The 10 best acid anthems
The standard anti-drug advert that was used to deter people from taking LSD tended to consist of a few things: i) a group of friends, ii) the rogue member who gets everybody drugs, iii) the group of friends refusing to take said drugs, iv) the friends being persuaded, v) all friends dying a gruesome, horrible death. These PSAs were Final Destination in their execution as people jumped out windows because they thought they could fly or ran onto the roads to hug a sad-looking lorry. They gave off one message and one message only: DON’T TAKE ACID. YOU WILL DIE.
Granted, not every experience with LSD is pleasant; given its hallucinogenic nature, there are instances when people have seen quite nasty things; however, the negative stigma that used to surround it was utterly unjustified. A lot of people who have tried acid have seen it as a mind-altering experience, something that allows them to better connect with the world around them and be grateful for it. There has also been a lot of good art produced as a direct result of LSD.
When people take acid, it disrupts the serotonergic system, and this influences how people see and hear. As such, the music that people make when on acid tends to be reflective of what they experienced during their trip on acid. This means that a lot of the time, lyrics that are written follow no structure and are nonsensical, provoking alluring imagery that is also inaccessible. The instrumentation can be equally disjointed and usually results from improvisation. Again, the style will mimic the arc of the trip, so a lot of people end up creating dreamy sounds, while others may go down a darker route with what they make.
Because so much of the music that people on acid make reflects their experience, the art produced is often far from what anyone else could ever make. Each trip is individual and unique; therefore, the music that is born from it is equally so. This list will have a look at some of the best music that has been made when on acid and reflects both positive and negative experiences.
The best music made on acid
The Beatles – ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’
This is probably the most famous acid-related song ever made. During the recording of The Beatles‘ trippy Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, it was well-documented that they were taking LSD, so when one of the tracks from the album spells out LSD with its capitals, it’s hardly a surprise that fans made the link.
There is still debate over whether the song is a reference to LSD or not. While the music will have had some acid-infused influence given when it was written, John Lennon insisted that the title of the track referencing the drug was a pure coincidence. “This is the truth,” he said, “My son came home with a drawing and showed me this strange-looking woman flying around. I said, ‘What is it,’ he said, ‘It’s Lucy in the sky with diamonds.’ I thought, ‘That’s beautiful,’ and immediately wrote a song about it.”
Jockstrap – ‘ACID’
Mercury Award-nominated duo Jockstrap have been turning heads thanks to their experimental sound that blends genres seamlessly. In their song ‘ACID’, they have more of a contemporary take on the drug, as they describe a hazy breakup whilst tripping.
Lead singer Georgia Ellery opens with, “Smash a pretty vase of acid”, before the song erupts into strange-sounding synth noises and ambient orchestral music. Like a lot of the music that Jockstrap produce, the song is thrown slightly askew thanks to the innovative way in which they approach creating, and whilst it’s true to their sound, it also reflects the drug they’re writing about.
Ecstasy Club – ‘Jesus Loves The Acid’
Though everyone’s tripping experience is different, this track from ’88 is not one that most people would recommend when on acid. It has an incredibly intense sound, as synths are reflective of nails on a chalkboard, and the beat is so wobbly it could give jelly a run for its money.
That being said, the title suggests that when it was made, Ecstasy Club were frequently taking acid, so its influence will have no doubt crept into the track. This means subtly and also in an exaggerated manner, as chants of “ACID!” ring through towards the end of the song. (this isn’t a tune that shrouds itself in metaphor).
Jimi Hendrix – ‘Purple Haze’
Drug aficionados might roll their eyes at this one, given the name of the song is now associated with a strand of weed; however, when you listen to the lyrics in this exciting Jimi Hendrix track, there is no escaping the fact that the influence was LSD. With lyrics like “Don’t know if it’s day or night” and “Excuse me while I kiss the sky,” Hendrix takes the listener on a journey through one of his trips.
Perhaps the trippiest section throughout the song is during the solo. Though Hendrix dances over the pentatonic scale as he was so accustomed to, he layers the solo with the occasional interjection, as his voice fades from left to right ear, saying, “Help me” and “I can’t go on”.
LCD Soundsystem – ‘American Dream’
“You took acid and looked in the mirror, watched the beard crawl around your face” opens this tale of a night out on the hallucinogenic drug. Like many songs influenced by acid, the instrumentation is dreamlike, creating a backdrop that requires eyes closed and full attention.
As the track progresses and that dreamlike instrumentation becomes unrelenting, it almost transforms into a nightmare (albeit an atmospheric and melodic nightmare). If what we know about LSD is true, then this representation is similar to the trip that the song’s narrator experienced.
The Flaming Lips – ‘Mother I’ve Taken LSD’
Most of the lyrics on The Flaming Lips album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots are thought to have been written on LSD; however, the newer material seems more on the nose when embracing its influences. The title tells you everything you need to know, as ‘Mother I’ve Taken LSD’ is a confessional song where the narrator sings about the acid which would set him free.
A sombre tone is present throughout the song, which is elevated by the introduction of an uplifting string section. The song goes on to talk about psychedelic experiences and how they have shown sadness and pain that can’t be unseen.
David Bowie – ‘Space Oddity’
‘Space Oddity’ is an obvious choice but a good one. This song has LSD running through every second of it as it was the first introduction to Bowie’s astronaut, Major Tom, who ended up featuring on several other Bowie songs in the future.
Compared to some of the other tracks on this list, ‘Space Oddity’ is a much calmer song, with soft vocals and layers of steady acoustic guitar. It does build, accompanied by a NASA-style countdown, but even then, the music is pleasant sounding and relaxing. In the song, Major Tom climbs higher and higher into outer space.
The Beatles – ‘I Am The Walrus’
This is the second Beatles song on this list, but some of the music they had when taking drugs and writing about their experiences was so good it is hard to narrow down the hits into just one. ‘I Am The Walrus’ is notoriously associated with tripping, and the lyrics still have fans scratching their heads.
Words were born from narcotics-fuelled rehearsals. The two-note pattern of a passing police siren inspired one. There was also the line, “See how they run like pigs from a gun,” which was also inspired by one of the band’s notorious trips.
Grateful Dead – ‘Black Peter’
Due to the effects that LSD has on creative people and the fact that the music they end up making tends to mirror their trip, it inspires a lot of jams and improvisation. No band is better at improvisation than the Grateful Dead, as they have made a name for themselves by taking drugs and then playing completely impromptu sets with very little structure.
One day, the band’s lyricist, Robert Hunter, drank apple juice with crystal LSD in it, which led to him experiencing the deaths of Abraham Lincoln, JFK and many other figures. When he came out of the trip, Hunter got his head down and wrote ‘Black Peter’. The song recalled the deaths he experienced, and said, “All of my friends come to see me last night / I was lying in my bed and dying / Annie Beauneu from Saint Angel / Say ‘the weather down here so fine.’”
Jenny Lewis – ‘Acid Tongue’
‘Acid Tongue’ was released in 2008 and was inspired by the events of one evening. Jenny Lewis describes her experience with LSD, saying, “It culminated in a scene not unlike something from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – the scene where Hunter S. Thompson has to lock the lawyer in the bathroom.”
She continued, “I sort of assumed the Hunter S. Thompson character and my friend – she had taken far too much – decided to pull a butcher knife out of the kitchen drawer and chase me around the house.”
Lewis’ mother was out of town at the time. To try and get the LSD out of her system, she decided to try and flush it out. “I was so desperate to get back to normal I decided to drink an entire gallon of orange juice. I saw that it was in the fridge and decided that this would sort of flush the LSD out of my system, but I didn’t realise that it did exactly the opposite.”
