Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

[ISNorden]

I saw the SS reruns on noggin which was the 1st 20 years of SS so I know for sure the MCR wasn't used except for the pilot episodes.

It still appeared on albums that included the theme song; instrumental closing versions of the theme (with no lyrics) also kept that section intact. Finally, the "vacation" episodes (like the ones in New Mexico and Hawaii) kept the longer theme song--although they used new lyrics specifically written for each trip. This seems to confirm that CTW objected to the lyrics of the longer version, not the length or the presence of a "bridge" section itself.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Well if they wrote different lyrics for each trip, that does means they wanted to be specific to the episode and indicate they were doing something different, not necessarily that the standard bridge was a problem.

 

[ISNorden]

Good point, heralde! Personally, I doubt that the "magic carpet ride" lyric was meant as a reference to drug trips: since the title "Sesame Street" was partly inspired by the Arabian Nights stories, it would make sense for the theme song to include a hint of those stories as well. I can see how someone unfamiliar with the source might get the wrong idea, though...

 

[ISNorden]

What's also interesting is how the SS theme originally had the verse " It's a Magic Carpet Ride, Every Door Will Open Wide etc. " with the exception of the test pilots didn't have that verse used in the the open theme for its regular run.

Now the term MCR was a popular drug tern during the 60's. I doubt and would hate to think that it would have anything to do with why the verse wasn't used. had the 1st SS album in which the verse was sung.

Well, the next rhyming line ("every door will open wide") was probably a link back to the "Open Sesame" phrase that inspired the show's title. And since most people associate magic carpets with the Arabian Nights stories, "magic carpet ride" might not have been intended as drug slang after all...especially not on a children's show that might have gotten censored or banned, if NET/PBS suspected pro-drug messages in it!

 

[CensoredAlso]

I hadn't thought of it before, but I agree ISNOrden, that was probably the connection they were hoping for!

 

[GonzoLeaper]

A literal magic carpet ride is always the connection I make with it. And yeah, it makes sense since "Open Sesame" is a line from "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" in Scherezade's 1000 Tales.

 

[Drtooth]

Isn't that What Kermit said in the SS pilot film? Opening up new worlds- Sesame Street- like Open Sesame....

Stupidly, I forgot completely about that lyric and never made the connection earlier.

BTW- Yellow Submarine didn't have any Drug references in it. however, after the song was released a certain hallucigenic tablet was refered to as Yellow Submarines, and certain Parental groups made the connection.

Even if the Beatles did experiment with drugs, I felt at the time parental groups really wanted to take them down. That's why fake drug references are assumed by some.

 

[MeWantCookie]

i've been a beatles fan since i was very, very young (probably about 3 years old) and my dad used to play "strawberry fields forever" and "lucy in the sky with diamonds" on the piano, and i would pick up a microphone and sing along...i had absolutely no clue what the songs were referring to but i guess being young and oblivious to that was helpful at the time. i also remember the "magic carpet ride" verse from the old SS theme song (it was on a cassette tape I had; "The Best of Sesame Street) but any reference to "magic carpet ride" reminded me of "Aladdin."

 

[CensoredAlso]

The Beatles definitely took drugs, but it's too simple to dismiss their more bizarre numbers as "drug songs." John was also an amateur artist and poet and always created strange and bizarre imagery, even before LSD. Plus, all that psychedelic stuff was part of the culture at that time, whether you were taking drugs or not. People can and have created such things as weird songs without being under the influence (in fact it helps to be NOT under the influence at the time!) Ringo said once "it didn't work for the Beatles to be too deranged."

 

[MeWantCookie]

besides, i heard something that the name of the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" came from a drawing John's son Sean drew of his friend Lucy...anyone else hear that one?