Vegetables

Album: Smiley Smile (1966)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Paul McCartney was in the studio when Brian Wilson was mixing this song - you can hear him in the background munching on celery. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Jim - St Louis, MO
  • Wilson wrote this when he was struggling with the hallucinogenic drug LSD, which can cause a childlike regression over time. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Andrew - Covington, OH
  • In 1847 the Bible Christian organization took the lead in establishing the first national vegetarian Society which was formed at Ramsgate, England. At its inaugural meeting the word "vegetarian" was coined. The word should not be confused with the word "vegetable," it was derived from the Latin "vegetus," meaning whole, vigorous, active. Around the same time in America the teenage Louisa Alcott's father was exchanging vegetarian recipes with his friends the essayists Ralph Emerson and Henry Thoreau. (From the book Food for Thought: Extraordinary Little Chronicles of the World by Ed Pearce)

Comments: 4

  • Anonymous from AnonymousActually, Paul only appeared on the SMiLE version. The Smiley Smile version was rerecorded completely and as such doesn't have Paul on it. Also, Sean, what information did you use?
  • Claire from Colorado Springs, Coactually, paul wasn't munching celery, he was snapping carrots in half. I like the beatles much more than the beach boys, so i know this kind of stuff.
  • Darrell from EugeneI like vegetables, but to write a whole song about them? LSD was obviously a factor. I should know.
  • Sean from Chicago, IlIt has since been DEBUNKED that McCartney had any participation in the recording of "Vegetables" other than sitting in the control room.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Joe Jackson

Joe JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Joe talks about the challenges of of making a Duke Ellington tribute album, and tells the stories behind some of his hits.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.