“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is one of the most widely-heard songs in history by one of the most well-known bands in the world, The Beatles. The Beatles were infamous for pushing the boundaries of acceptable lyricism in mass-distributed pop tunes, and this tune is no exception; the song title’s not-so-subtle reference to the hallucinogenic drug, LSD, is repeated fifteen times across three choruses. The verse lyrics present a slightly more nuanced image of the psychedelic experience through a descriptive, surreal narrative. The narrative itself is unimportant; the imagery holds the significant meaning. Through the lens of semiotics - the study of signs and their meanings - and with consideration of production technique, the seemingly absurd story presented in the verses is revealed to represent a LSD trip.
All three verses of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” contain references to some form of transportation - “Picture yourself on a boat on a river,” “Newspaper taxis appear on the shore,” “Picture yourself on a train in a station.” The references to transportation are the most important and most tongue-in-cheek signifiers of the song. The referent is a ‘trip’ - a psychedelic experience. In each case, the verse presents the transportation as part of a surreal, mystical setting. The boat floats down a river with “tangerine trees and marmalade skies,” “newspaper taxis appear on the shore” adjacent to a location “where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pie,” and there are “plasticine porters with looking glass eyes” in the train station. The transportation moves through and is part of this ‘trippy’ world, and it also serves as the center of the listener’s experience. In this context and given the broader cultural connotation of the word, ‘trip,’ the various modes of transportation mentioned clearly signify the psychedelic experience as a whole.
Two of the most important signifiers in “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” are the references to the visual sensory systems - “A girl with kaleidoscope eyes” and “look for the girl with the sun in her eyes.” These references signify two aspects of a psychedelic experience: the dilation of the pupil as well as intense visual hallucinations. “Kaleidoscope eyes” represents not a pair of ocular kaleidoscopes, but rather the geometric, patterned visual hallucinations experienced by someone on LSD. These are the among the most important signifiers because they are the most recognizable lyrics referring to LSD that do not directly reference the acronym. They are also among the most prevalent signifiers; “eyes” are mentioned three times, as is transportation.
There are lyrics that are important not because they mean anything, but because they mean nothing. The verses are scattered with multiple nonsensical nouns and adjectives, which serve to elicit a sense of the surreal. “Tangerine trees,” “marmalade skies,” “cellophane flowers,” “rocking horse people eat marshmallow pie,” “newspaper taxis” and “plasticine porters with looking glass ties.” These lyrics are intended to create a ‘trippy’ landscape - a collage of surreal, impossible items that are nonetheless imaginable. Taken together, they clearly signify the absurd visual hallucinations that accompany a LSD trip. “Marmalade skies” and “cellophane flowers” in particular refer to the unfamiliar visual textures suddenly possessed by familiar objects and sights. This shift in texture is a staple of the psychedelic experience.
Another important element of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is related to but not helped by the semiotics lens. The Beatles' choice of instrumentation and George Martin's production technique are vital, and are still hugely influential on psychedelic pop production. The use of the Tambura - an Indian instrument - to create a drone-like sound throughout the song - in conjunction with the iconic Lowrey Organ - the instrument heard at the beginning of the song - create a shifting, swirling sonic landscape that perfectly matches Lennon’s lyrics and voice. Lennon’s voice was also heavily produced to give it an unusual tambour. All of this is done in an attempt to create a song that not only is about the psychedelic experience, but that actually sounds like the psychedelic experience. This context gives the semiotics approach solid ground to stand on.
Through the lens of semiotics, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is revealed as an attempt to portray the psychedelic experience through surreal, impossible imagery and tongue-in-cheek references to transportation and eye dilation. Consideration of the careful production approach provides further evidence of the intention of this song - to represent a LSD trip.
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