Rachel Stern
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was released by The Beatles in 1967, a time when The Hippie Movement was in full swing. Originally, The Hippie Movement evolved from influences of The Beatniks from the previous decade. The appeal to stray away from the mainstream was very convincing for many young Americans, and musicians who wanted to share their feelings on peace and love eventually caught on too. The Beatles were one of the many bands who used their music to spread messages and had a strong influence on society. When Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was released, John Lennon claimed that his son Julian was the inspiration behind it, based on a drawing he made in nursery school. Because of the attitudes of many in society at this time, the song was interpreted as a reference about LSD, and it was even connected to Alice and Wonderland. Although they claimed this song was not written for this purpose, John Lennon had admitted to using LSD many times before, which led society to believe that this song was written with that exact purpose. Overall, I think The Hippie Movement and fascination with drug use in America during this time definitely influenced the true meaning behind this song.
Rachel, nice start here! So, are you arguing that the stasis here is action? And that the Beatles were arguing for "peace and love" as you say? Or, you also say: "Although they claimed this song was not written for this purpose, John Lennon had admitted to using LSD many times before, which led society to believe that this song was written with that exact purpose." Are they arguing for another action--drug use?
ReplyDeleteI am arguing that the stasis is consequence/ cause & effect because I tried to explain how the trends and influences of The Hippie Movement in society caused people to interpret the song as having to do with drugs. I do not necessarily think the intended purpose was to argue for "peace and love" or drug use, so I tired to focus more on how people reacted and the effect the song had on society.
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DeleteRachel, I think you have a point to say that the stasis is consequence/cause and effect because the current situations of society, at the time, is what warped the way people interpreted the song. I also think that The Beatles did have an extreme influence on society at the time and that it would be interesting to research if this song possibly influence listeners to do LSD even though it wasn't the original intention of the song.
ReplyDelete-Lucia Tarantino
I like what you're saying about how many people speculated about the motives behind this song, and how you referenced his use of LSD. I think you can talk about other potential meanings to help convey the other interpretations of the lyrics as well. The background info about the hippie movement at the time is good too.
ReplyDelete-Sam Jalowicz
I think this is a great point about the meaning of the song. I think that the song was heavily influenced by drugs of the time and helped an broader audience connect with their music.
ReplyDelete-Patrick Forbus