How “Somebody to Love” by Jefferson Airplane Became a Classic Psychedel
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How “Somebody to Love” by Jefferson Airplane Became a Classic Psychedelic Rock Song. The song was written by Darby Slick, the husband of Grace Slick.
The Origins of “Somebody to Love”
In 1966, Grace Slick joined the Jefferson Airplane as lead singer after the departure of Signe Anderson. At the time, the band was experimenting with different sounds and influences and Grace brought with her a very different style. She had been influenced by the psychedelic music scene in San Francisco and this is evident in her lyrics.
The song is written by Darby Slick
The song is written by Darby Slick, thethen-husband of Grace Slick. It was first recorded by The Great Society, and later by Jefferson Airplane. The song is in the key of A minor.
The Great Society’s version of the song was included on the band’s only album, a self-titled LP released in October 1966. It was produced by Sylvester Stewart, who later gained fame as Sly Stone. The Great Society’s version of “Somebody to Love” is shorter than Jefferson Airplane’s, and has a different arrangement; most notably, it lacks the guitar solo which appears in the middle of Airplane’s recording.
Jefferson Airplane recorded “Somebody to Love” for their 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow. The song was released as a single in October 1967, and peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1968. It was one of three songs from Surrealistic Pillow that charted on the Hot 100 (the others being “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit”).
The song is inspired by Slick’s sister-in-law, who is a member of the Church of Scientology
The song is inspired by Grace Slick’s sister-in-law, who is a member of the Church of Scientology. The lyrics are written as an open letter to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, begging him to come and save her from the “pain and misery” of living in a world without love. Slick has said that she was not trying to attack Scientology with the song, but rather to highlight the hypocrisy of a religion that claimed to offer salvation but could not even save one of its own members from pain and suffering.
The Recording of “Somebody to Love”
The song “Somebody to Love” was written by Darby Slick and recorded by the American rock band, Jefferson Airplane. The song was released as a single in October 1967 and peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is considered to be one of the classic examples of psychedelic rock.
The song is recorded in 1966
The song is recorded in 1966, during the band’s first studio session with new bassist Jack Casady. The band had been performing “Somebody to Love” live for several months before entering the studio, and they were able to work out most of the arrangement in a single day. The song features Grace Slick on lead vocals, with backup vocals from Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen.
The recording of “Somebody to Love” was complicated by the fact that Slick was pregnant at the time. She was unable to stand for long periods of time, so she had to sing her parts while sitting on a stool. Kaukonen also had to double up on his parts, playing both lead and rhythm guitar. Despite these challenges, the song was completed in a single day and went on to become one of Jefferson Airplane’s most popular tracks.
The song is released in 1967
In October 1967, “Somebody to Love” was released as a single from Jefferson Airplane’s album Surrealistic Pillow. The song was written by Darby Slick, the brother-in-law of singer Grace Slick. It quickly became a hit, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #11 on the UK Singles Chart.
The song is a psychedelic anthem with a message of love and understanding. The lyrics ask for somebody to love, somebody to care, somebody to understand that we’re all the same. The song was an instant hit with the counterculture and remains a classic of psychedelic rock.
The Legacy of “Somebody to Love”
Released in 1967, “Somebody to Love” by Jefferson Airplane is a song that helped define the Psychedelic movement. The song’s success catapulted the band to new levels of fame and they became one of the most popular bands of the 60s. The legacy of “Somebody to Love” continues to this day and it is still considered one of the greatest Psychedelic songs of all time.
The song is considered a classic of psychedelic rock
“Somebody to Love” is a song written by Darby Slick. It was first recorded by The Great Society, and later by Jefferson Airplane. The Great Society’s version of the song was their only hit, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1966. Jefferson Airplane’s version also became a hit, reaching #3 on the same chart in 1967.
The song is considered a classic of psychedelic rock, and has been covered by many artists, including Grace Slick herself, who recorded it with Jefferson Starship in 1981.
The song is inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001
In 2001, “Somebody to Love” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The Recording Academy described it as “a generations-defining anthem and one of the most dynamic vocal performances in rock history.” The song has been covered by a number of artists, including Santana, Diana Ross, Take That, and Florence + the Machine. In 2018, Rolling Stone ranked “Somebody to Love” as the fourth greatest song of all time.
