EP 23: Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds

EP 23: Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds

From UnBeatled by Virgin Radio

March 27, 2026 · 27 min · Season 1 · Episode 23

About this episode

The episode discusses the inspiration behind John Lennon's song 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds' and its connection to his son Julian's artwork.

John Lennon's son, Julian, brought home a painting he had done at school that day and showed it to his dad. To say John was impressed is an understatement. He was immediately taken by the psychedelic painting of Julian's classmate flying in the sky surrounded by diamonds. To a drug addled John Lennon this was the inspiration he'd been waiting for. They completed the song in 24 hours with Paul McCartney taking the reins from an increasingly unmotivated John Lennon. The song would be the most overtly psychedelic track on their Summer of Love masterpiece, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topics covered

  • music history
  • psychedelic music
  • The Beatles
  • songwriting
  • art inspiration

Keywords

  • John Lennon
  • Julian Lennon
  • Paul McCartney
  • Sgt. Pepper's
  • psychedelic
  • music history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

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