Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is Dead

[k4kyv]

Lucy Vodden, the woman who inspired the Beatles classic 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,' died last Tuesday at the age of 46. Vodden, a childhood friend of Julian Lennon, passed away after losing a fight with the autoimmune disease lupus, according to an announcement made Monday by the St. Thomas' Lupus Trust Charity.



http://www.spinner.com/2009/09/28/woman-who-inspired-lucy-in-the-sky-with-diamonds-dies-at-46/

[KX5JT]

Until now, I had always read about this picture that Julian supposedly drew which inspired the song, but never seen any other evidence supporting the claim.   It's really cool to actually see the picture.  Where did it come from Don?  Has Julian kept this picture all these years? 

Of course, even though John Lennon was inspired by the picture his son brought home, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Band was certainly produced during the period that Lennon had begun to be fully engaged in psychedelic experimentation.  By the time of it's release at the dawn of the Summer of Love and coinciding with the Monteray Pop Festival in California, John and George already had their encounter with "Dr. Robert", the dentist who introduced the two guitarist to LSD.  The Revolver album released in 1966 was chocked full of LSD's influence with the backwards guitar and wailings found in "Tommorow Never Knows" and even a tribute to the infamous "Dr. Robert." as well as a song about a bad trip documented in "She Said, She Said".   So by the time the LP "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and certainly the track "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" were written and recorded, John Lennon was deeply influenced by the experiences of the LSD which quickly became the sacrament of the youth generation in the following year.  The next year would see the Beatles trek over to India in search of spiritual enlightment through Eastern philosophy.  George Harrison eventually claimed to abandon the psychedelic sacrament with his newly found outlook.  John Lennon, however, apparently continued and even claimed that he had partaken of Owsley LSD for 1000 or more days in a row by 1969.

Anyway, to see the actual picture and find the actual "Lucy" was a real person and childhood friend of Julian is amazing to me.  The sad part is it took her death due to complications of Lupus to bring this all to light.  She was only 3 years older than me.