What is The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" about?

Answer 1

The Beatles were the greatest ever with many, many innovative songs and music that shaped popular music forever and inspired and shaped thousands of subsequent writers.

Most Beatle songs have meanings or were inspired from sources close to the Beatles. 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' has often been attributed to the influence of LSD during the 60's due to the initial letters of Lucy, Sky and Diamonds, although LITSWD is the true acronym.

The true story, the full version of which is printed in the book 'A Hard Days Write', which details the Beatles own explanation as to how the songs were written, and which is quite lengthy is paraphrased below.

One afternoon early in 1967 Julian Lennon, John's son, came home from nursery school with a painting he had done of his schoolmate Lucy O'Donnell. He described the painting as being of Lucy - in the sky - with diamonds. There is a copy of the picture in the book and it shows a childish drawn face with two 'star' shapes floating in the sky surrounded by other similar shapes, these being the 'diamonds'.

John conistently denied the LSD connection, even going into great detail of drugs he had taken, and Julian, himself said, 'I don't know why I called it that, but I obviously had an affection for Lucy at that age. I used to show dad everything I'd built or painted at school and this one sparked off the idea of a song about Lucy in the sky with diamonds.'

Lucy O'Donnell, now aged around 44, works as a teacher with special needs children and lived near the Lennon family in Weybridge and she and Julian were pupils at Heath House, a nursery school run by two old ladies in a rambling Edwardian House. She says about Julian 'I can remember him very well. I can see his face clearly - we used to sit alongside each other in proper old fashioned desks.' She didn't know until she was 13 that the song was about her.

John said that the images conveyed in the song, such as 'plasticine porters with looking glass ties' and 'cellophane flowers towering over your head' were inspired by his love of Lewis Carrol's 'Through the Looking Glass' , notably the chapter 'Wool and Water'. John's favourite books as a child were 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking Glass'. He used to discuss such ideas with Spike Milligan, the comedian and former member of the Goons.

As John said 'Surrealism to me is reality. Pyschedelic vision is reality to me and always was.'

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

It's a little bit boring to run with the pack on the LSD myth.
A van passes my door each day with the sign .........
R ees
E lectrical
E ngineering
S ervices
This is pure chance.
Sure, these guys had a little chemical assistance, as was the zeitgeist of the 60's, but I think the Julian Lennon theory is the nicest.
The Lucy referred to in the song may have been Lucy O'Donnell, born in Weybridge in 1963 (making her the same age as John's son) . She sat next to Julian at Heath House School. She has met up with him on a few occasions in the last few years, and occasionally appears on daytime shows for the anniversary of the "Sergeant Pepper's" album. She is featured in the book "A Hard Days Write". She now lives in Surbiton in Surrey, and owned a nanny agency for children with special needs until she was taken ill with psoriatic arthritis and lupus some years ago.

There is another candidate for the original Lucy — British comedian the late Peter Cook's daughter, Lucy. Lennon and Cook were spending time with each other (Lennon made a guest appearance on Cook's TV show Not Only... But Also as a doorman). According to Cook's biographer, Harry Thompson, Lennon told Cook's then wife, Wendy, that the song was inspired by Lucy Cook.

After all it was meant to make you ask questions, this is a possible answer.

Answer 3

I agree with Julien. The title has nothing to do with LSD. It is purely coincidence. Julian Lennon drew a picture and it was a little girl called Lucy and she had stars all around her. He said it was Lucy in the Sky with diamonds and this inspired John to write the song.

Answer 4

It's not about LSD, I'll tell you that much. As much as you might like to think that it's not. It's about a picture that John Lennon's son, Julian Lennon, drew about this girl in his class and called it Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

~queenpan1295

Answer 5

Whilst the urban myth persists that it is about LSD - John always maintained that his son, Julian, brought a painting home from nursery school and when John said "What's that?" Julian said "It's Lucy - in the sky - with diamonds." and that inspired him to write the song.

(Personally - I prefer THAT explanation to the LSD story; and the fact that it came straight from John is good enough for me!)

Answer 6

Lucy in the sky with diamonds - the clue is in the title

Answer 7

its named after a picture that his son julian drew of his friend lucy and he named it lucy in the sky with diamonds. everyone says that its named after LSD the drung but i dont think its about LSD though

Answer 8

It's not about anything really. The psychedelic lyrics come from images inspired by Alice in Wonderland and the title is from a drawing made by John Lennon's son Julian.

Answer 9

Its a song about taking drugs which was a favourite past time of the Beatles back in the 1960s.

L S D.

See, its in the title!!

Answer 10

Listen it is not about drugs or LSD.John lennon wrote the song not knowing that it spelled that.He wrote it about pyschedelic at it's fullest.Besides that it dosent really have a meaning.