Thursday, October 1, 2009

In-A-Gadda-Da-What?

I recently reflected on the ridiculousness of this classic '60 rock anthem. The lyrics are at the level of a third grader. I don't claim to know about instrumentation but it seems a wee bit repetitive.

Okay, when I was a little kid I liked it. I liked it for the same simplicity I am chastising it for now. When I was older, the malevolent guitar appealed to me. While the lyrics were simple and romantic, it suggested something a little sinister. But do we really need something varying from nine to, sometimes, fifteen minutes of the same repetition?

Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Dum Wah Wah Wah Wah... Over and over... Again and again...

Stoners can't get enough of it. I guess that is the demographic. Years ago, I sat- the only sober one- in a smoke-filled basement while my best friend expounded on how deep the song was. She took a long hit from a joint, shook her head and told me her version of how the song was born:

"So they were recording... Iron Butterfly, man.... And the lead singer was supposed to sing ' In the Garden of Eden' but he was so fucked up. He'd been doing bong hits all day waiting to record. He couldn't say it, man. And they just jammed. This is the essence of love and weed and just having a good time."

I turned a skeptical eye to her. She was beginning to sound like those people on Woodstock documentaries. The funny thing was that she was a poet and had written far more advanced things years ago. I looked at all the other burn outs and they basked in the repetitive rhythm, swaying with their eyes closed. I was reminded of myself as a kid. Are potheads reduced to kids, liking repetition and simplicity?

Maybe I need to be of a different mindset or live in a different time. I dunno... No amount of drugs has made me get the appeal of that song.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

wait, you're seriously asking if potheads are reduced to the level of kids?

I supposed you left out "These are the days" just out of some sense of mercy and decency....for such a wonderful intro it sure dies quickly