Revised FP 5: Anthem of the Sun by the Grateful Dead

In 1968 the psychedelic rock band, the Grateful Dead, released their second album Anthem of the Sun.  This album was released only a year after their debut album The Grateful Dead was released in 1967.  Their debut album was successful but Anthem of the Sun blew their prior success out of the water by becoming their most popular album, and one of the most popular albums of all time.  This album only has a total of five tracks, “That’s It for the Other One”, “New Potato Caboose”, “Born Cross-Eyed”, “Alligator” and “Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)”, but these five tracks went down in history as some of the most influential and important songs of the psychedelic rock genre.  The Grateful Dead are the epitome of psychedelic rock and they have served as inspiration for numerous artists within their genre and many other genres as well. 

While there are many themes throughout this album there is one recurring theme that really stands out, death.  Sometimes the reference to death would be hidden but sometimes it would explicitly mention this theme of death and human mortality.  Although death is a popular theme in history the Grateful Dead take a spin on it and make it unique.  Listening to Anthem of the Sun creates this sense of impending doom and anxiety; it’s like the listener is on their own personal journey at the end of their life that ultimately results in death. 

The first track on Anthem of the Sun is “That’s It for the Other One”.  The song starts off with a chill, easy-going feeling.  The simple guitar riff lulls the listener into a dream-like state that continues through most of the song.  Towards the middle of the song the lyrics stop and you are immersed in the mesmerizing instrumentation until the lyrics start back up.  Throughout the song the pace quickens, the lyrics get faster and faster and the guitar starts getting stronger and stronger until the end of the song when everything collapses.  The lyrics stop, the instruments start playing notes that don’t mesh, and the sound of clocks and bells takes over and slowly gets dimmer and dimmer until the last part is the sound of a single bell ending out the song. 

When I first listened to this song it left me so confused, I didn’t know what to think of it.  I looked up the lyrics to hopefully get a better understanding of the song and once I did the theme of the song became clear to me, death.  Death is a very touchy subject and it’s something that’s very hard to talk about for most people.  It is the only thing that every person will experience and there’s no way to escape it.  It sounds very depressing when you discuss it so many artists avoid writing music that alludes to it, but not the Grateful Dead.  They were bold enough and talented enough to talk about death in a way that didn’t scare people.  

The first lyrics of the song are “the other day they waited, the sky was dark and faded//solemnly they stated, he has to die, you know he has to die”.  Right away the song’s lyrics expose listeners to what the song is going to talk about, but they do it in a way that is ironically relaxing.  Although the lyrics are talking about death, the calm style of singing and the mellow instrumentation make the listener feel relaxed and not afraid of what they have to say.  The Grateful Dead draws listeners in and makes them feel comfortable even though the chorus of the song is “he had to die, you know he had to die”.  Then they start to create this feeling of anxiety when the pace of the song quickens and the lyrics “comin’,comin’,comin’ around” start to repeat over and over.  Then the song reaches the point where everything falls apart and there are all sorts of sounds that don’t sound good together and make you cringe.  After everything falls apart the song ends with a calming sound of a bell that gets dimmer and dimmer until the very last note of the song.  These two points of the song are symbolic of someone experiencing death.  The point of the song when everything falls apart is like when someone is dying and their life is escaping them.  Then once they start to really slip away the music gets slower and the instruments are reduced to a single bell.  Like the final heartbeats of a dying person, the beats of the song slowly die off into nothing.  Towards the end it is painful to experience but in the final moments they become at peace with what is happening. 

After that intense eight minute opening song, the album continues with an even longer song “New Potato Caboose”.  Although this song is nearly nine minutes long it contains a lot of instrumentation and not a lot of lyrics.  This song is similar to the first in the sense that it has a dream-like vibe it gives off.  The carefree style of singing and easy instrumentation once again draw people in and produce this psychedelic vibe that the Grateful Dead are known for.  Unlike the first song though, this easy feeling continues throughout the entire song and the lyrics disappear halfway through the song and the instruments take over until the song is over.  In “New Potato Caboose” the Grateful Dead do what they do best, they make talking about a difficult subject into an easy experience.  The lyrics of the song talk about death and destruction  but not in a frightening way.  With examples like “when the windows all are broken//when the voices of the storm sound like a crowd//winter morning breaks, you’re all alone”  the Grateful Dead follow with their theme of death and painful experiences but are still able to stay within their distinct psychedelic, easy-going style.  

Although Anthem of the Sun only contains five songs, four of the five songs are each close to or over ten minutes long.  The third and middle song, “Born Cross-Eyed” is only a mere 3 minutes long though.  This song also continues with the theme of the rest of the album, but it presents it in a more intense way that the previous two songs didn’t.  The song feels like it is rushing by and the lyrics are trying to catch up with the pace of the instruments.  When I listened to this song I felt like I was running, trying to escape death and it was always right at my heels reaching out to get me.  The lyrics “and I don’t want to see anybody cry” and the repeated “good-bye, good-bye, good-bye” reinforce this idea of trying to escape death but then coming to grip with the reality that no one can allude death.  Death is a guaranteed thing and this song represents someone starting to come to that realization, which everyone has to go through eventually.  

After “Born Cross-Eyed” the next song “Alligator” starts it’s eleven minute journey.  The lyrics talk about an alligator that is coming and hunting this speaker.  When I listened to this song I immediately pictured the alligator as “death”. The song has lyrics like “creepy alligator coming all around the bend// screamin’ and yellin’, he was pickin’ his chops//and I ain’t gonna come around here any more”.  The beginning of the song describes the alligator coming to get the speaker and the speaker trying to get away from him.  Following the theme, the alligator coming to get the him is symbolic of death hunting down someone and in return them trying to get away from it.  Going along with the realization that no one can escape death this song describes the process of someone thinking that they can actually get away from death.  When they think they’re doing fine the alligator comes out of nowhere again and tries to get them.  The lyrics at the beginning of the song introduce this idea and then the instrumentation that follows in the last half of the song reinforces this idea without having to use words.  The beating of a drum and the speeding up and slowing down of the song make listeners feel like they are the ones being hunted by the alligator. 

The last song on this album is “Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)”.  This song closes out the album and it alludes to someone trying one last thing to prevent their death.  The lyrics are “I went down one day to see a Gypsy woman//I want to find out, I want to find out//I told her my story, I told her what was goin’ on//she said all you got to have, oh Lord//just a touch of Mojo’s hand”.  After continuing through the rest of the album being exposed to death and then trying to escape death, the narrator has finally come to terms with the fact that it is going to happen, and they’re not happy with it.  He is trying everything he can to still avoid death and now it has come down to using alternative methods.  The beginning of the song describes his story and the way it is sung is very pleasing to the ear.  Then at the end of the song everything collapses, something changes and the song just falls apart.  After trying to cheat death by using corrupt ways things don’t turn out so well for the speaker.  It proves not to be successful and the end of the song represents him losing his battle with death.  At the end of the song when all the instruments clash and sound terrible it ends the entire album on a sour note.  When listening to this album the listener is on the run from death but in the end it proves to be unsuccessful, showing that it is impossible for someone to cheat death, which is something that every person has to face. 

The Grateful Dead are one of the most successful and talented bands of all time.  They were leaders of the psychedelic rock genre and their distinct hallucinogenic, easy-going vibe appealed to people everywhere.  One of their main talents that set them apart from other bands was their ability to address difficult topics in a way that was still easy to understand.  One of the band’s favorite topics was death, which is not surprising from a band named the Grateful Dead, and they were masters of discussing this depressing subject in a way that people were comfortable with.  The Grateful Dead do a great job of getting the listeners to experience this anxious feeling about death, but they differ in the sense that they actually go there and make the listener feel like they are experiencing death.  With their use of lyrics, instrumentation, and rhythm the Grateful Dead are able to take the listener on a journey through their own dying day until they breathe their last breath. 

Revised FP 4: The White Album by The Beatles

In 1968, one of the most famous bands of all time, The Beatles, released their ninth album The Beatles.  Although this album is officially titled The Beatles, it is more commonly referred to as The White Album because the album cover is plain white and has no pictures or words other than “The Beatles”.  After enormous success from their album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club, released only a year earlier in 1967, The Beatles came back and did it again with the extremely popular The White Album. This album topped the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom when it was released in 1968, and soon became legendary. 

When this album was released it was an eventful time for the Beatles because of their continuing success, but it was also an eventful time for the rest of the world.  The sixties were a very interesting decade because although there was lots of war and violence going on in the world, this decade is also known for love, peace, and good vibes.  The Beatles were formed in 1960 so their rise to fame was happening simultaneously with the progression of the 1960’s.  The Beatles are known for their carefree, dream-like sound and they had the ability to reference violence, war, and other serious issues while still keeping their distinct sound. Many people found solace in The Beatles’ music because they discussed society’s issues in a peaceful and almost comforting way.  The Beatles’ music encompassed the 1960’s time period by creating music that dealt with the events and issues that surrounded the sixties decade while still keeping their personal style.  By listening to their music listeners from every generation can get a better understanding of what the world was like in the sixties. 

The Beatles are an interesting band because although their music reflects the culture of the 1960’s, The Beatles themselves were an important part of the culture of that era.  When you ask someone to describe things related to the sixties its very likely that they will mention The Beatles because they were a phenomena at that time, and they still continue to be long after the band’s existence.  The Beatles were so popular that even though there were so many things happening during that time, they stole the spotlight and were the topic of conversation by the media and the people. Today in modern times we can listen to The Beatles’ music and understand what it was like in the sixties because The Beatles were the culture of the 1960’s.  People enjoyed listening to The Beatles and they were also eager to listen to what they had to say and what their music had to say about the world.  The Beatles could take things going on in the world and discuss them to mass audiences because the world basically revolved around them. 

The White Album opens with the song “Back in the U.S.S.R.” and tells the story of a man returning to his home of the Soviet Union after fighting in a war.  When this album came out in 1968 the world was in the middle of the Vietnam War.  The lyrics “I’m back in the U.S.S.R, you don’t know how lucky you are boy, back in the U.S.S.R.” allude to the conditions of the Soviet Union and its people during the war.  This song is somewhat of an oxymoron because the lyrics describe the U.S.S.R. as a great place and the upbeat and light tempo produce this positive feeling of the U.S.S.R during the war, but in reality it was a terrible place to be.  The lyrics allude to the situation of the Soviet Union during the Vietnam War, but in an almost-joking way because of the way the lighthearted lyrics contrast with the oppressive and violent atmosphere of the Soviet Union.  Even though they discuss a very gloomy and depressing part of history the Beatles are able to remain true to their sound with their upbeat tempo and light tone.  Although this song sounded happy and pleasant, after listening to the lyrics many people were not happy with the song or The Beatles.  The Beatles were labeled to be “pro-Soviet” and many anti-communist groups were enraged that they would jokingly praise the United States’ enemy.  Although this song created many controversies it was still a popular song.  “Back in the U.S.S.R” shows how much of an influence The Beatles had that their ideas could spark such interest and anger from people.  It also shows how popular the band was because even though they seemed to support the United States’ enemy it didn’t ruin their reputation at all, after this song The Beatles would still continue to produce legendary music and their popularity would only increase. 

 The album continues with the song “A Hard Day’s Night” which keeps the same carefree sound and quick tempo.  Even though the lyrics describe being a hard day of work, The Beatles present it in a way that makes the listeners still feel happy.  Another song on The White Album is “All You Need is Love”, which brings the album back into harmony with both lyrics and tone that give off a chill, peaceful feeling.  While there are many themes in The White Album, “All You Need is Love” really encompasses the Beatles sound.  The Beatles are famous for being peaceful, anti-violent people and with the lyrics “love is all you need” repeated over and over, listeners can see what The Beatles stand for. Even during this time of war and violence, The Beatles stayed true to their peaceful beliefs and served as comfort and an escape for many people.

While The Beatles are known for their relaxing style, they were also famous for their connections and references to drug use.  During this time period of the 1960’s the world was full of hippies that participated in lots of recreational drug use and had the same ideas of peace that The Beatles had.  The drug LSD was legal in the 1960’s so as a result the culture went through a sort of psychedelic revolution, and The Beatles were right in the middle of it.  When The Beatles were formed they created this new kind of psychedelic music that no one had ever heard before.  As the Beatles became more popular and as the 1960’s went on, hallucinogenic music and the psychedelic rock genre gained an enormous following and became one of the most legendary musical time periods in history.  

The Beatles were the founders of psychedelic rock and many of their songs reference psychedelia and this mind-altering experience that results from taking LSD or other drugs.  On The White Album, the song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is just one example of this.  Lyrics like “a girl with kaleidoscope eyes” and “where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies” make absolutely no sense to the average person.  The lyrics describe things that aren’t logical and make you question what is really going on, much like the mind-altering experience of LSD that causes your reality to be distorted.  Another song on this album, “Strawberry Fields Forever” makes the listeners feel like they are experiencing a psychedelic experience themselves just from listening to this song.  With lyrics like “nothing is real” and “but you know I know when it's a dream” it makes listeners question if what they are experiencing is real or if it all is really just a dream.  While these two songs have hallucinogenic lyrical factors, the quick tempo and harmonious melodies really transform listening to these songs into a psychedelic experience.  

After “Strawberry Fields Forever”, The White Album ends with the song “The Fool on the Hill.”  Continuing with the psychedelic sound that The Beatles knew so well, “The Fool on the Hill” draws listeners in one last time and leaves them wanting more as soon as the song ends.  With the relaxed tone and slowed down tempo it brings The White Album to a quality ending.  This song includes mesmerizing flute solos and harmonious piano chords that help to produce this peaceful and happy feeling that The Beatles were so famous for. “The Fool on the Hill” is the perfect song to close out the album and leaves listeners with this joyous feeling that only The Beatles could produce. 

Soon after it was released, The White Album quickly became one of the Beatles' most popular albums.  Even today, fifty years later, this album and the Beatles have earned a legendary reputation that no other band can even come close to.  When this album was released in the 1960's it encompassed the culture of the sixties but today, even in our modern culture, people still listen to it and enjoy it.  The Beatles had a unique trait that set them apart from other bands, they were the culture of the 1960's and they have continued to appeal to people throughout the following decades.