John Lennon Explaining Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

There have been plenty of rumors about Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds being a movie about drugs. The theory is that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds represented LSD based on the initials of the song. John Lennon had discounted this theory many times, but this is an interview with Dick Cavett where he addresses the question directly

[@farzamfarahani2063]

Lennon's Son's Drawing 🤔

[@thefrenchpoet3160]

Lol, LSD clever observation

[@imabigboy5416]

I laughed for like an hour

[@user-jn1iw7xw8u]

Lmaaaooo

[@killrite]

Haha

[@Federalblue81]

OMG!!! LMAO!!! YOUR ARE BRILLIANT SIR!!

[@samland9570]

I need a GIF of John shaking his legs like he was at the start.

[@jthad52801]

Gfs

[@mfzoom5401]

He’s high af

[@janielrin4471]

​@@mfzoom5401no he prolly had ADHD or something

[@CongaLineMonkey]

Lennon was so brutally honest about himself and his music that I have no doubt that he's telling the truth. He never shied away from talking about his drug use and his addictions, and was very candid in particular about his LSD use. This is just one of those cosmic coincidences.

[@jordoncrump91]

Mix truth in with the lie. It only helps to better deceive.

[@matmolin]

He was just making jokes hahahaha its so obvious

[@gearoid9835]

kaleidoscope eyes has to be an LSD reference though. There's no way it couldn't be.

[@zombieparrot2606]

@@gearoid9835 I agree 100%

[@aporue5893]

julian is extremely talented. 😊✨

[@hdmat101]

So John's son was on l.s.d. When he did his drawing

[@felipemossi]

hdmat101 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA JOHN'S SON ON ACID

[@123jonathann]

+Felipe Jacomossi wouldn't surprise me

[@typocat9168]

Shawn Lennon on acid xD

[@chantelleadlington]

+DJMinX um you mean his son JULIAN

[@johnlennonreincarnated6809]

DJMinX it was not sean it was Julian

[@lourodmusic]

Where is Forrest Gump ?

[@MrCookedRamen]

LOL.😭

[@carlosbraga9381]

😂😂

[@theelectrodefunhouse4651]

In the sky with Ice Cream?

[@Noone-rc9wf]

Lou Rod Probably just left the room to go back to China

[@rivonanda516]

Lou Rod you made my day 🤣🤣🤣

[@ashlynlamb3200]

Whether it's true or not it's still a good song to listen to when ur tripping lmao

[@MultiTreeboy]

that whole album is amazing to listen to on Lucy

[@colton8331]

Even amazing wothout it

[@giovannic8553]

Yeah!

[@Dr3am3r_D3l1r1um]

Hell yea. I wanna watch beatles love in vegas while I trip now and specifically the part with Lucy in the sky with diamonds

[@IcarusFourEightOh]

@@colton8331 no

[@apricotcharms4126]

"Girl with kaleidoscope eyes" "Rocking horse men eating marshmallows pies" Lol sure buddy

[@Sandylad846]

PandaManWill ya never know kids drawings can be wack as fuck. Also maybe he was on lsd when he did the lyrics but the song itself wasn't inspired by lsd. Idk just theorizing here

[@mikhailstfuyoutubeientered5527]

marmalade skys and flower 10 miles high.

[@funfreq9282]

@@Sandylad846 It may have been inspired by Julians drawing but was compleeted with a little help from his friends!

[@niggato23]

@@funfreq9282 oh yes he gets high with a little help from his friends

[@harryclark7404]

Newspaper taxis appear on the shore, waiting to take you away Take away the “news” and that’s totally about blotters lol “paper taxis”

[@clocloso7389]

I learned in music appreciation what John Lennon said is right, he's son supposedly drew a picture representing a girl in his class supposedly named Lucy who his son liked and that brought the inspiration. Its creative and true, i understand that people may think it means bizarre hallucinations from a drug or a weird dream, but it's art.

[@h7opolo]

art is inspired by the imagination, the same place dreams and hallucinations originate.

[@mfzoom5401]

@@h7opolo Also so much legendary music has been inspired by the musicians’ drug use.

[@katiesmythe4944]

You're completely gullible.

[@beatrizcastejon8313]

I died when he said "Hey Jude " 😭😍😍😂

[@johnnymoondogs1816]

Beatriz Castejon hai beatriz

[@juliarollins9655]

Beatriz Castejon when?

[@Mehmet-ef7qc]

@@juliarollins9655 0:00

[@flockzee]

RIP

[@witaradanu1442]

I think its because the band played beatles song "hey jude" so john respond it afterward..

[@Kezzeract]

"Lucy in the sky with Diamonds" may have been written while he was taking L.S.D, but it's not a song about any drug. It's all about imagery. The lyrics are supposed to paint pictures in your mind. That's it.

[@thegendercommulist2438]

Quay Tgang It makes perfect sense

[@TheMarkmcr]

Coolman88889 I believe that he was sincere about the title, but it's still likely referring to the effects of drugs as he thought that would fit in well. Song lyrics weren't known for being symbolic at the time. It's mostly music videos that do that

[@sparklingfashion6276]

John-S lucy is lucifer. the beetles are occultists. thats just a cover up

[@isabellavaxquez2983]

Quay Tgang it makes sense.

[@Irish0wl]

Yes, imagery. But tell me, how else could anyone think of _that kind_ of imagery?

[@lauravokey3193]

Wish we still had John with us 😭

[@aidanmaurice6464]

john is on some shit in this 😂😂

[@epicbottombankz5524]

His tea servent drugged him

[@samestron3453]

life, yeah, some shit.

[@DevouredByWolves]

Nah, some musician's do this. I do that because I'm a drummer and can't sit still for too long.

[@bobbidigital1189]

He was definitely tweeking 😂

[@chantelleadlington]

Okaaay everyone here is what Cynthia, said about this since she did witness this: "Sgt. Pepper included one track that everyone was convinced John had written about an LSD trip- 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'. In fact, the title was Julian's: He had come home from school with a painting of his friend, Lucy. When John asked him what was in it, he'd said, 'It's Lucy in the sky with diamonds.' John of course loved this way out and completely innocent description, straight from his son's unfettered imagination" And here's what Paul said about this: "I went up to John's house in Weybridge. When I arrived they (John and Cynthia) were having a cup of tea and he said 'Look at this great drawing Julian's done. Look at the title.' He showed me a drawing on a piece of school paper of a little girl with lots of stars and right across the top there was written in very neat child handwriting, 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds' and we loved it and she was in the sky and it was very trippy to us, So we went upstairs and started writing it. People later thought 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' Was LSD, I swear we didn't notice that when it came out ." He also said that it was a song that reflected their love of Lewis Carroll's work: "We did the whole thing like an Alice In Wonderland idea, Being on a boat on the river." Now Pleaaase tell me how John is lying and this song is about LSD?

[@chantelleadlington]

+Donald Jewett The quote from Cynthia is from her book called John and the quotes from Paul was from a book I have. Well you'd like to THINK it's about LSD, but just know that actually, it's not

[@chantelleadlington]

+Donald Jewett it's non addictive? John got ADDICTED to that drug for years. He would literally take it everyday and what the fuck it's not for medition? Yes it IS dangerous because it made John so thin and ill looking..

[@chantelleadlington]

+Daryoosh Fard It's even PROVEN to be inspired by his son's drawing, so who's wrong now 'dumb bitch'? You believe what you want, but I know that what I say is true. You're actually making up the meaning of the song because you're one of these people that look too far into things and try to find meanings in things...

[@chantelleadlington]

+Daryoosh Fard It's even PROVEN to be inspired by his son's drawing, so who's wrong now 'dumb bitch'? You believe what you want, but I know that what I say is true. You're actually making up the meaning of the song because you're one of these people that look too far into things and try to find meanings in things...

[@chantelleadlington]

Cameron Atkinson he didn't lie about it

[@kenlompart9905]

It wasn't just the letters, the lyrics sound like an amazing acid trip.

[@SMUS16475]

0:01 Jesus, look at that leg movement. It's like John had a coke break or something.

[@vickjr98]

Lmao same thing I thought

[@lucyzapana768]

Well, to me Lennon was an honest person, he always saïd what he thought so i believe in John

[@THINCOVER]

Paul admitted in 2004 that is was about LSD xD

[@lucyzapana768]

Paul is not John

[@THINCOVER]

I didn't say he was :/

[@StormOneUK]

Except the part where he contradicted himself on a regular basis. He was quite flexible with the truth at times :D

[@newtuber6405]

+StormOneUK I'd like you to provide one example.

[@eyevolutionsmithljw]

The reason Julian (john's son) came home with a painting called Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is because whilst being around the Beatles who probably talked about LSD...he wondered what the initials stood for...maybe it's just me

[@deadeyes2803]

a 5 year old doesnt have the capacity to think you can put "in the" and "with" in between acronyms

[@user-nn2gi3pr8d]

Deadeyes X Not all 5 Year olds are the same. That's John Lennon's son we're talking about, he was probably intelligent like when Lennon was little and learned how to play the guitar/violin (forgot which one)

[@gaygay5676]

@[TSG] RandomRyan dude im reading this on LSD

[@craighicksartwork]

The girl was found years later. An actual girl called Lucy in Julian's class.

[@age-ben4910]

Perhaps...Lol

[@frodolives6671]

😂😂😂 is this the clip they use in forest gump I think it is

[@santyrocks123456789]

gtfo

[@santyrocks123456789]

yes it is but gtfo

[@cristianarteaga1092]

Yeah

[@MattNStudios]

yup

[@MattNStudios]

?

[@annabelli3359]

Hahaha okay John.

[@kevashton2783]

"Hahaha okay" what? What do you not believe?

[@marcomielniczuk2564]

"Hahaha okay"? I mean, he wrote the song, he says what it is about

[@needlessoptions]

y'all are both taking this too seriously issa meme

[@needlessoptions]

*nigguh* it's def about acid

[@JoseGarcia-ki3vk]

Annabel Li the drawing is real, I think David Gilmour of Pink Floyd is the current owner

[@MrMoo272]

Plot twist - his son just gave him a blank piece of paper whilst John was tripping and he thought it was beautiful 😂

[@Comfy_Gaming]

so its not about LSD? "marmalade skies" "Kaleidoscope eyes" "Marshmallow pies" "Cellophane flowers of yellow and green" If thats not about an acid trip then idk *what* is

[@AlexLeut]

John was talking about the title, he wasn't talking about the lyrics

[@juliensicotte6384]

Its pretty funny at the beginning when theres music and when it cuts to john and the others all you see is john dancing his legs to the music

[@mazjorgensen7565]

Julian has even come out and named Lucy ,a childhood friend from kindergarten she has since passed from Lupus, and he is raising awareness of the disease

[@dmessy91]

Lucy in the sky with Lupis then

[@brigittasliwinski8327]

My favourite part about this is that Forrest sits where Yoko was sitting.

[@senrom2273]

Yeah, well maybe little Julian's drawing wasn't about LSD, but the song certainly is. Cavett's reply should have been, "Yeah right, John. Whatever you say."

[@Mama_Pills]

This is so lovely and I’ll forever listen to the song in a whole new light :)

[@aquilesxyz]

Esta canción es una obra maestra, John dice que es verdad. John es muy honesto. Es el mejor viajar sin drogas.

[@izzierose2]

when your history teacher was wrong :'D for the first time ever

[@MattNStudios]

same **dabs**

[@amberleaf7]

Thanks for clarifying!!

[@MegaTriumph1]

What child brings home a drawing with Lucy in the sky with diamonds.

[@vickjr98]

John Lennon's child

[@TheJonnyEnglish]

the Beatles have always been under fire for drug references in their music. you don't think John just came up with that excuse to get the media off his ass?

[@billbob967]

John has spoken

[@LughSummerson]

John said "That's beautiful" when he saw the drawing because of the appropriateness of the name and the imagery to his own interests at the time. Of course it was perfectly innocent on the part of Julian, but John recontexualised it by using it as inspiration for a song about psychedelia. If he didn't even notice the L-S-D in the name, he must have been tripping harder than we thought.

[@kingcassius2586]

More like LITSWD

[@LughSummerson]

@@kingcassius2586 Use title capitalisation. LitSwD

[@kingcassius2586]

@@LughSummerson Touché

[@Woodsaras]

A retrd whos telling the author of the song whats the song about. Gg dimwit

[@sambenelli3165]

Honestly, I don’t care about what inspired John. It’s an amazing song and it makes me dream even without LSD. Don’t ruin everything with silly conspiracies theories.

[@drdingleberry9832]

John lenon was definitely on one in this interview

[@mightyman6459]

He said Eleanor Rigby and I thought of Endoplasmatic Reticulum. Shit, I need to know the function of that!! Have exams coming up in a few weeks time..

[@matthewetheridge9738]

+Mighty Man something to do with ribosomes and protein synthesis I believe(;

[@veem5143]

John sounded so sad at the end when he said "But nobody believes me,"

[@aporue5893]

awww. :/

[@TS-ee3mj]

He was tripping in this interview 😂

[@samestron3453]

I love that interruption in the end. Like "Who cares Dick?

[@seanduffy3765]

I think his son planned this all out to mess with him

[@josephst.george7841]

Gotta thank Julian for this amazing contribution to rock and roll history

[@JimLarrison]

Yes sir! Love what he has done for my life!

[@punk_rat_baby811]

L = Lucy In The S = sky With D = diamonds (I do believe John, I just thought this was fun)

[@punk_rat_baby811]

@@pete_277 wut

[@Flairejonez]

Just pure synchronicity... u know how the Universe works. If u know Universal Law, it doesnt surprise you. Quite beautiful actually.

[@OK-Computer]

I believe him.

[@IsaacWale2004]

I believe John

[@thefittestofjeans910]

So here's what the song means to me personally guys, because this is such a beautiful song to me. I'm 100 percent convinced before she died my grandmother took lsd and watched yellow submarine, I used to call her Lucy when I was little and she used to sing me that song. When I finally took lsd and watched the movie it was like she was talking to me using that song, saying hello from the other side. The song in that movie has let me talk to her after she departed from me. Ik it's probably not what the song is for but it's what has happened with me. I love the Beatles and I love my grandma.

[@ejiebucag2994]

Nice editing. I hope Forrest Gump won’t get mad for this

[@Lugh444]

LSD is lovely and powerful, beautiful, but honestly it's nothing like people who don't take it imagine it to be.

[@sandraherrera6832]

I knew this many years ago :), my brother ecosonda to me, and hey Jude was inspiring by Julian too , but in a sad circumstance .

[@sethcurtis9519]

Thank you for posting this ITS NOT ABOUT LSD

[@mikhailstfuyoutubeientered5527]

"rocking horse men eating marshmellow pies" "10 mile high celluloide flowers, and marmalade skys" kinda a lot of detail forma a childrens drawing man.

[@martykeaton182]

0:26 - :31 Surprising that John’s talking about the man who great songs you hear in movies like Home Alone and Dick Tracy.

[@georgedevote2491]

Simple as that. Beautiful song

[@VirginiaSpencer-bq6jx]

Beautiful Lennon he will live on forever.

[@angelabaiers5055]

I believe you.

[@MrManusnake]

i do bealive that he got inspired by julian's drawing, while he was high on lsd

[@47rintin1]

With John to be your dad I can imagine his son came up with the idea to mention the lady on his drawing `LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS.

[@what_memes_are_these9824]

Just give Lennon some respect people!

[@BootikMoosik]

Lucy gets Bootik make over... A potent blend of songs about God, War & LSD delicately & seamlessly arranged to bring their individual messages across... 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' by the Beatles, 'Sky Pilot' by Eric Burdon & the Animals and 'Big Sky' by the Kinks. Note that the 3 songs are from the late 60's when creativity seemed to rime naturally with questioning The Man in all his incarnations. :: BEATLES / ANIMALS / KINKS :: THE SKY TRILOGY :: BOOTIK MOOSIK

[@michelle2465]

It bugs me when people say it's a song about LSD!

[@Emerald081]

Paul later admitted that it was abut LSD. Also its pretty obvious for those who actually had an LSD experience, trust me. By the way, why is it bugs you so much???

[@michelle2465]

Well it doesn't really bug me anymore, I guess what bothered me more is ppl not listening to johns side, if it's about LSD doesn't mean john was lying, the inspiration can still be Julian's painting

[@JA-xv3qp]

oh sure Johnny, sure

[@tonythebologna4790]

I believe in john.

[@naia0000]

yEEEeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhh sure John, sure.

[@groupswing58383]

LITSWD: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

[@cawthorntheplaya6175]

Legend

[@synseer8484]

Great minds.

[@MysteryBabylonUnveiled]

WOW!

[@gigsandbusking8959]

Thank you for putting that one to bed, R.I.P. John

[@grecialovespuddin]

Me too, i do believe you john

[@masneri97]

Sweet !

[@giovannilp03]

Sure John

[@arianasofiagarcia8210]

when started john sang hey jude, very funny

[@GabrielCastillo]

yeah, right

[@fadofasol5650]

Wasn't his son's drawing 'Lucy in the sky with stars'?

[@ExtremeBeatlesArchive]

What was Cavett gonna say at the end? Eleanor Rigby was about her late night visit to the ER?

[@nigelgreenwood9010]

McCartney says it isn't about LSD. McCartney also says he wrote some of the lines. What to believe

[@amandapach3907]

yeah sure!

[@johnrodriguez4262]

yeah right

[@_NandaAlbiansyah]

lennon hair is very nice

[@51gan788]

Lennon is on some form of ecstasy in this clip

[@b1akn3ss93]

He was on something on that show

[@aksingh3167]

RIP john lenon RIP michael jackson

[@morgan_houseworth]

So where is this picture that his son drew was it kept for like family is it in a museum or like what

[@AlexLeut]

The picture is now property of David Gilmour of Pink Floyd

[@louismontinaro2271]

Did he say hey jude at the beginning?

[@georgiaderousse760]

Though it could be about drugs or not or maybe he was high while writing the song but here is my idea about the meaning: he is in a dream land and dreams up a perfect girl. He starts off on a river. He has to go back to the real world "newspaper taxis appear on the shore, waiting to take you away." It sounds like he has come to the end of the river at the sea and this fantasy is coming to an end. In the real world he's on a train possibly to his new life . "Plasticine porters" i don't know maybe it's a transition of a new life. Carrying your luggage to something new molding into a new shell. He finds the dream girl in real life. Now this was released the year after he divorced Cynthia and married Yoko. He is getting used to life without Cynthia as explained in hey Jude. He finds his dream girl Yoko (which he actually admitted to what the song was about) So yeah I don't know I think it's about Lennon and Yoko.

[@taidog7981]

damnt what?! i was living a lie !!

[@ItAllMakeSenseNow82]

Tai Dog now im singing mgmt's 🎶ur life is a lie🎶 ha I love them

[@59flower]

What was the host about to say when he mentioned Eleanor Rigby? Does anyone know?

[@danamccullough5868]

Was thinking the same shit

[@mclarke825]

+59flower Paul had originally claimed he had made up the name Eleanor Rigby, but later a gravestone was found in Liverool with the name on it.

[@fahad1584]

Lucifer in the sky with diamond

[@WisdomWeaverBitcoinBruv]

Lennon's Son's Drawing

[@morganwoodmusic]

Wasn’t this the same episode that was used in forest gump 😂😅

[@sabertig3489]

So, is John crediting Julian for the inspiration? Someone should ask Julian.

[@ruggerobelloni4743]

John's ancestry is Irish and the Irish do not lie they simply improve the truth.A friend who married Margaret Barry (check her out) told me she delighted him with her music and "real" accounts of her meetings with fairies and leprechauns. When she toured she then told some fans she had married Robert Mitchum.

[@ZanderSumner]

A lot of people on commenting have obviously never SEEN the painting by Julian of his school friend Lucy. Google it...

[@faerykaye]

right??

[@willscheppers5265]

The comments on this video. :)

[@RedPhoxeYognaut]

Here from buzzfeed lol

[@Cat_Ultra]

Drawing you say, Perhaps

[@NguyenNguyen-kr6vw]

Who watch it in 2019 😄😄😄

[@deathhzrd]

How much coke was John on for this interview, also I love his little “hey Jude”

[@MTrayy]

Time stamp it please

[@samgarvey5669]

MTrayy 0:05

[@aidand.7911]

He actually sounds pretty sincere in this, so I kind of want to believe him, then I realize that he was probably on something and/or was in a few beatles movies so...

[@Nat.0992]

Well I obviously believe John but were they on LSD when they wrote it. But nevertheless it's a beautiful song

[@vanessawhitney562]

Coincidence