Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
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| "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Mickey Newbury | ||
| from the album Harlequin Melodies | ||
| Writer(s) | Mickey Newbury | |
"Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" is a song written by Mickey Newbury. Said to reflect the LSD experience, the song was intended to be a warning against the danger of using LSD. First recorded in 1967 by Jerry Lee Lewis, who rejected it, it was a hit for The First Edition (with Kenny Rogers on lead vocals) in 1968. It was Rogers' first top ten hit in the Billboard charts, but was not typical of the country folk harmonies that characterized most of The First Edition's catalog.[1] However, the group was already familiar with rock music, bouncing from country, to pop, to rock, and to folk music.
The innovative song features Rogers on lead vocals and was the group's second single. The psychedelic hard rock arrangement made quite an impression in the music field. According to Rogers, "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" was Jimi Hendrix's favorite song.[citation needed] Producer Mike Post reversed a few riffs to create the intro, and the solo played by Glen Campbell was heavily reverberated. Another studio guitarist, Mike Deasy, provided the acoustic lead guitar parts.
When Rogers signed to United Artists Records in the mid-1970s after the group split, he re-recorded the track for his Ten Years Of Gold album.
[edit] In the media
- Kenny Rogers and The First Edition version :
- In 1998, the song appeared virtually in its entirety (with the bridge and the final few seconds of the fade out cut off) during a psychedelic dream sequence in the cult film The Big Lebowski. A clip of the song is also the background music for the main menu of the collector's edition DVD.
- The song also appeared in the 2000 videogame Driver 2.
- Comedian and radio host Adam Carolla has occasionally commented on the song's psychedelic instrumentation and lyrics. On his Loveline radio program, he remarked to co-host Dr. Drew that "Just Dropped In" was, "the grooviest, sixty-est, druggiest, counter-culture-iest song in the world," in contrast to Rogers' more familiar story-telling country songs[2].
[edit] Selected list of recorded versions
- 1967 Jerry Lee Lewis, Soul My Way
- 1968 Mickey Newbury, Harlequin Melodies
- 1968 The First Edition, The First Edition
- 1968 Bettye Lavette, Single
- 1977 Kenny Rogers, Ten Years Of Gold
- 1988 Die Haut with Nick Cave, Headless Body in Topless Bar
- 1991 Mojo Nixon and the Second Edition, 20 Explosive Dynamic Super Smash Hit Explosions!
- 1994 Mickey Newbury, Nights When I am Sane
- 1995 Supergrass, "Alright"/"Time" single
- 1995 Wayne Perkins, Mendo Motel
- 1997 Tinsley Ellis, Fire it Up
- 2001 Willie Nelson, Rainbow Connection
- 2002 Willie Nelson, Great Divide
- 2003 Reef, Together: The Best Of Reef
- 2005 Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
- 2006 Jeff Walker, Welcome to Carcass Cuntry
- 2008 Children of Bodom, Blooddrunk (bonus track) & Hellhounds on my Trail EP
- 2008 Zueri West, haubi songs
