Stonehenge

Album: This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Spinal Tap lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel wrote this song after eating a bad dish of Indian food.
  • Stonehenge is a group of mysterious standing stones on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. Historians believe Stonehenge was constructed around 1500 B.C. and was used for either religious ceremonies or astronomy.
  • A notable disaster occurred on Spinal Tap's 1982 tour when this song was performed using an 18-inch Stonehenge monument as a backdrop instead of an 18-foot one. The plans, which Tufnel drew up on a napkin, said 18" rather than 18', so that is what they got. The tiny monument was stomped on by dwarves hired to dance around it.
  • The band once accused Black Sabbath of stealing their Stonehenge idea for Sabbath's live show. On their 1983-1984 tour, Sabbath commissioned a life-size model of Stonehenge for the stage. Their tour manager drew out the dimensions in feet, but the company that built it assumed it was in meters, so everything was about 3 times a big as it should have been, resulting in unwieldy fake rocks that barely fit in the venues. As part of the show, a dwarf would crawl across the stones and roadies would appear dressed as druids.
  • Spinal Tap was the creation of director Rob Reiner and the actor/comedians Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, who played the band members. Harry Shearer tells us that it was a very collaborative project, with the four of them writing all the songs for the movie. Shearer says he loves "Stonehenge" because it's "musically the silliest song."

Comments: 9

  • Dan Gillespy from Courtenay BcSpinal Tap always has had interesting rocking songs and Stonehenge is one of those songs.
  • Dan from Sheridan, WyThe Set is *not* stomped on by the dwarves. It is NEARLY stomped on, prompting the discussion of whether thy should keep using the prop.
  • Brian from New York, Nyin spinal tap 2 they yell to their crowd: "If you could travel back to any ancient time period ever, when would it be?" and they all yell back "STONEHENGE!"
  • Brian from Fullerton (the Paris Of Oc), CaFavorite Spinal Tap dialogue:
    "No, you don't push the wind away, the wind comes at you. Ok change those, get the little dwarf canolies. Come on, don't talk back, mime is money, come on, move it"

    "Can I ask a practical question at this point? Are we gonna do Stonehenge tomorrow night?"

    "We've got Armadillos in our trousers. It's really quite frightening"

    "Do me a favor. Just kick my ass, okay? Kick this ass for a man, that's all. Kick my ass. Enjoy. Come on. I'm not asking, I'm telling with this. Kick my ass."


  • Martijn from Helmond, NetherlandsTom Waits (an extraordinary songwriter who for some reason is not featured on ths site) recently said he had to cry when watching this movie because it was so true. His wife kept telling him it was funny, but he thought it sad.
  • Luke from Manchester, England1. The film has them with the small stonehenge,

    2. It's based upon Black Sabbath's story of getting replica stones made for a tour only to have them so big they couldn't fit in any of the arenas they were playing... The Tap's version makes the stones too small.

    3. Derek Smalls gets trapped in a cocoon, not a stone
  • Daryl from Stoke, EnglandHaha, one of my favourite scenes is where Derek is trapped in the big blue block onstage...The when he finally gets out the others go back in theirs and it closes haha great stuff!
  • Steph from Melbourne, Australiayeh, i agreed with erika from Melbourne. That 1 with the jeans lol. Best Comedy film eva. Great scene! great movie!
  • Erika from Melbourne, Australiayou gotta love that bit of the movie! great movie!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet SprocketSongwriter Interviews

The "All I Want" singer went through a long depression, playing some shows when he didn't want to be alive.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Gentle Giant

Gentle GiantSongwriter Interviews

An interview with Ray and Derek Shulman of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant to discuss counterpoint, polyrhythms, and... Bon Jovi.

Which Songs are About Drugs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.