The late sixties were a time filled with sex, drugs, and rock and roll. A huge part of American culture at the time was focused around these three things. Musicians possessed a tremendous amount of social influence, and like wise, society put a lot of emphasis on the lives and attitudes of musicians. Of the rock groups from this time period, the Beatles were by far the most influential. The British rock group was probably the most catalytic band in rock and roll history. Although they came together in the shadow of the Beatles, another influential band of that era was Jefferson Airplane. Jefferson Airplane was deemed the first of the San Francisco psychedelic rock groups. Jefferson Airplane was always considered to be a psychedelic rock group, but it was not until later in their existence that the Beatles fell into this category as well. Both groups earned this title for their creative style of rock as well as for their experimentation with drugs. Each of these groups wrote songs that alluded to drug use at one time or another. Two of the most criticized songs from these bands are "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," by the Beatles, and "White Rabbit" b

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide is a hallucinogenic drug that alters the way the user perceives the world around them. LSD alters your "sense of direction, distance, and time (KidsHealth)." In the 1960's, many rock groups began using LSD and other drugs. Various songs would reflect experiences band members had undergone while using narcotics. It is commonly speculated that "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is just this type of song. Many of the lines from the Beatles' song could be related to the sensations of an acid trip. The "marmalade skies," "cellophane flowers," and "rocking horse people" depicted in the song could represent the type of images a person might see under the influence of LSD. The world Lennon portrays with his lyrics is abstract, psychedelic, and dream like, very much akin to what a person would see on an acid trip or while watching Disney's Alice in Wonderland. Various people have noted that the first letter in each of the key title words: Lucy, Sky, and Diamonds, spell out LSD. John Lennon claims that the connection is merely coincidental and that he had no intention of incorporating LSD into the song in any way. Lennon told reporters in a 1980 interview, "it was purely unconscious that it came out to be LSD, it's not an acid song" (Ultimate). Despite Lennon's pleas of innocence, it was a well-known fact at the time that the Beatles were experimenting with LSD and that Lennon was exploring Alice in Wonderland not only through the film, but the text as well. Many fans, parents, and critics saw this song as John Lennon's praise of the drug. "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," though inspired by John's 4-year-old son Julian's multicolored drawing of a classmate, was said by McCartney to have a "Wonderland" subtext: "that title, with that of the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" tune preceding it, provide three of the four suits of cards which populated Wonderland (the exclusion of spades may have to do with the symbolic meaning given to each suit - the spades were gardeners, and "Sgt. Pepper's Band" seems planted in a living garden--Carroll's flowers were animate--with rooted feet)(Ultimate)." Obviously, Lennon creates a connection between LSD, Alice in Wonderland, and his music.

And you've just had some kind of mushroom

And the Red Queen's "off with her head!"

The common theme that occurs in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "White Rabbit," and Alice in Wonderland is escape. Artists depict an alternate world to where they or some other person travels. Although it is uncertain what motivation Lewis Carroll might have had for escaping reality, it is much more obvious why groups such as the Beatles and Jefferson Airplane would want escape. The Beatles, in particular, were frequently plagued by their fans. Everywhere they went they were met by mobs of screaming fans and brigades of reporters. The group did not want this pressure, and they frequently resorted to drugs in their later career as a means of escape. On the

Some common words found in the essay are:
Alice Wonderland, Jefferson Airplane, White Rabbit, Sky Diamonds, Airplane Beatles, Alice's Connection, John Lennon, Club Band, Acid Diethylamide, Vietnam War, alice wonderland, jefferson airplane, white rabbit, lucy sky, sky diamonds, lucy sky diamonds, jefferson airplane beatles, airplane beatles, pill makes, sgt pepper's, lonely hearts club, acid trip, white rabbit alice, feed head, hearts club band,
Approximate Word count = 1999
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)