Research Paper
The 1960’s hippie counter culture movement involved a variety of social concerns and beliefs. The hippies’ primary tenet was that life was about being happy, not about what others thought you should be. Their “If it feels good, do it” attitudes included little forethought nor concern for the consequences of their actions. Along with this lifestyle came many musical advances and styles. Psychedelic Rock became very popular and no band influenced this music type more than Jefferson Airplane. The songs: “White Rabbit,” “Somebody to Love,” and “Today” all showed different aspects of the band worth analyzing.
Jefferson Airplane was a San Francisco, California-based band who pioneered the American counterculture movement as well as …show more content…
When the single went nowhere in Darby’s band (The Great Society) Grace joined Jefferson Airplane and brought with her this song which became a massive hit. Background to this song was San Francisco being the mid-'60s epicenter of free love (Somebody). Darby Slick saw a downside to this ethos/logic, as it could lead to jealousy and disconnect. This song champion’s loyalty and monogamy, as the singer implores us to find that one true love that will nurture us and get us through the tough times. The simple lyrics in the song reiterating that if you’re feeling down and out… find somebody to love. The writer of this song (Darby Slick) and Grace where both tired of the "Why don't you love me?" songs that were typical of love songs of the era. In her words regarding the song, “Rather than the loving you're whining about getting or not getting, a more satisfying state of heart might be the loving you're 'giving'. Suggesting that adhering to the old Puritan cliché, 'It's better to give than to receive…” One lyric in particular, "but in your head, baby, I’m afraid you don't know where it is”—I think this is like when you're involved with someone who doesn't think at all about real things (society, the universe, etc), they're too involved with the false - the superficial things provided as distractions by society (Jefferson 1). The …show more content…
This is the only song on the Surrealistic Pillow Album that is credited to both founding members. This song unlike the others refrains from any psychedelic undertones or counter culture inferences. The song portrays a man who is deeply in love with a woman, but he cannot find a way to tell her how he feels. The man talks about how all he wants to do is love, and how she will be in front of him when his dreams come true. At the end of the song there a lyric saying, “Please, please listen to me, It's taken so long to come true, It's all for you, all for you.” Suggesting that he finally meets the girl and he’s pleading to her that he’s in love. The eerie, electric guitar riff over humble and honest fingerpicking creates a darkly intimate atmosphere, the tambourine adds a wild pulse or heartbeat, and the vocals of both Marty Balin and also Grace Slick on backup are yearning and ghostly. The performance of the song was during the Monterey Pops Festival. There was not a whole lot to the song as far as visuals, vocals were easily the main focus of the song. Even though “Today” is not the most popular of the Airplanes songs many people including I recognize it as a great love song of the sixties (Jefferson-Today
The 1960’s hippie counter culture movement involved a variety of social concerns and beliefs. The hippies’ primary tenet was that life was about being happy, not about what others thought you should be. Their “If it feels good, do it” attitudes included little forethought nor concern for the consequences of their actions. Along with this lifestyle came many musical advances and styles. Psychedelic Rock became very popular and no band influenced this music type more than Jefferson Airplane. The songs: “White Rabbit,” “Somebody to Love,” and “Today” all showed different aspects of the band worth analyzing.
Jefferson Airplane was a San Francisco, California-based band who pioneered the American counterculture movement as well as …show more content…
When the single went nowhere in Darby’s band (The Great Society) Grace joined Jefferson Airplane and brought with her this song which became a massive hit. Background to this song was San Francisco being the mid-'60s epicenter of free love (Somebody). Darby Slick saw a downside to this ethos/logic, as it could lead to jealousy and disconnect. This song champion’s loyalty and monogamy, as the singer implores us to find that one true love that will nurture us and get us through the tough times. The simple lyrics in the song reiterating that if you’re feeling down and out… find somebody to love. The writer of this song (Darby Slick) and Grace where both tired of the "Why don't you love me?" songs that were typical of love songs of the era. In her words regarding the song, “Rather than the loving you're whining about getting or not getting, a more satisfying state of heart might be the loving you're 'giving'. Suggesting that adhering to the old Puritan cliché, 'It's better to give than to receive…” One lyric in particular, "but in your head, baby, I’m afraid you don't know where it is”—I think this is like when you're involved with someone who doesn't think at all about real things (society, the universe, etc), they're too involved with the false - the superficial things provided as distractions by society (Jefferson 1). The …show more content…
This is the only song on the Surrealistic Pillow Album that is credited to both founding members. This song unlike the others refrains from any psychedelic undertones or counter culture inferences. The song portrays a man who is deeply in love with a woman, but he cannot find a way to tell her how he feels. The man talks about how all he wants to do is love, and how she will be in front of him when his dreams come true. At the end of the song there a lyric saying, “Please, please listen to me, It's taken so long to come true, It's all for you, all for you.” Suggesting that he finally meets the girl and he’s pleading to her that he’s in love. The eerie, electric guitar riff over humble and honest fingerpicking creates a darkly intimate atmosphere, the tambourine adds a wild pulse or heartbeat, and the vocals of both Marty Balin and also Grace Slick on backup are yearning and ghostly. The performance of the song was during the Monterey Pops Festival. There was not a whole lot to the song as far as visuals, vocals were easily the main focus of the song. Even though “Today” is not the most popular of the Airplanes songs many people including I recognize it as a great love song of the sixties (Jefferson-Today