The great Bill Hicks once argued that anyone who is against drug use should burn their tapes and CDs, as “the musicians that made all that great music that’s enhanced your lives throughout the years were… high on drugs”. From folk and blues to rock, rap, and metal, the worlds of music and recreational drug use are closely linked.
Sedatives and stimulants dominate the lyric sheets of countless classic songs, and while they’re not as common, you’ll also find many references to psychedelics.
With that said, let’s take a closer look at some of the best songs written about psychedelics.
White Rabbit – Jefferson Airplane
One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don’t do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she’s ten feet tall
You could be forgiven for thinking that the “white” in White Rabbit was a reference to cocaine, but there’s no mistaking the origin of those lyrics. This is a song about psychedelics and Alice in Wonderland, and thanks to its use in countless films and TV shows (often while someone is under the influence of hallucinogens), it has become iconic.
The song was released in the late ’60s when psychedelics were at the peak of their popularity.
East-West – Paul Butterfield Blues Band
East-West has been credited with inspiring the acid rock genre, with its psychedelic guitar solos serving as the DNA for many masters of the genre.
Released in 1966 as the title track from the band’s second album, this instrumental spans over 13 minutes and is said to have been inspired by Indian music.
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds – The Beatles
Picture yourself in a boat on a river
with tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
Somebody calls you,
you answer quite slowly.
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.
The above is the first verse of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, a 1967 song from the Beatles. Its colorful imagery is often associated with psychedelic drug use. In fact, both of the song’s writers (Paul McCartney and John Lennon) admitted to using LSD around the time of the song’s release, and if you abbreviate the song title, there’s another seemingly blatant clue.
But Lennon claimed that the song was based on a picture drawn by his son Julian, one that depicts Julian’s friend “Lucy”, as being in the sky with diamonds. Years later, Lennon would claim that the song was based on a sort of premonition in which a “girl with kaleidoscope eyes” would save him, with that girl being Yoko Ono.
It’s fair to assume that this song is not about drug use. You could argue that they didn’t want the world to know the real meaning and sought a more PR-friendly explanation, as is the case for the origin story of many other songs, but we’re talking about The Beatles…in the ’60s. They were fairly open about their drug use.
We’re including this song on our list not because it’s about psychedelic drug use (even though there’s still a chance it is), but because of its association with LSD and the enduring myths that surround it.
Also, it’s from the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which is one of the most famous psychedelic rock albums.
Acid Tongue – Jenny Lewis
Cause I’ve been down to Dixie
And dropped acid on my tongue
Dripped upon the land till enough was enough
Acid Tongue was released back in 2008 and is said to have been inspired by Lewis’ first acid trip.
Lewis described the trip as “not unlike something from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, where a “Hunter S. Thompson character” chased her around the house with a butcher knife. She finished this bad trip by drinking an entire gallon of orange juice in the hope it would somehow flush the LSD out of her system.
LSD – A$AP Rocky
We make love under pretty lights, LSD (Acid)
I get a feelin’ it’s a trippy night
Them other drugs just don’t fit me right
LSD by A$AP Rocky blends two common musical tropes: sex and drugs. A$AP Rocky has previously stated that LSD helps him to cope with life and improve his creativity.
Mother I’ve Taken LSD – The Flaming Lips
Mother I’ve taken LSD
I thought it would set me free
But now I think it’s changed me
It’s pretty clear that Mother I’ve Taken LSD is about LSD. Unlike other songs that detail the experiences of an acid trip, it’s much less colorful and trippy and far bleaker. It includes lyrics such as “Now I see the sadness in the world/I’m sorry I didn’t see it before” and essentially tells the story of someone who takes LSD and has their eyes opened to the misery of existence.
Purple Haze – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Purple haze all in my brain
Lately things don’t seem the same
Actin’ funny, but I don’t know why
‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky
1967 was clearly a big year for songs based on mind-altering experiences, as this is another classic to add to the list.
Purple Haze is commonly thought of as a song about cannabis, as it helped to popularize a marijuana strain of the same name. But it actually describes a psychedelic experience and many believe it is based on a batch of LSD.
Other Songs About Psychedelic Experiences
- We Call It Acieed – D-Mob: The debut single from D-Mob, released in 1989. A trippy acid house song.
- LSD – 1200 Micrograms: There’s no ambiguity here, this is a trance song all about LSD. It begins with a line describing LSD as “possibly the most powerful and important psychoactive drug on this planet”.
- Black Peter – The Grateful Dead: There have been several meanings put forward for this track, including an intense acid trip. The Grateful Dead were known to be fans of psychedelics, so it’s definitely a possibility.
- Lysergic Bliss – Of Montreal: A song that is clearly inspired by LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide).
- Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd: The origins are debated, but it’s often said that the song describes a trip caused by sedatives. There is no LSD or magic mushrooms here, but its story seems to resonate with many users of psychedelic drugs.
- Acid Rain – Chance the Rapper: The line “Kicked off my shoes, tripped acid in the rain” tells you that this has more to do with an acid trip than acidic rain.
Songs (Probably) Not About Drugs
You can find references to drugs everywhere. Songs are designed to be catchy, and while some lyricists are master poets, others seemingly cobble their lyrics together by throwing a dictionary in a blender and scribbling down the legible leftovers.
This has led to a lot of myths about the apparent drug-based origins of certain songs. We’ve already seen how this applies to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, so let’s look at some other songs that people mistakenly think are about drugs:
Little Green Bag – George Baker: When you realize this song was originally titled Little Greenback, it makes more sense that it’s about money and not drugs.
Terrapin Station – The Grateful Dead: Not a play on “Tripping Station” as often believed, but actually a song about a storyteller on an adventure.
Puff, the Magic Dragon – Peter, Paul and Mary: Despite what the lyrics and title suggest, this is apparently not about drugs. The band has categorically denied it many times over the years, stating that it’s actually about the hardships of getting older.
Fade Into You – Mazzy Star: A deeply touching and sedate song that’s not about getting lost in drugs and is actually a non-traditional love song.
Summary: Psychedelic Albums and Songs
From psychedelic rock music to acid house dance music, psytrance, and even rap music, psychedelic songs transcend all genres. There are thousands of songs out there that have a strong psychedelic influence, as well as many that are a little misunderstood.
Bill Hicks was right, drugs have had a significant impact on modern music.