Talk:Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

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The reason

During a recent tribute to John Lennon, they replayed footage of him being interviewed on what looked like David Letterman. One day young Jullian Lennon brought home a picture he drew. John says it was called "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" He really liked the name and managed to come up with the later, based on the title.

What came up later was that the title was misconstrued as a drug reference. Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds. LSD.

Of course John said it was a complete suprise to him, and he would up looking at all the rest of his song list. It was a random thing, that people thought he intentionally made. Of course people still believe it today, though it's still a popular myth.

I have heard many who have found a way to believe both the painting story and the LSD story. They claim that while John could have got the name Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds from Julian's painting's name, Julian could have got the name from John and his friends using a codename for LSD to keep Julian from knowing what they were doing. With that in mind, the two stories do not exlude each other. Kainaw 01:12, 27 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Rhythm

Lucy in the Sky "...is notable for being the first rock song to contain two different metres or beats." This is blatantly false. "She Said She Said," an earlier Beatles song, switches meters as well. And there's got to be other examples. I'm deleting it.

She Said She Said has one beat and changes up only at the conclusion, not during any other parts of teh song. and from the Wikipedia page states it only uses three notes. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds was noted at the time as being the first rock song to have two different tempos written intentionally into the song (as opposed to a medley of songs each with a different beat)baronvon

look at "We Can Work It Out" by the Beatles. In there, you definitely have 2 different metres (look at the bridge...). so, i also consider this sentence as being false. 87.122.158.132 10:25, 9 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As I indicated in my edit summaries, I do regard this as a plausible claim -- but merely being plausible falls short of what is required to make the assertion here in WP. It would be good, for starters, to have at least a citation for where it "was noted at the time", although even that, of course, falls short of proof of the assertion. In all honesty, I'm not sure that it is even possible to actually prove this claim. But at the very least, we should have something that approaches credible verification. Cgingold 00:19, 30 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've found an even EARLIER Beatles song with different meters. A Taste of Honey, off of Please Please Me, their first album.

Reason for changes....

Paul admitted the true nature of Lucy in the Sky...http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5121163

I never heard that Lennon denied the song had drug imagery, only that the title was not related to the drug LSD at all. Nothing McCartney says denies that.

Could you sign your posts, please?

Lennon denied the song had anything to do with drugs. Anyone familiar with the Beatles knew it was a fib but he plainly decided his life would be easier if he flatly avoided confrontation about it. McCartney waited almost forty years to finally say it was "obvious". The coincidence of Julian's drawing and its title is a bit startling but any alert artist's life is replete with exploitable coincidences ripe for the picking and in 1967 a song with that acronym and those lyrics could only be about one thing. Besides, to wildly speculate only to show how much we don't know, Julian could have "subliminally picked up" on the acronym and the psychedelics swirling around him, and Lennon could have rationalized the creative craftwork he put into the finished song, along with the innocent source of the inspiration to write it, enough to think something along the lines of, "it's about surreal imagry or whatever and the initials'll be a giggle but it's really about seeing things differently, surreality and melodies and wordplay, not fookin' drugs..." Wyss 13:27, 14 Mar 2005 (UTC)

See Full 1980 Playboy interview. AvB ÷ talk 21:42, 25 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Broken link

The link about Lucy Richardson's article is broken. Did someone type it wrong? I will delete it. - Gabriel Quinteiro (I'm not registered)

Australopithecus afarensis

According to the History Channel's special "Ape to Man," the song was playing on a tape rather than the radio. I would also doubt that a radio situated in the remote areas of Ethiopia could pick up a station that would play Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds :)

I'll make the change if nobody objects

I've unspecified it (removed any mention of a radio being involved). Wyss 04:18, 14 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Looks good- sorry, I was the one who brought up the radio/tape thing but I forgot to sign my name. --StJarvitude 07:28, 15 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Lucy Richardson ({{contradict-section}} tag)

Under the paragraph 'Who is Lucy?' - it gave Lucy's surname as O'Donnell. And later referred to her family as the Richardsons and her as Richardson. I'm not sure what's going on there. Can someone please check?

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 130.194.13.101 (talk • contribs) . 00:44, 25 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently there are two of them, both of them at one time or another credited with being "the" Lucy. The article is definitely wrong here since it sort of mixes up both versions. References from reputable sources are hard to find on the Internet. What I did find: The story about the drawing is Ok as reported by, among others, Steven Turner in "A Hard Day's Write" (Lucy O'Donnell). The antiques etc. shop is attributed to both girls but apparently belongs in the Lucinda Richardson story, which started as a claim in the Daily Express newspaper somewhen in 1986 and was confirmed by Lucinda's sister in 2005? Lucy O'Donnell is about Julian's age, Lucinda was some 5 years older. Links: (In Dutch), Google Lucinda Harrison, Google Lucy O'Donnell. FWIW. AvB ÷ talk 21:33, 25 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've tagged the section as contradictory. AvB ÷ talk 22:01, 25 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps Lucy O'Donnell married and took the name Richardson? I don't know for certain, but I'm just throwing that out there. HubHikari 13:59, 4 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Didn't "the" Lucy (Lucy Richardson) die? http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/lennons%20lucy%20in%20the%20sky%20dies On that article it says that she died and her family sprinkled crystals on her grave. What's the deal? --75.73.38.108 03:44, 9 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

If I have it right, Lucy Richardson did die a few years ago, but she was not "The Lucy." Lucy O'Donnell, still living (now Mrs. Lucy Vodden), is credited by most sources as being "The" Lucy. Understand? Sir Rhosis 00:19, 3 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Unsourced speculation about song title

I understand the normal requirements that all information posted in Wikipedia have an associated listed source from a publication or similar. What I do not understand is why that requirement applies to speculation.

Don't the rules state that contributions based on personal observations - a plane crash for example - are legit? Why, in that case, is a personally observed speculation deleted out of hand?

Possible references to LSD, the title of Julian's drawing, or who Lucy is or was are all speculation. So what makes published speculation any more worthwhile or reliable than anything a Wikipedia contributor adds?

I myself found the recently deleted info on LSD induced visual disturbances relevant and of interest. It was clear from the text that this was just another potential link between drug references in the song. It is a shame it was removed.

Similarly the info I added a while back which was also deleted mentioned the children's song "Twinkle twinkle little star" contains the line "like a diamond in the sky". I think this is relevant because if the song is named after Julian's drawing, one does wonder how young Julian came up with such startling imagery for a title.

IMHO - both of these observations are worthwhile and should not be deleted out of hand just because other publications have never bothered to make the connection.

Milbs 23:54, 28 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Your observations are not reliable, their WP:NOR. (I am not picking on you; mine aren't either.) If reliable, verifiable sources make speculative claims, then we can add it as claims made by reliable sources, and cite them. If you can't cite it as other than personal knowledge, it's not supposed to be here. John Cardinal 06:13, 29 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

What position in the charts did "L i t S w D" reach?

In all other articles concerning a particular song there is the position listed the song reached in the charts in the U.S. and the U.K.. Why not here?