by Martin Sejas

At first, it may seem strange to find me writing about the enduring legacy of LSD in contemporary music. This is probably because this is the first time I’ve mentioned the topic of LSD or drugs for that matter on this blog. You may also be wondering what kind of point I’m trying to raise by writing such an article. Well, let’s say I was ‘inspired’ to write this article. What I mean is that after spending countless hours reading up on music history, which is evidently one of my passions, I’ve come to realize the large number of bands and songs that have been written under the influence of LSD. And the fact is that some of these songs are some of the greatest songs ever composed and have ended up defining a decade and a genre and have influenced countless of musicians today.

Disclaimer

One thing I would like to make clear before beginning this post, is that I do not support nor tolerate the use of drugs whatsoever. Unless you have a valid medical reason, you should not be using drugs. The reason why I’m saying this is because you may find me in some way “praising” LSD, and drugs in particular, which is not true and not my intention. What I will be praising is how LSD led to great songs being written that took music light years forward, which otherwise probably would not have been possible.

What Is LSD?

I think it’s appropriate to begin this post by exploring the history of the drug itself. LSD stands for “Lysergic acid diethylamide”. Try pronouncing that! It was developed by Swiss scientist Albert Hoffman in 1938 but its psychedelic properties were only discovered in 1943 when Hoffman tested the drug on himself. He experienced “remarkable restlessness combined with a slight dizziness.” However, it was not unpleasant as he experienced an extremely stimulated imagination, a sort of dream-like state where he could see uninterrupted streams of “fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors.”

Is it then any wonder that musicians that sought to bring out their creative juices used LSD? If you are interested in learning more about the history, testing and research of LSD, Wikipedia has an extensive article on it.

When Music Met LSD

For almost 2 decades after its development, the use of LSD remained limited to the medical profession and in particular, the treatment of psychiatric disorders. However, by the mid-1960s, LSD had become a popular recreational drug among the youth of the day. One of the realms it left an indelible mark on was music. Popular music from the mid-1960s onwards was vastly different from the music in the early 1960s.

Musicians’ experiences with LSD led them to make more complex compositions with greater sound effects. It inspired musical innovation that took music forward at least a decade. You only have to compare a hit song from the early 60s with a hit from mid 60s to see this astounding difference in complexity.

Have a listen to these 2 US number 1 hits. The first one is “Johnny Angel” by Shelley Fabares and was at the top of the charts in April 1962.

This second one is “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys which was number 1 in December 1966.

You can easily tell the difference in complexity and sound. And that change occurred in just 4 years!

The Beach Boys were just one of the major pop groups that had to drastically change its sound due to the rise of LSD-influenced music, otherwise known as psychedelic rock in the mid-1960s. You can even compare the group’s earlier hits such as “Surfin’” with a later hit such as “Good Vibrations” to see this huge change. The group’s lead singer Brian Wilson was at the core of this sound change, which was not popular with the rest of the group, but which meant that the Beach Boys produced one of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time, Pet Sounds. Brian Wilson was at his creative best when making this album, however, this was mainly due to his experimentation with drugs, especially LSD.

Another major pop group to use LSD was the Beatles. At their height of their fame, the group also embraced LSD as a recreational drug and their experiences, or “acid trips” as they are more commonly known, let to the production of the 2 of the greatest and most critically acclaimed albums of all time, Revolver and St Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. “Strawberry Fields Forever” is also considered by many to be the best song of the psychedelic genre of the late 1960s. The level of musical experimentation and innovation demonstrated in these 2 albums have never been equaled since, and most probably never will be. The fact that these 2 albums were influenced by LSD experiences shows the undeniable and enduring legacy of LSD in contemporary music.

Other major pop groups of the era that were Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and Cream. Below are a couple of their hit songs that were influenced by LSD and which continue to inspire today’s musicians.

Jefferson Airplane – “White Rabbit”

Jimi Hendrix – “Voodoo Child”

The Doors – “People Are Strange”

Cream – “White Room”

Enduring Legacy

This is just a small sample of the artists and songs that were made under the influence of LSD in the 1960s. I don’t know about you but I find it amazing that so many great classic songs and albums were produced in this short period. It was also an extraordinary period of creativity and innovation, the likes of which, we will probably never see again. LSD allowed music to move light years ahead in such a short period of time and while the use of drugs is largely condemned in music (including myself), it’s hard to deny that its legacy remains and continues to shape and inspire contemporary music.

Comment on my post below.

Written by: Gary Brooker, Keith Reid & Matthew Fisher
Released: 1967

US Charts: #5
UK Charts: #1 (6 weeks)
Other Charts: #1 (Australia), #1 (Germany) #1 (Ireland)

“A Whiter Shade of Pale” is still one of the songs whose lyrics I still cannot decipher. Perhaps it is because of this, that it is still one of the classic songs of the 60s. In fact, in 2004 it was named the most-played song by British broadcasting in the last 70 years. Such a statistic demonstrates how much regard people still have for the song.

I think there are 2 aspects that make this song a memorable classic. Firstly, it is the mysterious, yet soft and smooth rhythm of the Hammond organ. From the beginning until the end of the song, this is the dominant sound and it is by and large a very natural easy listening rhythm. However, there is something about it that makes it sound haunting with a tinge of sadness. I can’t explain this in words, but I’m sure you will know what I mean when you hear the song.

The second aspect is the mysterious lyrics. Just listening to the song by itself, it is difficult to understand what’s being sung. You then think that if you’re able to get the lyrics that it all make sense. Wrong. The lyrics themselves are not clear and simply present, in my opinion, random images from either a weird dream or from an acid trip. It’s no secret that LSD was the trend in the psychedelic rock era of the late 1960s. I’m leaning towards an acid trip, however, I haven’t been able to confirm this and I would certainly appreciate it if someone was able to clarify this point.

It took me literally months to found out the name of this song after first hearing it on the radio. The reason being that I wasn’t able to understand the lyrics. It was only after searching various websites that I finally stumbled upon its name and the group who sung it. About the group Procol Harum, it seems to me that after some research, that the group was pretty much a one-hit wonder. “A Whiter Shade of Pale” was their first song and their most successful song but after that, they had relatively minor hits.

Despite that, this song is still an enduring classic that deserves all critical acclaim and accolades it receives. Enjoy the song, and if you’ve already heard it before, enjoy once again!

Lyrics can be accessed here.

Chords can be accessed here.

Feel free to comment on this song and/or my review below.

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Written by: Brian Wilson & Mike Love
Released: 1966

US Charts: #1 (1 week)
UK Charts: #1 (2 weeks)
Other Charts: #2 (Australia), #8 (Germany), #12 (Italy)

Considered the magnum opus of the Beach Boys, “Good Vibrations” is one of the most critically acclaimed songs ever in music history. It is the result of Brian Wilson’s desire to continuously experiment and create ever increasing sophisticated songs with complex arrangements. Influenced by the Beatles’ album “Rubber Soul”, Brian Wilson led the group to create “Pet Sounds”, considered by many, the greatest album ever made.

Following Pet Sounds, Wilson set out on an even more ambitious project and this eventually led to the song “Good Vibrations.” However, the project that he’d begun SMiLE was not released for 37 years due to his deteriorating mental health. It was only released in 2004 under “Brian Wilson presents SMiLE.”

The production of the song is innovative in all aspects of the word. This is the first major song to use musical collage, which refers to recording various sections separately and then putting them together in the editing process. Due to this process, Wilson devoted months of effort to produce the song, recording sections in 4 different recording studios in 17 recording sessions, costing $50,000, which was a fair bit of money back in 1966.

His newfound method of recording was and is still seen as crazy, and it’s no wonder that his mental health was deteriorating during this period. Nevertheless, his desire to capture the sound he had in his head and challenge the possibilities of the recording studio bore fruit with the release of “Good Vibrations.” Rolling Stone magazine ranked this song as the 6th best song of all time, which says a lot about the impact and influence of this song.

In fact, such was its impact, that musical collage became to be used by the Beatles in their songs “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “A Day In My Life.” Paul McCartney himself attributed Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys with the idea of using musical collage in their own songs.

It’s a shame that SMiLE could not be finished and released in the late 60s where it would have made an enormous impact on the music scene. However, that’s something that can’t be changed and we shouldn’t dwell upon that.

For the moment, we can only enjoy the creativity and genius of Brian Wilson through this absolute masterpiece. Songs like this are rare, so enjoy listening!

Lyrics can be accessed here.

Chords can be accessed here.

Feel free to comment on this song and/or my review below.

Subscribe to the All Time Classic Songs newsletter today and you’ll receive a FREE copy of my brand new e-book “The 30 Greatest Love Songs of All Time.” Limited time only!