choruses were recorded to tracks two and three. McCartney's bass and Harrison's lead guitar occupied track four. Harrison duplicated Lennon's melody and intonation over the bridges in the style of a sarangi accompanying an Indian khyal vocalist. Over the choruses he played an ascending riff on his Fender Stratocaster mirrored by McCartney's bass. Heavy Leslie treatment was given to the guitar part which sounded not unlike a celeste. Eleven mono mixes were made at the 2nd of March session but rejected in favor of the final mix created on the 3rd of March.
Rumors about the connection between the title and the initialism LSD began circulating shortly after the release of the Sgt. Pepper album in June 1967. Paul McCartney gave interviews in June admitting to having taken the drug while John Lennon said he was surprised at the idea. Lennon countered that the song was purely unconscious regarding the initials until someone pointed it out. He stated clearly that no one would ever bother to look at initials of a title and insisted it was not an acid song. McCartney confirmed Lennon's claim on several occasions during the late 1960s. In 1968 he explained that people came up with the interpretation cunningly when newspapers were talking about LSD. Claims circulated that the BBC banned the song for its alleged references to drugs but authors Alan Clayson and Spencer Leigh disputed this. The Oxford Handbook of Music Censorship consulted surviving internal correspondence from 1967 and mentioned no ban on any Sgt. Pepper song aside from A Day in the Life. A 2014 documentary film produced by BBC television claimed the song was played at least once on BBC Radio at the time of the album's release.
Disc and Music Echo magazine wrote that the track was easily remembered and spotlighted John Lennon's peculiarly insinuating vocals. Richard Goldstein wrote in The New York Times that the song was an engaging curio nothing more. Ernie Santosuosso wrote in The Boston Globe that the imagery was wild while Nicholas Schaffner cited it as capturing how young people tried to transcend straight society in 1967. Walter Everett noted the lyrics inspired derivative texts throughout the late 1960s including Pink Floyd's Let There Be More Light. Rolling Stone described the piece as Lennon's lavish daydream while Stephen Thomas Erlewine identified it as one of the touchstones of British psychedelia. Richie Unterberger viewed it as one of the best songs on the famous Sgt. Pepper album. Mark Prendergast highlighted the track as one of the three outstanding cuts on the album alongside A Day in the Life. Chris Jones described the track as nursery rhyme surrealism that contributed to the revolutionary sonic carpet enveloping ears. Dave Swanson ranked the song fourth on his list of Top 10 Beatles Psychedelic Songs despite Lennon's insistence about the inspiration for its title.
The British musician Elton John released a cover version of the song as a single on the 15th of November 1974. Recorded at Caribou Ranch, the track featured backing vocals and guitar by John Lennon under the pseudonym Dr. Winston O'Boogie. The single topped the US Billboard pop chart for two weeks in January 1975 as well as the Canadian RPM national singles chart for four weeks spanning January and February. The B-side of the single was also a John Lennon composition titled One Day At a Time from his 1973 album Mind Games. This version is longer than the original featuring an instrumental break after the second chorus followed by a repetition of the second pre-chorus. In the US it was certified Gold on the 29th of January 1975 by the RIAA. During their collaboration John appeared on Lennon's song Whatever Gets You Thru the Night which became a number-one single. On Thanksgiving night the 28th of November 1974 Lennon kept his promise to perform live with John at Madison Square Garden. They performed Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds along with I Saw Her Standing There which was written primarily by Paul McCartney.
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Common questions
Who was the real Lucy in the song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?
The real Lucy was a classmate named Lucy Vodden who lived in Surbiton, Surrey. She died on the 28th of September 2009 at the age of 46 from complications related to lupus.
When did John Lennon write the song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?
John Lennon wrote the music for the song immediately after seeing his son Julian's drawing in 1963. Recording sessions for the track began with rehearsals in Studio 2 at Abbey Road on the 28th of February 1967.
Did Paul McCartney contribute lyrics to the song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?
Paul McCartney contributed specific lines about newspaper taxis and cellophane flowers to the composition. He helped finish the song at Kenwood while working alongside John Lennon.
Was the song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds banned by the BBC?
No ban on any Sgt. Pepper song existed according to surviving internal correspondence from 1967. A 2014 documentary film produced by BBC television claimed the song was played at least once on BBC Radio during that time.
Who released a cover version of the song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds in 1974?
The British musician Elton John released a cover version as a single on the 15th of November 1974. The recording featured backing vocals and guitar by John Lennon under the pseudonym Dr. Winston O'Boogie.