The Flaming Lips are known for their lush, multi-layered arrangements, spacey lyrics and bizarre song titles. They are also acclaimed for their elaborate live shows, which typically feature animal suits, puppets, streamers, video projections and complex stage light configurations.
In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die". In 2006, Oklahoma City named a street Flaming Lips Alley in their honor.
The group recorded several albums and EPs for Restless Records in the 1980s and early 1990s. After signing to Warner Brothers, they scored a #9 hit on the Billboard Alternative charts (and #55 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart) in 1994 with "She Don't Use Jelly". Although it would be their only hit single, the band has maintained critical respect and, to a lesser extent, commercial viability with sonically majestic albums such as 1995's Clouds Taste Metallic, 1999's The Soft Bulletin, 2002's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and 2006's At War with the Mystics. The Flaming Lips' 12th studio album, Embryonic, was released in October of 2009. A complete cover of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon was released in May 2010. The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends, their collaborative album which features artists like Ke$ha, Bon Iver, Nick Cave and Erykah Badu, was released on Record Store Day, April 2012.
Their next studio album, tentatively titled The Terror, will be released in January 2013.
Their song "Do You Realize??" is the official State Rock Song of Oklahoma.
www.flaminglips.com
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Towering over your head
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah
Followed her down to a bridge by a fountain
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
That grow so incredibly high
Newspaper taxis appear on the shore
Waiting to take you away
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds
And you're (Gone)
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky)
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky)
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky) ah
Picture yourself on a train in a station
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile
The girl with kaleidoscope (Eyes)
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky)
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky)
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky) ah
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky)
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky)
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky) ah
The Flaming Lips's song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a cover of The Beatles' original track, which was released in their iconic album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". The song appears to be a psychedelic journey described using surreal and nonsensical imagery. The opening line, "Picture yourself in a boat on a river, with tangerine trees and marmalade skies" sets the scene for an otherworldly adventure. The singer is then introduced to a girl with kaleidoscope eyes, and they are guided through a landscape of cellophane flowers, marshmallow pies, and rocking horse people. The lyrics paint a picture of a colorful, surreal world that is both fascinating and unsettling at the same time.
In many ways, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a quintessential example of the psychedelic rock movement of the 1960s. The song reflects the spirit of the counterculture and the experimentation with drugs that was prevalent at the time. The song's title is an obvious reference to LSD, and the lyrics suggest that the singer is under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs while experiencing these surreal adventures.
Interestingly, The Beatles initially denied that the song was about LSD, despite the obvious drug-related references. John Lennon himself has claimed that the song was inspired by a painting his son Julian had made of a classmate named Lucy who was in the sky with diamonds. However, the song's title and lyrics have always been controversial, and Lennon's explanation may have been an attempt to deflect criticism.
Line by Line Meaning
Picture yourself in a boat on a river
Imagine yourself in a peaceful state drifting along a river.
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
The surrounding scenery consists of orange trees and pink clouds.
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
Someone tries to gain your attention and you slowly respond.
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes
The girl has multicolored eyes that seem to change in light and shade.
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Brightly colored plants in shades of yellow and green stand before you.
Towering over your head
The flowers are very tall, possibly reaching overhead.
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
Search for the same girl who still has the bright sun in her eyes.
And she's (Gone)
But soon after you realize that the girl is gone.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy is a girl whose presence is made even more magical by the diamonds.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah
Ah, what a sight it is to see Lucy in the sky adorned with diamonds.
Followed her down to a bridge by a fountain
You followed Lucy to a bridge near a fountain.
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies
There are people riding toy horses and eating marshmallow pies in this imaginary place.
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
As you float by on the river, everyone smiles at you and the flowers.
That grow so incredibly high
The flowers continue to grow to great heights.
Newspaper taxis appear on the shore
Taxis made out of newspapers appear on the riverbank.
Waiting to take you away
The taxis appear to be waiting for you to take a ride with them.
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds
You climb into the back of the taxi with your head full of imaginative thoughts.
And you're (Gone)
You get lost in the moment and forget where you are.
Picture yourself on a train in a station
Imagine yourself in a busy train station.
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties
The train station is occupied by strange porters wearing ties reflected with a mirror-like finish.
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile
All of a sudden, someone appears at the entrance to the station.
The girl with kaleidoscope (Eyes)
It is the same girl with eyes that are ever-changing like those of a kaleidoscope.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky)
Lucy is remembered once more, in a context similar to the earlier verses.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky)
The beauty of Lucy in the sky surrounded by diamonds is emphasized once again.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky) ah
Ah, Lucy and her diamonds are such a stunning sight in the sky!
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky)
Lucy and her diamonds are truly a wondrous image to behold.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky)
The song ends with the vivid image of Lucy sparkling in the sky with her diamonds.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds (Lucy in the sky) ah
The song ends with one final ode to the beautiful Lucy in the sky with her diamonds.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul Mccartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eugene Debs
A true Beatles fan appreciates any covers made by any artist period. If you say that Ms. Cyrus here should leave the Beatles alone then aren't you the one who doesn't want the world to know how amazing the Beatles are? Remember the love you take is equal to the love you make. Peace and love my dudes
Satsuma Salanewt
Eugene Debs
1. A true Beatles fan doesn’t have to like covers. A true Beatles fan can just like The Beatles as originally by the Beatles.
2. Miley Cyrus should leave the Beatles alone because she has butchered this song. Her obviously auto tuned “singing” cannot even compete with the immense power of John Lennon’s vocals on this song.
3. I’m pretty sure everyone knows who amazing the Beatles are. They are considered the most influential band of the 20th Century, if not, of all time.
4. Don’t make a reference to The End if you’re just going to spread hippie propaganda. Which is kind of ironic as it’s almost like you’re trying to get people mad by saying that “if you don’t like ALL covers, including this one, then you’re not a true Beatles fan.” If you’re trying to spread “peace and love” then how about you just stay away from the Beatles as well.
Komfy Koala
@Eugene Debs Yes exactly.
Eugene Debs
Satsuma Salanewt I said “appreciate”, not “like”. There’s a difference my man lol. I don’t like the cover but I do appreciate it being made, stop being a baby and grow up.
Nadeem
@Satsuma Salanewt you should probably check out her live performances. She doesn't need autotune at all
Nadeem
@Satsuma Salanewt you should probably check out her live performances. She doesn't need autotune at all
n1airwaves
Very trippy, manic and almost scary. I didn't know how I would feel about this, but its a good cover. It's really hard to pull off a Beatles song, especially their psychedelic stuff but this is just weird in all the right ways.
Susan Burns
Exactly! It's each individual's ability as an artist to make it their own, not replicate but revive.
Ted Cantu
This whole album is freakin' incredible
Liam J mbta and rail fan
are you serious