Just Say Maybe: Peter, Paul & Mary
- Posted by Spinner Staff
- Comments (35)
'Puff, the Magic Dragon'
--Peter, Paul & Mary (1963)
The defense: The lyrics were inspired by Ogden Nash's 'The Tale of Custard the Dragon,' about loss of childhood innocence.
The verdict: Guilty. You'd need some Maui Wowee to tap into that childlike imagination.
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Reader Comments(1 of 2)
Dashaunat 9-18-2008
You forgot D'angelo's Brown Sugar.
mustang121863at 9-18-2008
And they didn't even list "Crackerman" by Stone Temple Pilots, "Mr. Brownstone" by Guns N Roses or Soundgarden's "Spoonman". What about "30 Days in the Hole?
skubanutat 9-18-2008
"Puff the Magic Dragon", was written by a fellow named Lenny Lipton. I met him in Berkeley in 1976. I can confirm the song is about weed. Is this a big deal these days?
A few other songs which come to mind: "I Like Marijuana", by David Peel & The Lower East Side, "Heroin", by Lou Reed, "Cocaine", by J. J. Cale. I think these songs might have been about drugs. Also, "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds", and 'Cold Turkey", by John Lennon> Anything by Bob Marley...who cares about any of this, anyway?
jr531at 9-18-2008
how about 25 or 5 to four by chicago
should I try to do some more 25 or 6 to four
dwtaivesat 9-18-2008
Needle and the Spoon, take a trip to the moon...
that smell cant u smell that smell...
Lynard Skynard belongs.
taulbeelxngtnat 9-18-2008
In the 60's, 70's---there was more of a societal knee jerk reaction to explicit lyrics, so most artists got around this by being rather duplicitous and vague in their lyrics---I think every Steely Dan song ever written is about dope and whores and the trappings of both.........
taulbeelxngtnat 9-18-2008
Ditto.
lordhavlockat 9-19-2008
When I put that spike into my vein...you know things aren't still the same.
You left out Lou Reed? Pink Floyd?
blutoat 9-19-2008
You forgot "Girl" by the Beatles. You can hear them inhaling through a straw.
You forgot "Heroin" by Velvet Underground with Niki.
How about "Itchy-koo Park"?
AND HOW COULD YOU NOT inlcude "Purple Haze" by the immortal Jimi Hendrix?
Purple Haze runnin' round my brain,
Rainy days don't seem the same.
And the Betty Boop cartoon with Cab Calloway in the background singing "St James Infirmary Blues" which was a cartoon about a young girl being lured into drugs and prostitution?
And "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf? Give me a break.
And "Pusher Man" by Steppenwolf goes without saying.
And the whole "Electric Lady Land" album by Hendrix reportedly was mixed while he was on acid.
And almost anything by the Doors, whose band name was taken from Alduous Huxley's book on about a mescaline trip called "Doors of Perception".
I could go on and on and on.
Bluto
royw0454at 9-19-2008
I think they forgot one...Hey Conductor by Sonny Flaharty around 1969. It never got a lot of airplay because they said it was about drugs and banned it from the radio.
Darcyat 9-20-2008
These are songs that MAY or MAY NOT be about drugs. Obviously, there is no debating what a song titled Cocaine is about.
posstum123at 11-29-2008
she don't like...she don't like....cocaine
michael66jat 9-20-2008
jumpin jack flash is a drug song ? why dont you also try monkey man brown sugar or even can you hear me knockin
msklreat 10-08-2008
this list is complete bullshit, and it sucks too.
dpirie1996at 10-19-2008
Fun fact : LOST and the recient Ben Stiller movie, "Tropic Thunder" were filmed near the road to Hanalei, Kaui, Hawaii.
Explanes a lot about the plot and acting.
Bryanat 10-25-2008
comfortably numb - pink floyd
FLASHat 11-02-2008
yep best one of all time
bionicwomanat 10-25-2008
well now i have been shattered...lmao ... i use to sing puff the magic dragon to my lil kids...what a useless mother I am...next u gonna say now i lay me down to sleep is prelude to suicide...wtf
Steveat 10-26-2008
They aren't including the obvious ones because there's no point in asking the people...
einie2003at 10-26-2008
Well, it just sucks that Puff, the Magic Dragon was about weed. Goddamn it! My MOM used to sing that song to me as a lullaby. You can't even trust a bunch of pointy headed, UC-Berkley looking intellectuals to write something pure and sweet, even back then. Shit, that sucks. Drugs suck. Music sucks. I'm moving to fucking Alaska.