We all know what a long, strange trip it's been since the 60's, when Alice grew to ten feet tall and everyone was living in a sunshine daydream. Psychedelia never really died, though; trippy lyrics can be found on albums from every generation, then to now. Can you name the artists behind these psychedelic lyrics?
David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.
"London Bridge," "Ring Around the Rosie" and "It's Raining, It's Pouring" are just a few examples of shockingly morbid children's songs.
Songwriting Hall of Famer Linda Perry talks about her songs "What's Up" and "Beautiful," her songwriting process, and her move into film music.
The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.
Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?
"Love Is A Battlefield" was written as a ballad, but Pat Benatar's guitarist/husband Neil Giraldo turned it into an uptempo song.
Bruce Sprinsteen said "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" was "the best love song I ever wrote."
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was Michael Jaskson's attack on the tabloid press: "They eat off of you, you're a vegetable."
The Ben Folds Five song "Brick" is about a difficult time when Folds' girlfriend got an abortion.
Freddie Mercury considered "We Are The Champions" his version of "My Way." "We have made it, and it certainly wasn't easy," he said.
It wasn't a hit when the group was active, but "Here Comes The Sun" has risen to become one of the most popular Beatles songs. This became apparent in the download era when it was the group's top-selling song the first week their catalog was available on iTunes.
