
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
More episodes of UnBeatled
- A Hard Day's Night · May 15, 2026 · 36 min
- I Am the Walrus · May 12, 2026 · 48 min
- Paperback Writer · April 3, 2026 · 31 min
- EP 22: Yesterday · March 15, 2026 · 31 min
- EP 21: Hey Bulldog · February 27, 2026 · 24 min
- EP 20: Let It Be · February 23, 2026 · 38 min
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