The Beatles were wowing audiences long before they were ever introduced to marijuana, but no one can deny there was a stark turn in the band’s trajectory after they got that particular drug into their life. It influenced their entire sound, pushing them into a realm that was far less concerned with pop perfection than their earlier works. Learn more about how marijauna changed the Beatles, below.
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How One Drug Changed the Beatles’ Sound
I was alone, I took a ride
I didn’t know what I would find there
Another road where maybe I
Could see another kind of mind there
Ooh, then I suddenly see you
Ooh, did I tell you I need you
Every single day of my life?
In Paul McCartney’s memory, it was Bob Dylan that first introduced the Fab Four to weed.
“We were having a drink and then Bob [Dylan] arrived and disappeared into a backroom,” McCartney once recalled. “Then Ringo went back to see him and after a couple of minutes Ringo came back into the suite looking a little dazed and confused and we said, ‘what’s up?’ and he said, ‘Oh Bob’s smoking pot back there,’ and we said, ‘oh, well what’s it like?’ and Ringo said, ‘The ceiling feels like it’s coming down a bit.’”
That moment prompted the rest of the group to partake. Their love of the experience was dictated in “Got to Get You Into My Life.” This pseudo love song was written with the drug in mind, despite the lyrics seemingly being dedicated to a loved one.
Following their brush with marijuana, the Beatles’ sound completely changed. Long gone were the simple tunes with predictable melodies. It ushered in an experimental era of the Beatles’ career that pushed them into a new stratosphere of respect in the rock scene.
Though we’re not sure we should be thanking drugs in any fashion, we can’t deny we are thankful for the music the Beatles created as a result of that fateful night with Dylan.
What can I do, what can I be?
When I’m with you I want to stay there
If I’m true, I’ll never leave
And if I do, I know the way there
Ooh, then I suddenly see you
Ooh, did I tell you I need you
Every single day of my life?
(Photo by Eyles/Daily Herald/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
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