GREY STREET - Meanspeed Music Tempo Analysis and Songfacts.com's "Song Profile" of the Dave Matthews Band on DVD at the Gorge

The people at Songfacts.com think it is okay to break the law by stealing lyrics and hiding behind their computer entities. To imagine that a mother of 5 last year was jailed for downloading a few songs in a P2P manner, I thought that the people at Songfacts.com would like to know how it feels to have your intellectual property stolen -

Grey Street

by

The Dave Matthews Band

Album: Busted Stuff Released: 2002

Get the Ringtone Listen/Buy @ Amazon Get the Sheet Music

See what personality types like this in the Song Profile

Complimentary "Grey Street" Ringtone

View Lyrics

Rate This Song

Songfacts: You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.

This is about the struggle to get out and survive. You're almost out of the white, but still in the black - mixed together they make gray.

This was one of the songs from the "Lillywhite Sessions," an album Matthews recorded with producer Steve Lillywhite in 2000, but decided not to release. The songs were leaked on the Internet and widely circulated. In 2002, after putting out the album Everyday, which was produced by Glen Ballard, Matthews released most of the Lillywhite songs on Busted Stuff.

The color is spelled "Gray." It is likely that this is about Julia Grey, Matthews' old girlfriend who followed him to the US from South Africa. She also inspired Matthew's songs "I'll back you up", "Halloween" and possibly "Recently."You can think of this song as the 3rd installment after "I'll back you up" and "Halloween." He's in love with a girl, proposes to her ("I'll back you up"), she turns him down every time he proposes, he gets mad ("Halloween"), but still tries to keep her ("Grey Street"). (thanks, Live Freak - Beirut, for all above)

People who dig this song also like "The Space Between" "Gravedigger" and "Ants Marching"

Complimentary "Grey Street" Ringtone

Get Artistfacts for The Dave Matthews Band
More songs by The Dave Matthews Band

Listen to "Grey Street" like you've never heard it before. »Get it Free.

Comments:

After having recently read C.S. Lewis' "The Great Divorce" and then randomly listening to this song, I wonder if Dave wrote it with the Grey Town in mind. There are a lot of parallels between Grey Street's lyrics and Lewis' representation of hell.
- Joseph, Lexington, KY

I think it goes back to Dave's whole "live life to it's fullest" mentality. Like in "Pig" and don't burn the day away. It's up to you as an individual to take charge of your life and to stop living in depression and hoping that God or some higher power will lift you out of your situation. In essence you need to do it yourself. Reading the lyrics it almost seems like she gets to the point of suicide. There's "cold blue ice in her heart" - depression. "Red blood bleeding from her now" - suicide???
- Jackie, Kitchener, ON

I don't know if anyone here has ever read the short story "Eveline" by James Joyce but the lyrics in the song match up almost perfectly with the story.
- Geoff, Oshkosh, WI

The girl is a confused sensitive, yet self absorbed individual. The "crazy man" loves her and is trying to communicate wither yet she is shutting him off and telling everyone he's mad.
- joe, hobart, Australia

It's about a depressed girl that can't love others because she fails to love herself. Colors mix together to gray...depressed. Sometime after Busted Stuff came out, I picked my girlfriend up at her office and she handed me the printed lyrics and told me how much she identified with them...depressed girl....
- Sellis, WDC, United States

Dave Matthews has said that the song Grey Street, from the album Busted Stuff (2002), is inspired by Sexton.
- edward, los angeles, CA

I believe this song is about a girl, possibly Julia Gray, that felt she knew she was trapped in a loveless relationship. She is pressured either by her friends, or the guy, to stay in it. She doesnt have the boldness (brightness) too change her ways. So she just lets it continue. Everything eventually becomes a blurr.. _grey). At night when she goes to sleep she goes to her own special place in her heart, which Dave calls Grey Street. At this point in her day, all her emotions mix together, to grey. She is trapped in this state, (feels like kicking out all the windfows, and setting fire...)- Anyway, great song- best version is live at the Gorge in 2000. -Thanks
- Pat, East Hanover, NJ

Robyn in Denver, Co.: I always heard Dave's sister was killed by her husband.
- Ash, Charleston, WV

I think this song is great. I agree it appears to be about depression. A few people mentioned that the Lillywhite Sessions version is better/different. Where can I find this?
- superdave, simi valley, CA

I wouldn;t say this song is about a woman who wants to have a child. The line about the emptiness inside her is probably about being depressed or lonely, more of FEELING empty inside not actually being empty inside. good tune, play at school for my friends all the time, they love it....they don;t know what the DMB is tho haha
- mackenzie, blessington, Canada

While Grey is his ex-girlfriends last name, you have to remember that Dave is from South Africa. If you asked him to spell "color", he'd probably write "colour" (The British spelling). Grey Street had 4 verses until it was cut for the album Busted Stuff (which many believe is a poorer version). Grey Street has become VERY common in modern DMB setlists. Some cool lyrics can be found during the 2000 summer tour.
- Gabe, New York, NY

It seems obvious to me that this song is about a woman who wants to have a child, but can't get pregnant. Think about it: "There's an emptiness inside her, and she'd do anything to fill it in. Though it's red blood bleeding from her now, it feels like cold blue ice in her heart." Anyone agree?
- Alan, Columbus, OH

I am pretty sure that this song is actually about his sister, who was killed as a result of her stand against the government while Apartheid was still prevalent in South Africa. She was very politically outspoken, and it is rumoured that this was how she died. In context, I think this makes sense, how she knew what was going on was wrong, and she wanted to take a stand, but knew that she would suffer as a result. Think about it...
- Robyn, Denver, CO

i love the beat of this song.
- Izzie, lala, HI

Few people know this, but in addition to growing up in South Africa and Virgina, Dave Matthews lived in England. Seeing as the "grey" is more commonly spelled there, that's just the way the guy spells it. I don't think it's about Julia either.
- Jesse, Bridgeport, CT

The Lillywhite Version is immensely better than Busted Stuff. Call me crazy, but Carter's drumming on Lillywhite is far superior to Busted Stuff Carter. The lyrics are better too. According to antsmarching.org, great site by the way, this song is about someone trapped in a loveless relationship, similar to Pearl Jam's "Better Man."
- John, Manhattan, NY

I cannot remember who told me, but I believe the song may be about the poet and a playwright Anne Sexton. She was talented lady, however she struggled with depression severly; so much so that she took her own life. Let me back up a bit, I don't think the song is soley about Anne, but I believe there is a reference to her life. Ironically Anne's given name was Anne Gray Harvey. I realize the "grey" vs. "gray" is an issue for some, but hey it's Dave and we all know he can play on words with the best of 'em!
- Steph, Lincoln, NE

I agree with Bruce. I think this song is about depression and the facade people put up to hide it.
- Lark, Bowie, MD

its another song about a sad girl its about her struggle who hasnt felt like "kicking out all the windows and setting fire to this life" when down?
- kate, san diego, United States

I always spell the color as 'grey'.
- Jeremy, Sioux Falls, SD

I don't think this song is about an ex-girlfriend. I just don't see how the lyrics make sense in that context. I have always liked this song (the Busted Stuff version, I've not heard the earlier version), but it only recently hit me what it is about. Now it seems obvious to me. The song is about depression. As someone who has depression, I can relate frighteningly well to the character in this song, She is in the midst of an acute episode of depression and considering suicide. In fact, she may have attempted suicide already with the "red blood bleeding from her now". "Grey" describes the state of the depressed mind perfectly. When I am depressed I often feel like I'm in a fog. The way Dave juxtaposes the red blood and the blue ice, but everything mixes together to grey is brilliant. Also, the man outside her door wants to help her out of the depression, but she refuses. The hardest thing for a depressed person to do is ask for help, so this again captures the illness of depression perfectly. I showed these lyrics to my therapist and she agreed that it is totally about depression. In a funny way, I find this song quite comforting.
- Bruce, Toronto, Canada

This song is not about julia. It is about a woman who is facing events in her past and struggling to move on with her life. The lyrics have gone through many evolutions since the song was first played in 2000. The early versions are quite beautiful, I think the Busted Stuff lyrics are a little trite though.
- Ben, harpers ferry, WV

Actually for most writers or poets, the choice of "gray" or "grey" is mainly for the connotation rather than the actual formal meaning. Gray tends to just be associated with the color while grey (most times) has a more somber or experienced association for people. Thus the usage of this word in this song is a concious decision by the writer in order to bring more of a co-mingling of both the meaning of grey (the color, "the colors mix together to grey") as well as the idea that the girl has had left the state of innocence and actually lives upon "Grey Street" itself, "at the end of the world". Grey is more appropriate for the subject matter. Oh what one little letter replacing another can do!
- Andrea, Boston, MA

I don't think this song is about Julia Grey. At the time that the Lillywhite Sessions were recorded Dave and his wife Ashley were not married but they had been together for years. I think the song can be interpreted quite literally. The subject is unhappy with her life, perhaps with a relationship she's in, but has trouble changing things for the better.
- Dan, Port Jervis, NY

Both the Lillywhite and Busted Stuff versions are incredible...an upbeat melody linked with a haunting and powerful lyric. Great song.
- Justin, Felts Mills, NY

Julia Grey spelled her name with an "e", as is says is "Music For the People" and "Step Into the Light", two books on the band.
- Tommy, Southboro, MA

The color can be spelled either "gray" or "grey". grey is more widely used in Britain and in English literature. This is not challenging the meaning, but just to clarify the spelling.
- Barton willis, Florence, NJ

Meanspeed-Carlton Summary
song title=Grey Street
event=live from the Gorge, 2004, from the DVD
average standard tempo/mean speed=101.5 beats per minute.
mean-emotion according to the meanspeed music conjecture=natural
beat frequency=1.69 beats per second
average beat length=591 milliseconds
mean slow phase=1.69 cycles per second.
corresponding pitch=433.067 Hertz, 72 cents above G#4/Ab4=415.305 Hertz, 28 cents below A4=440.000 Hertz.




Ian Schneider
August 17, 2008
Somerset, New Jersey
United States

I have seen some inane, illogical, stupid ways of song analysis on the net. To the extent that Songfacts.com makes money from complete and absolute nonsense, I thought you might like to see it. "The color of the song?" Green. I violently love the song - the only thing I love about green is the New York Jets and certain herbs. Wouldn't one think that if the moronic idea of a song "having a color" called GREY STREET be, like, gray? Here they are, in there illegal glory:

Song Profile for Grey Street People who like the song "Grey Street" describe themselves as Laid-Back, Friendly, and Kind. The dominant color is Green and the sign of most people who dig it is Leo.

The Color: Green indicates a search for improvement and attention to detail. The color of nature, it is relaxing and organic. Green is a healing, nurturing color and would much rather act as a moderator in disputes than be in one. Green helps people - it's the gardeners, nurses and caretakers of the world. The Zodiac Sign: Leo are a reliable bunch and the kind of people you like to be around. They work and play well with others, and often end up in management positions, as they can bring out the best in others and are good at making decisions. A fire sign, Leos like to stand out and leave their mark on the world. This individuality can be seen as confidence or arrogance, depending on the lighting.

The Britney Machine, The Psychology of Timing & Speed of Raw Sex - "Gimme More" - Calibrations, Graphs, Video - Tempo Exposes that which is Emoted?

YouTube - Britney Spears - Gimme More (ComeBack Single ...

EXCLUSIVE: Gimme More REMIX Britney Spears w/ Audio Imagery ...
Watch video - 4 min 1 sec -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNmWPcT2SJM






The fact that a tempo track is set to exactly 113 1/3 beats per minute indicates to me that the song will be about lust. Below are some invitations to have you check out whether you agree with me or not. I downloaded the video - it is explicitly and graphically experimental in its music and its sexuality.

First, as to being unusual musically, the song asks a simple question: what *is* music, anyway? Ms. Britney recorded and is selling this song to pay the rent and child support. The $1.99 video is entertaining, experimental and raunchy exactly because those adjectives describe such things (I wouldn't know about this, I have an extremely wide stance) that, in the words of contributing editor Sarah Jane, 'you just have to watch.' The release was not sold to be analyzed or criticized.

The numbers and charts I created out of thin air, literally, are *objective reality*. The way to do this is described in the methodology section herein found at the tabs above - we expose a secret speed in a manner that is absolutely simple and made public on the original version of this page first placed in cyberspace on August 12, 2004, based on a theory that has withstood, from July 1988 until now:
1) being told I was irrelevant through silenc; and
2) being told I was trying to "measure the unmeasurable"; *and*
3) being told that I was correct, yet obviously so.

"One [company of two people who lose money!] does not a database make"!!! You decide - Redundant to even say, saying *this* makes "the reality or stupidity of mean speed music theory" quadruply stated.

Here, B Spears dares to ask the question - Is this music?, Am I playing a joke on you? Are you buying my sexuality or my music? Ha! You have to listen to the song asking yourself, if Paris Hilton released same recording, would it have seen the light on your Mac?

She gives us a lot to think about - it is a pornographic video, yet the music is not classic "porn music" - so I have been told. Then again, there isn't much difference between this song and, well, any other played out semi-rap, ultra (and in this video, ULTRA) narcissistic "song."

I could not recommend more highly the article in wiki about John Cage at -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cage.

Cage challenged our concepts of what was just a sequenced pattern of noises, or in one piece - *complete silence* (Fargo reference intended)


Mean speed music summary -
song title="GIMME MORE"
performer=Britney Spears
Recording Company=Zomba Recording, LLC © 2007
source of LEGAL recording=iTunes video
kind=Protected MPEG-4 video file
size=48.6 MB
Bit Rate=128 kbps
Sample rate=44.100 kHz
Profile=low complexity
Channels=Stereo
Account name=ian@meanspeed.com
Fairplay Version=2
total Bit Rtae=1654 kbps
video dimensions=640 x 336
Video Code=H.264
total Beats measured=3,996
total time elapsed=2,350.62 seconds
average beats per trial=444
mean time per trial=235.062 seconds
mean speed=113.3 Beats per minute
average beat=0.5294 seconds
mean emotion according to mean speed music theory=Lust, in this case, uninhibited sexuality






Another Woman's Dream Edie Brickell 111.3
Born At the Right Time Paul Simon 111.3
Cedar Tree Indigo Girls 111.3
Closer To The Flame Dave Edmunds
Live-Late Night With David Letterman 5/12/90 111.3
Diamonds Herb Albert 111.3
Gilligan's Island TV Theme 111.3
Everybody Wants To Rule The World Tears For Fears 111.3
Hollywood Swinging Kool & The Gang 111.3
In Living Color TV Theme 111.3
Kiss Prince and The Revolution 111.3
Only Love Can Break Your Heart Neil Young 111.3
Sacrifice Elton John 111.3
What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) Junior Walker and the All Stars 111.3
You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman Aretha Franklin and The All Stars 111.3
History Lesson Living Colour 111.4
To Sir With Love Lulu (Closing of the movie) 111.4
Slim Jenkin's Place Booker T. and The MG's 111.4
Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) John Lennon 111.5
Don't You (Forget About Me) Simple Minds 111.5
In The Bath Edie Brickell 111.5
Just To See Her Smokey Robinson 111.5
Light Of The World Godspell/Broadway Cast 111.5
Little Green Joni Mitchell 111.5
A Matter Of Trust Billy Joel
Live-Yankee Stadium Video 111.5
No Self Control Peter Gabriel 111.5
Secret Rendevous Karyn White 111.5
Tangled Up In Blue Bob Dylan
Live-VH1 91 111.5
Addicted To Love Robert Palmer 111.6
Ghost Man Carlo 111.6
Hooka Tooka Chubby Checker 111.6
I Ain't Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore The Rascals 111.6
Jump Street Herb Alpert 111.6
Man On The Corner Genesis 111.6
Sugar Mama Bonnie Rait 111.6
TV Age Joe Jackson 111.6
You'll Never Get To Heaven If You Break My Heart Dionne Warwick 111.6
With A Little Luck Paul McCartney 111.6
Dream Girl Stephen Bishop 111.7
Gee Whiz, It's Christmas Carla Thomas 111.7
I Walk The Line Johnny Cash 111.7
Love Hangover Diana Ross 111.7
Power And Glory
The Situation Lou Reed 111.7
Rejoyce Jefferson Airplane 111.7
She's A Beauty The Tubes 111.7
Summer In The City The Lovin' Spoonful 111.7
Waiting At The Station Aaron Neville 111.7
Alright Janet Jackson 111.8
California Dreaming The Mamas & The Papas 111.8
Come On Eileen Dexy's Midnight Runner 111.8
Don't You Want Me Jodie Watley 111.8
Fire Down Below Bob Seeger & The Silver Bullet Band 111.8
Mr. Ed TV Theme 111.8
Run Eric Clapton 111.8
Searching Lynyred Skynyrd
Live-Live 111.8
Someday Mariah Carey 111.8
Toe Hold Johnnie Taylor 111.8
You Are The Sun, You Are The Rain Lionel Richie 111.8
Know The Difference INXS 111.9
Like A Prayer Madonna 111.9
Limbow Bryan Ferry 111.9
No Other Baby Billy Davis 111.9
Don In The Flood Bob Dylan 112.0
Duke Booty Miles Davis 112.0
Easier To Day (Goodbye) Oleta Adams 112.0
Freedom Rider Traffic 112.0
God Part II U2 112.0
I'm Free The Who 112.0
She Caught The Train UB40 112.0
Something's Happening Peter Frampton 112.0
Top Of The Pops The Smithereens 112.0
All You Need Is Love The Beatles 112.1
I Will Walk With You Bruce Hornsby and The Range 112.1
Just Above My Hobby Horse's Head Richie Havens
Live-Richard P Havens 112.1
Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me) Reunion 112.1
#9 Dream John Lennon 112.1
Scarborough Fair Simon & Garfunkle 112.1
Along Comes A Woman Chicago 112.2
Court And Spark Joni Mitchell 112.2
Daybreak Brry Manilow 112.2
Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? Rod Stewart 112.2
Purple Haze Jimi Hendrix
Live-VH1 112.2
Rambling On My Mind Robert Johnson 112.2
Run Eric Clapton 112.2
She Belongs To Me Bob Dylan 112.2
Soul Drifter Lindsey Buckingham 112.2
Stones Neil Diamond 112.2
Traffic Jam James Taylor 112.2
Uptown The Crystals 112.2
The Wild Frontier Bruce Hornsby 112.2
I'll Be Around The Spinners 112.3
In The Midnight Hour Wilson Pickett 112.3
The Last Time I Saw Richard Joni Mitchell 112.3
The Long Race Bruce Hornsby and The Range 112.3
She Moves On Paul Simon
Live-Central Park 8/17/91 112.3
Soul Man Sam & Dave 112.3
State Of The World Janet Jackson 112.3
Wicked Game Chris Isaak 112.3
Baby It's You the Beatles 112.4
#9 Dream (Part II) John Lennon 112.4
Poison Bill Biv Devo
Live-Billboard Annual Awards 12/10/90 112.4
Radio Ga Ga Queen 112.4
Sweet Jane Lou Reed
Live-Academy of Music NYC 12/21/73 112.4
Trouble Me 10,000 Maniacs 112.4
WKRP In Cincinnati TV Theme 112.4
Woman In Love (With You) The Ronettes 112.4
Changes David Bowie 112.5
The Cool, Cool River Paul Simon 112.5
The Dreaming Kate Bush 112.5
Lions Dire Straits 112.5
Monster Steppenwolf 112.5
Reach Out For Me Burt Bacharach 112.5
Rock and Roll Fantasy Bad Company 112.5
These Are The Days Of Our Lives Queen 112.5
I Took Your Name R.E.M. 112.6
My Old Man Joni Mitchell 112.6
Stay Up Late Talking Heads 112.6
The Way You Make Me Feel Michael Jackson 112.6
Everybody Has A Dream Billy Joel 112.7
Fallen Lauren Wood 112.7
Genius Of Love Tom Tom Club 112.7
Half Live Of Absolution Pat Metheny Group 112.7
I'll Be There The Spinners 112.7
Look Out For My Love Neil Young
Live-MTV Unplugged 112.7
Picture Perfect Morning Edie Brickell 112.7
Remember Me Diana Ross 112.7
Sookie Sookie Steppenwolf 112.7
Suicide Is Painless Theme From Mash 112.7
Transformer Man Neil Young
Live-MTV Unplugged 112.7
Cloudbusting Kate Bush 112.8
Heroes David Bowie 112.8
If I Should Fall Behind Bruce Springsteen 112.8
I Heard It Through The Grapevine Gladys Knight and The Pips 112.8
Love To Be Loved Peter Gabriel 112.8
Remember Me Diana Ross 112.8
Take It As It Comes Steve Winwood 112.8
California Dreamin' The Mamas and The Papas 112.9
Green Earrings Steely Dan 112.9
Chuck E's In Love Rickie Lee Jones 112.9
In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed The Allman Brothers
Live-Fillmore East 112.9
Radio Song R.E.M. 112.9
Scarborough Fair Simon & Garfunkel
Live-Central Park 112.9
Slow Marimbas Peter Gabriel
Live-Secret World 112.9
Thing Of The Past The Shirelles 112.9
Typical Male Tina Turner
Live-Brazil HBO Concert 112.9
We Can Be Together Jefferson Airplane 112.9
Blue Spainish Sky Chris Isaak 113.0
Getaway Earth, Wind, and Fire 113.0
Golgotta Tenement Blues Machines Of Loving Grace 113.0
Hungry Heart Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Live- 1975-1985 113.0
I Can Dream About You Dan Hartman 113.0
Tonight Whitney Houston
Live-Saturday Night Live 2/23/91 113.0
I'm Your Baby Tonight Whitney Houston
Live-Norfolk Naval Air Station 3/31/91 113.0
It's All Too Much The Beatles
Movie:Yellow Submarine 113.0
San Franciso (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) Scott McKenzie 113.0
Wrap It Up Sam & Dave 113.0
Yvette In English David Crosby 113.0
Crosstown Traffic Jimi Hendrix 113.1
Hot Legs Rod Stewart 113.1
Power To The People John Lennon 113.1
Scarborough Fair Simon & Garfunkel 113.1
You Wouldn't Know Love Michael Bolton 113.1
Break Out Swing Out Sister 113.2
Cool Cool River Paul Simon
Live-Central Park 8/17/91 113.2
Daulton Lee Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays 113.2
Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted The Partridge Family 113.2
Easy Rollin' The Rascals 113.2
It's All Too Much The Beatles
Movie:Yellow Submarine 113.2
The Muppet Show TV Theme 113.2
Old Man Kensey R.E.M. 113.2
Smack Dab In The Middle Ray Charles 113.2
Twilight Wold Swing Out Sister 113.2
Walking In Rhytm Blackbirds 113.2
West End Girls Pet Shop Boys 113.2
You Belong To Me Carly Simon
Live-Great Hits Live 113.2
Do I Do Stevie Wonder 113.3
Harvest Moon Neil Young 113.3
I Am A Rock Simon & Garfunkel 113.3
It's Only Love The Beatles 113.3
Jesus Doesn't Want Me for A Sunbeam Nirvana
Live-MTV Unplugged in NY 113.3
Living Proof Bruce Springsteen
Live-Saturday Night Live 5/9/92 113.3
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da The Beatles 113.3
South City Midnight Lady The Doobie Brothers 113.3
Stop Breakin' Down Blues Robert Johnson 113.3
Amateur Hour Joe Jackson 113.4
Another Part Of Me Michael Jackson
Live-VH1 video 113.4
Don't Rock The Boat Eddie Floyd 113.4
Dragon (Icelandic) The Sugarcubes 113.4
I've Been Thinking About You London Beat 113.4
Hearts And Bones Paul Simon
Live-Central Park 8/17/91 113.4
If You Were Mine Ray Charles 113.4
Jumping Jack Flash Peter Frampton
Live-Comes Alive 113.4
Man On Your Mind Little River Band 113.4
Midnight Blue Lou Graham 113.4
My Heart Cries Out For You Ray Charles 113.4
Penny Lane The Beatles 113.4
Pride Robert Palmer 113.4
Top Of The World Diana Ross 113.4
We're Gonna Make It This Time Sybil 113.4
Eat For Two 10,000 Maniacs
Live-MTV Unplugged 113.5
I've Been Thinking About You Londonbeat 113.5
Miracles Jefferson Starship 113.5
My Hometown Bruce Springsteen 113.5
My Best Friend Jefferson Airplane 113.5
Penny Lane The Beatles 113.5
Slip Away Clarence Carter 113.5
They Don't Know Tracy Ullman 113.5
Words Of Love The Mamas & The Papas 113.5
B-A-B-Y Carla Thomas 113.6
Stage Fright The Band 113.6
Under Pressure Queen & David Bowie 113.6
Watching The River Flow Bob Dylan 113.6
As Above, So Below Tom Tom Club 113.7
Lotta Love Nicolette Larson 113.7
Moonlight Drive The Doors
Live-Jonathan Winters Show, Dance On Fire Video 113.7
Nashville Indigo Girls 113.7
Never Gonna Give You Up Rick Astley 113.7
Solidify Sheryl Crow 113.7
Tuesday Afternoon The Moody Blues 113.7
Turn On Your Lovelight Grateful Dead 113.7
Big Man In Town Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons 113.8
Big Man On Mulberry Street Billy Joel 113.8
A Hard Day's Night Bar-Kays 113.8
Living Proof Bruce Springsteen 113.8
Mocking Bird Carly Simon 113.8
Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place) Talking Heads
Live-Stop Making Sense 113.8
Real Men Joe Jackson 113.8
Soul Cages Sting
Live-Hollywood Bowl 10/2/91 113.8
Ann Rosie Chubby Checker 113.9
Good Advises R.E.M. 113.9
A Little Respect Erasure 113.9
Living In America James Brown 113.9
Mother and Child Reunion Paul Simon with the Jessy Dixon Group
Live-Live Rhymin' 113.9
Sympathy for The Devil Rolling Stones 113.9
Psycho Killer Talking Heads
Live-Stop Making Sense 113.9
We Love The Association 113.9
Bitter Tears INXS 114.0
Doing It To Death James Brown 114.0
Do Me, Baby Prince
Live-Syracuse 3/25/85 114.0
Excuse Me Peter Gabriel 114.0
Hey Girl The Mamas & The Papas 114.0
Just Ask Me To Kevin Campbell
Live-Showtime At The Apollo 11/9/91 114.0
McHale's Navy TV Theme 114.0
Night Parade Robbie Robertson 114.0
Open Your Heart Madonna 114.0
Requiem For The Masses The Association 114.0
Rock With You Michael Jackson 114.0
Solsbury Hill Peter Hill
Live-Secret World 114.0
Standing In the Shadows Of Love The Four Tops 114.0
Wash Away The Bitter Tears INXS
Live-Saturday Night Live 114.0
Bad Michael Jackson 114.1
Centerfold Geils Band 114.1
Cherry Bomb John Mellencamp 114.1
I Just Called To Say I Love You Stevie Wonder 114.1
It's Only My Heart Michael Bolton 114.1
The Needle and the Spoon Lynyrd Skynyrd
Live 114.1
I Wanna Be Rich Calloway 114.1
I Won't Back Down Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers 114.1
Pennyroyal Tea Nirvana
Live-MTV Unplugged 114.1
Say It Isn't So Daryl Hall and John Oates 114.1
Teaser Motley Crue 114.1
With A Girl Like You The Troggs 114.1
Baby It's You The Shirelles 114.2
Bluebird Buffalo Springfield 114.2
Get Rhythym Johnny Cash 114.2
Hang On Sloopy The McCoys 114.2
High The Cure 114.2
Honey, Don't Leave LA James Taylor 114.2
Hope Set High Amy Grant 114.2
Jealous Again The Black Crowes 114.2
Mustang Sally The Commitments
Live-Grammy Awards 2/25/92 114.2
My Favorite Martian TV Theme 114.2
Nightswimming R.E.M. 114.2
She's Leaving Home Lulu (Opening of the Movie) 114.2
Soul Deep Robert Flack 114.2
You, Baby The Ronettes 114.2
Your Love Is Too Good For Me Diana Ross 114.2
Everyday People Sly and The Family Stone 114.3
I Never Knew Love Like This Before Stephanie Mills 114.3
The Look Of Love Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66 114.3
Portobello Belle Dire Straits 114.3
The Smurfs






Hunter Newman
October 22, 2007

Goo Goo Ga Joob! The Psychology of Speed of The Beatles' I AM THE WALRUS - Music Fatalism, Sound Surrealism, John's Musical Joke - or, all Three?

All charts by Hunter Newman and Ian Schneider for Meanspeed Music.
All charts © 2007 Meanspeed Music Trust. USE BY PERMISSION.

















The other day I set off to find the meaning of the song "I Am The Walrus." I found out the song - about which people seem frightened to speak - is simply three John Lennon bits strung together. The chord sequence as described in the brilliant wikipedia.org entry is unusual for popular music, true enough, but what about the speed? What about those clever "BPM detectors" out there, what have they to say about this song? Nothing. Deafening silence. As John Lennon said, "Let the fuckers figure this one out."



Being such a person, 40 years later *my* answer is this - the mean speed of the song is 87.1 beats per minute, therefore according to meanspeed music theory it falls under the heading of "renewal." My speculation is that after "Let It Be," John wanted to re-establish the psychedelic aspect of the band rather than the church-like tones of Let It Be. Instead of staying in one range and keeping to one theme, it goes through both loneliness and enthusiasm speeds in a steady and twisting beat.

First, as to the speed related by the copyrighted sheet music, the direction is: "Slow 4" - no more than that on my version of the 1967 NORTHERN SONGS LIMITED, APRIL MUSIC, INC. The rhythm in the sheet music is 4/4 commonly known as "common time" and as does not vary in any way therefrom. There are no time signature tricks or changes. Though the harmony and melody are atonal in nature for a pop song, I Am The Walrus never leaves the key of A major. That is all your $28.95 will get you (1988 price) as far as what the sheet music tells us about speed.

In order to form a more perfect internet, and rectify the inequity of there being no objective speed listed for the song, James C.C. Manning and I measured (he supervised, I measured) the song in 9 trials of 388 contiguous beats as 97 4-beat groups, commonly called "measures." All contiguous measures were averaged and synthesized on the fabulous Microsoft Excel 2004 for Apple's Mac.

Here is Our report and speed graphs below to show that which we set out to do - show the most accurate time line of speed of the song I Am The Walrus -
total beats measured=3,492
total time elapsed=2,406.75 seconds
beats per trial=388
average time per trial=267.41666 seconds
song title="I Am The Walrus"
composer=John Lennon and Paul McCartney
performer=The Beatles
mean speed=87.1 beats per minute
average beat=0.689 seconds
mean slow phase=1.45 cycles per second
corresponding pitch=348.6 hertz
speed Territories passed through according to mean speed music theory=loneliness, renewal, enthusiasm
mean emotion=renewal

	The Beatles I am the Walrus The Beatles. Singing I am the Walrus....Beatles Walrus	From: malmquist90 Views: 46,268 Added: 1 year ago
	Tags: Beatles Walrus Time: 04:13	More in Music

	I AM THE WALRUS I am the Walrus by the Beatles is my favorite song of all time...this Spooky Tooth version is pretty cool as well.... I am the Walrus by the Beatles is my favorite song of all time...this Spooky Tooth version is pretty cool as well....I've never seen video footage of the band doing this so I had some visual fun...hope you like it! (more) (less)	From: salarex Views: 17,636 Added: 7 months ago
	Tags: SPOOKY TOOTH BEATLES JOHN LENNON PSYCH Time: 06:10	More in Music

	Across The Universe trailer 10 (I Am The Walrus) all of you who got screwed in buying the one disc version of the ATU soundtrack. :) I Am The Walrus http://www.evilshare this be Bono's role as Dr. Roberts. Yup it's him. download it all yeahhhhhh. so, second disc anyone? for all of you who got screwed in buying the one disc version of the ATU soundtrack. :) I Am The Walrus http://www.evilshare.com/4054025c-c770-102a-9309-00a0c993e9d 6 Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite http://www.evilshare.com/4093b924-c770-102a-9309-00a0c993e9d 6 Because http://www.evilshare.... (more) (less)	From: happpybunnny Views: 60,213 Added: 1 month ago
	Tags: across the universe trailer 10 i am walrus movie film bono julie taymor Time: 01:06	More in Entertainment

	Frank Zappa - I am the walrus Frank Zappa - I am the walrus (The Beatles) (Cleveland, 03.'88). enjoy...zappa the beatles walrus ike willis	From: doogit Views: 97,619 Added: 1 year ago
	Tags: zappa the beatles walrus ike willis Time: 03:10	More in Comedy

	Fab Faux on David Letterman I Am The Walrus 9, 2007's appearance of The Fab Faux on The David Letterman Show. They sing "I Am The Walrus"....The Fab Faux David Letterman	From: Margebird Views: 61,437 Added: 8 months ago
	Tags: The Fab Faux David Letterman Show Time: 04:28

I Am The Walrus by The Beatles Album: Magical Mystery Tour Date: 1967 U.S. Chart: 56 Lyrics: View Lyrics The Beatles Ringtones Listen/Buy @ Amazon Sheet Music People who like this song also like "A Day In The Life" "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" View The Song Profile Rate This Song Songfacts: You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page. John Lennon wrote this, but it was released as the B-side to "Hello Goodbye," which Paul McCartney wrote. This angered Lennon because he felt this was much better. Lennon wrote most of this while tripping on acid. The up and down rhythm was inspired by a police siren he heard. Lennon made sure the lyrics didn't make sense so he could confuse all the people trying to analyze his songs. He got the idea for the oblique lyrics when he received a letter from a student who explained that his English teacher was having the class analyze Beatles songs. Lennon answered the letter; his reply was sold as memorabilia at a 1992 auction. (thanks, Emery - San Jose, CA) The voices at the end are from a BBC broadcast of the Shakespeare play King Lear. The idea for the Walrus came from the poem The Walrus and The Carpenter from Alice in Wonderland. In his 1980 Playboy interview, Lennon said: "It never dawned on me that Lewis Carroll was commenting on the capitalist and social system. I never went into that bit about what he really meant, like people are doing with the Beatles' work. Later, I went back and looked at it and realized that the walrus was the bad guy in the story and the carpenter was the good guy. I thought, Oh, s--t, I picked the wrong guy. I should have said, 'I am the carpenter.' But that wouldn't have been the same, would it?" When Lennon decided to write confusing lyrics, he asked his friend Pete Shotton for a nursery rhyme they used to sing. Shotton gave them this rhyme, which Lennon incorporated into the song: "Yellow matter custard, green slop pie, all mixed together with a dead dog's eye. Slap it on a butty, ten foot thick, then wash it all down with a cup of cold sick." The song's opening line, "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together" is based on the song "Marching To Pretoria," which contains the lyric, "I'm with you and you're with me and we are all together." (thanks, bertrand - Paris, France, for above 3) The choir at the end sings "Oompah, oompah, stick it in your jumper" and "Everybody's got one, everybody's got one." This song helped fuel the rumor that Paul McCartney was dead. It's quite a stretch, but theorists found these clues in the lyrics, none of which are substantiated: "Waiting for the van to come" means the 3 remaining Beatles are waiting for a police van to come. "Pretty little policemen in a row" means policemen did show up. "Goo goo ga joob" were the final words that Humpty Dumpty said before he fell off the wall and died. During the fade, while the choir sings, a voice says "Bury Me" which is what Paul might have said after he died. During the fade, we hear someone reciting the death scene from Shakespeare's play "King Lear." (thanks, Tommy - flower mound, TX) The BBC banned this for the lines "pornographic priestess" and "let your knickers down." Lennon got the line "Goo Goo Ga Joob" from the book Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce. In The Beatles song "Glass Onion," Lennon sang, "The Walrus was Paul." He got a kick out of how people tried to interpret his lyrics and figure out who the Walrus was. "Semolina Pilchard" was Detective Sergeant Norman Pilcher, head of the Scotland Yard Drugs Unit. He led the arrests of both John Lennon and Brian Jones et al, before being investigated himself for blackmail and bribery in the '70s. (thanks, Matt - London, England) Eric Burdon (of Animals and War fame) stated in his biography that he is the Egg Man. It seems he told John Lennon of a sexual experience he was involved in where an egg played a major part. After that, John called him Egg Man. ELO's song "Hello My Old Friend" has an identical form to this - almost the same tune and orchestration but different words. No wonder Jeff Lynne is sometimes referred to as the 6th Beatle. In the Anthology version of this song, they experiment with 4 octaves in the intro. Also, just before Lennon says, "Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun," Ringo does 2 hits on snare and floor tom before hitting crash. (thanks, Riley - Elmhurst, IL) In an episode of The Simpsons, "The Bart Of War," airing May 18, 2003, Bart and Milhouse break into a secret room in the Flanders' household to discover that Ned is a Beatles fanatic. Bart takes a sip from a can of 40-year-old Beatles-themed novelty soda and quotes this song: "Yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog's eye," while Milhouse takes a trip and sees various Beatles inspired hallucinations. (thanks, Ashley - Moncton, Canada) Styx covered this song in 2004. They made a music video for it with a cameo from Billy Bob Thornton. (thanks, Caitlyn - Farmington Hills, MI) After John Lennon went solo, he wrote a song called "God" where he sang, "I was the walrus, but now I am John." (thanks, Webspin - Daytona, FL) Get Artistfacts for The Beatles More songs by The Beatles More songs with animals in the title More songs inspired by poems More songs with some lyrics that are gibberish More songs used on The Simpsons More songs featuring choirs More songs that fueled rumors that Paul McCartney was dead Comments: Near the end of the song the chant is: Smoke Pot, Smoke Pot, Everybody Smoke Pot! - Scott, Newport Beach, CA This was originally on an double EP (extended play) called Magical Mystery tour: not on an LP or album as such. There were two EPs in the sleeves of a booklet which had stills from the film Magical Mystery tour. It was later released on an LP of the same name but included Hello Goodbye, Penny lane, Strawberry fields and Baby you're a rich man. I have both copies at home but have never - ever seen the film Magical Mystery tour broadcast again since it was originally shown on TV! We thought it was strange but wonderful: even in black n white. I have read since that it got bad reviews.... - ANDREW, LONDON, England Best. Song. Ever. - Conley, Mequon, WI dont you all think that this song is about human nature! ie emotions!helo!! anyways its upto you.. - tweet, wigan, China why do you feel the need to ask? it means what it means to you...THATS IT... - tweet, wigan, - koo koo ca choo - jer, round lake, IL Brilliant arrangement, astounding chord progression.. Genius Johnny - John, Manila, Other the walrus was paul - john, newcastle, TX what does "pornographic priestess" and "Boy, you been a naughty girl you let your Knickers down" actually mean? - Katie, Sunderland, United States the walrus was paul. - Jim, Stonerville, CA wonderful. RIP John you rock - Shelby, Idiotville , KY Has anybody heard of Spooky Tooth? They did a pretty good cover of the song in the early seventies-Terry,Pekin,IN - Terry, Pekin, IN OMG there r a lots of clues that "Paul is dead". But everyone knows he very much a live. John was on acid when he wrote it because I was reading a book on him and he said it himself that he was on acid. Also he wanted to make a song that made no sense so no one could understand it and find a meaning. And if they did they were lying cause he didn't even make it to have one. I twas just a song it is a bit wierd but a good song. - Krissy, Boston, MA I heard this dong was for the "paul is dead" publicity stunt and was about the day paul died.The walrus symbolising death. in glass onion they say."heres another clue for you all the walrus is paul." - alex, new york, NY I recently heard that the choir at the end is singing "everybody's f*cked up" over and over. Has anyone else ever heard of this? - David, Selma, AL The lines from "King Lear" that are recited in the background were recorded by accident. - montelimat, Jacksonville, FL He killed John Lennon. It's as simple as that. - krissy, Boston, MA i agree, but the goverment are now saying that mrak champton was brain washed into killing john lennon:it does'nt at up y he killed him. so there's more 2 mark champton than most people think. - john, newcastle, TX name-dropping lol lol lol - john, newcastle, TX krista: hate is a stong word there's no need 2 use it. - john, newcastle, TX John, We don't need to know anything but he was an idiot who killed John Lennon. It is as simple as that. - krissy, Boston, MA John, there is nothing to know but he was an idiot who killed John Lennon. It is as simple as that. - krissy, Boston, MA John from newcastle, what is to know? We know he killed John Lennon. We know he was an idiot because only an idiot would kill a legend. My friend John Lennon is a legend and a whole hell of a lot more. - krissy, Boston, MA Don't say things like that about mark champton, yes he was evil, but don't judge into u know all the facts. - john, newcastle, TX All water under the bridge and mass histiria. Hate is such an unessercery word. - john, newcastle, TX All water under the bridge and mass histiria. Hate is such an unessercery word. - john, newcastle, TX david: that's ur opinion no one eles.:) - john, newcastle, TX david: that's ur opinion no one eles.:) - john, newcastle, TX John Lennon was a genius, "I Am The Walrus" Is the greatest song ever recorded, and Mark David Chapman s*cks the devils d*ck. - David, Fort Worth, TX Actaully I read that somehwere thats John purposely made this song this way. Some many people were trying to find a message or meaning in their songs. So he deiced to make one that no one could understand. John was also working on three different songs at once and couldn't finish one so deiced to join them all together. It is an odd song by it's pretty good. - krissy, Boston, MA I'm sitting on a cornflake! Which is Kellogg's. Kellogg was my maiden name. Eric Burden of The Animals and war fame is the Eggman. - Cheryl Lynn Herman, Glenpool, OK BASICALLY THE GUY HAD A HEAD FULL OF ACID AND A LOT OF GENREAL KNOWLEDGE, I PERSONALLY THINK LENNON WROTE THIS SONG TO DANCE VERY MELLOW AND SLOWLY TO D'YOU KNOW WAT I MEAN. THE LYRICS ARE MADE TO MAKE NO SENSE WITHIN THE REAL WORLD BUT WHEN YOU ENTER THE WORLD OF ACID IT ALL MAKES SENSE ANDY STE SALFORD SCALLY LAUGHIN IN THE FACE OF LOVE - andrew, salford, England ANDY THE YANK BET YOU TAKE BARE DRUGS MATE U PARANOID FREAK. I THINK THE SAME AS YA IM PARAED UP ABOUT THE NUMBER 27(SERIOUSLY NOW)WHEREAS JOHN LENNONS SIGNIFICANT NUMBER IN LIFE WAS 9. HE WAS SHOT ON THE NINTH OCTOBER HIS SON WAS BORN ON THE NINTH HIS HOUSE NUMBER 126(1+2+6+9) AND SO ON IT CROPPED UP THROUGHOUT HIS "DRUG FUELLED LIFE" WHEREAS I AM THE SAME ABOUT 27 WAS BORN ON THE 27TH OF OCTOBER (2+7=9) I WAS BORN NINE YEARS LATER AFTER HE HAD BEEN SHOT YES I AM JOHN LENNONS REINCARNATION - andrew, salford, England OMG ANDREW - Krista, Elyria, OH Best song in world history! - Krista, Elyria, OH This has to be one of the most original rock songs ever I defy anyone to find an example like this before this song came out. - Taylor, Manchester, England John Lennon predicted 9-11 34 years before it happened!!!!!!!!!!!! Just look. Pretty little police men sitting in a row is describing the all the cop cars lined up, stupid bloody Tuesday because 9-11 was on a Tuesday, Man you've been a naughty boy you let your face grow long because terrorists have long beards, corporation t-shirt referes to the office workers working for corporations wearing suits which are their corporation t-shirts, John sings i'm crying over and over again refering to all the people crying, choking smokers refering to people choking on the smoke of the towerss.......................................... Just Kiding, Anybody can interpret anything from any beatles song, esp. those written by John Lennon, he wrote this as joke on people who try to interpret his lyrics. Peace, Make Love not War - Andrew, Indianapolis, IN THIS IS MY FAVEORITE SONG! (Well, 1 of them!) P.S I HATE U MARK CHAPMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Krista, Elyria, OH This song has live sampling of a radio program. - Liam, New York, NY I'm sitting on a cornflake - boi, Koolvilles, MN i can honestly say i dont see the fascination with the beatles: they're not that great - Jaclyn, Buffalo, NY To Warrior: Ringo is still alive along with Paul. What proof do you have that Paul died other than some album covers? John wrote this song to get people to stop analyzing his songs. Maybe he tried to do the same with Paul's death hoax. How do you think they managed to get a replacement Paul with the same voice and face too? The original Paul is still alive. - Bryan, New York, NY Anybody ever seen the video for this? John Lennon eyes are really spaced out! Easy one of the top 5 Beatles songs ever! - Lance, Pittsburgh, PA Great example of avant garde with pop rock only the Beatles seem to master this concept. A proto progressive rock masterpiece. - George, Yonkers, NY walrus is such a funny word. - Karissa, Venice, Italy The King Lear snippets are not samples as such, they were recorded live off the radio as the final mix was being done. - Matt, Brisbane, Australia Best song in the history of songs - Caleigh, Austin, TX The Styx version was FAR better. After the original Paul McCartney's death, the Beatles got WAY too into rap/hip hop. Isn't it weird how all of the Beatles are dead except the fake Paul? - Warrior, St. Paul, MN I think I am the Walrus is John Lennon's masterpiece. I also think it's mostly or entirely about Pauls' death in 1966. As a matter of fact the last 4 years of the Beatles are about Pauls' death. I cannot explain many of the lyrics because I have not understood all the circemstances of his demise. I say this because EVERYTHING about the Beatles and Paul changed after his death. Paul either died or something just as tramatic happened. Maybe someone else has something to share. - jay, kamloops, Canada It's kind of weird that this song is a favourite of Gemini's (my sign) as it's one of my favourite Beatles songs! - Sarah, USA, IA I Am The Walrus is an early progressive rock tune, that has cacophony with nonsensical lyrics. It combines avant garde with classical influnece in another pyscedelic tune. It has a strange sounding type choir, siren sounding organs, distored vocals and a unusual fade out of noises. sal, bardonia, ny - sal, bardonia , NY god y r some of u guys just dissin styx they werent that bad cmon. give them a break already. They may not be as good as the beatles but like leave the poor guys alone they made some good songs, like come sail away. and btw stop yellin at anonymous also its just an opinion dont spaz out. i think that the beatles version is ten times better. That doesnt mean I can persecute him just cuz he likes styx's version better. - Justin, Albany, NY Nonsensical lyrics, John's strange vocals, and the odd siren-like melody seem like they should be reasons to hate this song... but for some reason, they make it a work of downright brilliance! - Ian, Lethbridge, Canada John Lennon was killed exactly 13 years, to the day, after the album was released, December 8, 1967 to December 8, 1980. - Mike, Germantown, MD mark b., to me, christian hip-hop is evil. im jewish, and i find that most christian 'songs' are just saying that you should do whatever jesus says to, even if it means being really mean to animals and kids. which i find hypocritical, cuz thats the opposite of what jesus wanted. and jesus was jewish. anyways, getting off track. i don't care what you say, hip-hop is evil, and shouldn't be considered music. - izzy, buffalo, NY Could anyone else write such lyrics??Probably not. - Nathan, Bruges, Belgium Sorry, Izzy. I will always be a fan of The Beatles' music, no matter what you may believe. I agree that The Beatles are amazing. One of my favorite things about them is their musical diversity, which ranges from early rock and roll to late psychedelia and everything else that they had absorbed thrown in between. As you said, hip-hop had not yet existed, so they obviously had not adopted that style into their music. However, in one of the many ways that The Beatles are known to have been pioneers in the musical world, they provided us with one of the earliest examples of the genre with this song, similar to how The Doors, The Stooges, and The Velvet Underground were creating prototypical punk rock songs in America during the same time period. Hip-hop generally is vulgar, but isn't always; this generalization can also be applied to many forms of rock music though, rendering the vulgarity of a type of music irrelevant. Evil is a force that can pervade anything, and is not represented by hip-hop (ever heard of Christian hip-hop? It's certainly not evil). I would understand if you had said that Norwegian black metal is evil, given it's recurring themes of Satanism and the occult, but hip-hop is not quite there. Considering the properties of most hip-hop: rhythmic lyrical flow, lyrics that are randomly pieced together to fit the pattern, keyboard-synthesized strings, steady drum beat, etc., this song qualifies as an early hip-hop song. - Mark B. Stoned, Desperate Hot Springs, CA mark b., as of now, you are no longer a beatles fan(if you even were one in the first place) THIS IS NOT HIP-HOP! the beatles didn't do hip-hop. hip-hop is evil and vulgar, and it burns out my ears. the beatles are amazing and genious's, and they rock hard. notice how there's no connection? there wasn't hip-hop then, and there shouldn't be hip-hop now. and anyone else who thinks that this is a hip-hop song should be severly punished - izzy, buffalo, NY if i ever had to analize this song in a lit class, i would run out of the class, unlock my bike, and bike home without a second thought. i would be disgusted and appalled if we had to. lennon wrote this song because he didn't want people analyzing his songs! - izzy, buffalo, NY Ryab, from Lackawanna, New York, I was thinking the same thing the other day. I don't see how I never thought of it before, but, yeah, this song is the earliest hip-hop song. Yet another pioneering first for The Beatles. Most people would probably see this idea as absurd, given the fact that when you think of The Beatles, you think of classic rock, psychedelic rock, rock and roll, country rock, pop; pretty much everything but hip-hop. Yet, everything about the song is hip-hop flavored: from the strings, to the drum beats, to Lennon's lyrical flow, and even the King Lear samples. Play this for someone who likes hip-hop, but doesn't know The Beatles' music, and they'll probably appreciate it just as much. - Mark B. Stoned, Desperate Hot Springs, CA annonymous, you are wrong and should be punished. how can you say that styx is good in the first place? and how can you say that they can do a better cover of an awesome bands song then the band themself, IF STYX SUCKS? answer that. oh, i didn't say the beatles and the band mentioned above in the same sentece. are you proud of me, steve? jk. (p.s. the 'band mentioned above is styx, incase you didn't get it) - izzy, buffalo, NY Makes less sense than the english language but a true classic. And of all things to mention, people being eggmen???? - John Smith, Southington, CT The page below has a theory about who the Walrus is. Seems it's something to do with Morse being french for Walrus, among other things... http://decmalone.stumbleupon.com/review/4636651/ - Woger, Chichester, England Wonderful song! It catched me at once and my first thought was "what the!!!??" However, I soon realised that THIS was a masterpiece. - Olle, Stockholm, Sweden Anonymous in Nashville: are you serious? I've never heard the Styx version, and don't get me wrong, Styx has done (some) good stuff, but we're talking about one of the greatest moments in rock history here. (I made sure not to put The Beatles in a Styx sentence). Oops, sorry Steve! - Jack, Mesa, AZ "the umpa umpa/stick it up your jumper" chant probably came from the 1935 song "Umpa Umpa" by The Two Leslies (a.k.a. Leslie Sarony & Leslie Holmes), the chorus of which was "Umpa, Umpa, stick it up your jumper, tra la la la la la" (no, really). Either that or "umpa umpa/stick it up your jumper" was a now-forgotten expression that was used in both songs. - Jennifer, Los Angeles, CA a few things i think i hear a little bit of Imagine in the intro but that might be only for me there and another thing there is a japanese video game series called Sonic The Hedgehog from Sega there is an evil egg shaped scientist in the series named Dr. Robotnik but Sonic The Hedgehog refers to him as Dr. EGGMAN I wonder if Sega took that from this song. - nathan, insomeplace, KY Styx's cover is nowhere near as good as this. Never mention Styx and The Beatles in a sentence together. - Steve, Laconia, NH Styx's cover is better. - Anonnymous, Nashville