Magic Carpet Ride

Sounds like he's talking about music and its ability to take you away from all your problems to places you can only dream about. Either that or drugs. Yea. Probably drugs.

 

Drugs.

 

When in doubt.......it's drugs.

 

"Last night I asked Aladdin's lamp for a wish that I can stay. And, before it can answer me, well someone came and took the lamp away."




He took his puff from the bong, and before he got to really "feel" it, he had to pass it on.

 

I would say acid. "Magic carpet" = a piece of blotter paper. I always thought that the long instrumental was suppose to represent the actual trip. Of course, that's just all of my interpertation.

And yes, I've been reading a lot of Timothy Leary, as of late.

BTW, Steppenwolf wrote one of the best drug tunes ever with "Don't Step on the Grass, Sam". Still relevant with all of the anti-marijuna propaganda circulating around today.

 

I think you can't get too caught up in the words and then not pay attention to the music. I lived thru that time and I can tell you that all of my friends thought it was a drug song.

Maybe that was not John Kay's intention, but that is what it was perceived to mean.

You have to remember the times. Radio stations were still being controlled by folks who didn't want the airwaves cluttered up with drug or sex related songs. Many songwriters used symbols to disguise the true meaning, although most kids understood what they were saying. "Groovin" by the Young Rascals was really about making love...but Felix Pappalardi knew he couldn't say THAT in a song.

 

Drugs.

 

I was always confused about their song The Pusher. I was told that it was a drug based song but I always thought it was kind of a take off on the old yes we have no bananas song.

As in the pusher had got a guy to the point that he needed bananas, then one day he shows up to get some and what happens we have no bananas, yes we have no bananas today. Then to torment the banana lover further he lists all the things he does have but still no bananas.

I believe Donovan backs up my theory in the song Mellow Yellow.

 

That's quite a theory since Mellow Yellow is about a sex toy.

 

Really? How so...

 

Haven't you ever noticed that bananas are pretty phallic - what a sheltered life you must lead!!

 

http://members.tripod.com/rant58/id230.htm

 

LOL!

Well, obviously, yes - but most of the song is rambling on about "I'm just mad about so-and-so, and so-and-so is mad about me/they call me Mellow Yellow". I never knew what it was about, but I wouldn't have guessed it was about a sex toy.

 

I guess I'll chime in with my .02
"Magic Carpet Ride"...the first song I attempted on Xmas night '72.
I walk over to 'jam' with my friend's older brother(the self-proclaimed Clapton down-the-street). He shows me what THREE notes to play; I can't do it. After a few trys, he sez, "Keller, you're hopeless".

The story has a funny ending(for me, anyhow)-
This was the sorta guy who could play the solos on Blow By Blow note-for-note...& this is in the '70s prior to all these Guitar Recorded Versions books, et al.
So, he trys to play some Funk guitar in an audition for one of my bands...he was hopeless!

(The tune was "Cut The Cake").

 

I recall that Hoyt Axton tune being very 'powerful'.
What I do recall is the "the pusher" should be damned..."the dealer", though, is "OK".
I need to re-visit that song soon.

Talk about confusion-
Steppenwolf's first radio-friendly hit, "Sookie, Sookie", had people thinking they were an all-Black R&B band.

 

ACID.

I still have this LP on vinyl in the record cabinet. Very cool cover, and there was a great blues medley on the record with a lot of slide guitar. Something like 'Blah Blah strained thru a Leslie...'

Unfortunately, AM radio always played the SHORT version, Odin be praised for late 60's FM radio.

Thor

 

Don't make me bust out our cover of Magic Carpet Ride again.

 

Love to hear it!

Thor