Grateful Dead - Alice D. Millionaire (1967)

Coming out of the San Francisco Bay Area in 1965, this band was known for their groundbreaking combinations of folk, rock, bluegrass, and psychedelia, which led to a large group of cult followers, known as Dead Heads, following the band on tour for years at a time. Quite impressively, the core of the band (Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and Bill Kreutzmann) stayed together recording and performing from 1965 until the band’s end in 1995, when Garcia passed away.

This song was inspired by the headline of the Los Angeles Times, October 5, 1966, “LSD Millionaire Arrested”. It was an article about the brilliant underground chemist, Owsley Stanley, responsible for 1.25 million doses of LSD from 1965 to 1967, being arrested the day before California criminalized the drug. If you haven’t caught the connection, sound out the title of the article and the title of the song: “LSD Millionaire” and “Alice D. Millionaire”.



Grateful Dead - Alice D. Millionaire (1967)

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Lyrics:

You say you're livin’ in a world of trouble
All your schemes have popped like a bubble
Your mother told your sister
And your brother told your friend
Now your secret's out and you don't have to pretend
You can see for yourself; it's really not the end

You're standing there with tears in your eyes
There's too much going on, my my, there's no time to cry

You say the walls are closing in on you, child
All your friends have put you in exile
Bad luck seem to follow you all around the world
You can't seem to find no peace of mind, girl
You will take a chance to seem so bad

You're standing there with tears in your eyes
There's too much going on, my my, no time to cry (no time to cry)

Every minute is a brand new day
And there are some games that are just fun to play
Even bad scenes are for real; there's no time to cry

Since you left your old scene behind you
Go ahead and let the green light find you
It's warm and friendly, girl, and it won't blind you
Come out in the street and the weeds won't grind you
See that love is in the air; you feel it all around you

Standin’ there with tears in your eyes
There's too much going on, my my, no time to cry

Your yesterdays are all left behind
There's a brand new light in your mind
You don't need a key to define
What's written on the magic sign
There's no time to cry

When the season of the magic lantern
Is transformed into a funny pattern
And the wheel of fortune has a flat tire
You can't seem to get any higher
When you go above the baylor machine, you find a horseshoe

You're standing there with tears in your eyes
There's too much going on, my my, there's no time to cry

13th Floor Elevators - Slide Machine (1967)

Formed in 1965 and lasting until 1968, this group is considered one of the first psychedelic bands. ZZ Top, as well as Big Brother and the Holding Company, claim to be largely inspired by their work. Related to this, their work has been said to be paramount to the development of garage and punk rock, distinctly in their first single, “You’re Gonna Miss Me”. Quite uniquely (even by ‘60s standards), the band recorded each album and played each live performance under the influence of LSD.

This song is taken from the group’s most celebrated album, Easter Everywhere, which features their eight-minute fan-favorite “Slip Inside This House” and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Baby Blue”. If you listen closely, you can hear the group’s famous electric jug, which sounds a bit like a UFO sound effect from an old science fiction movie.



13^th Floor Elevators - Slide Machine (1967)

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Lyrics:

Been down south where they use the slide machine
Where the gods of old are heard but seldom seen
And here I been just stuck up in between
Trying to- trying to- trying to get back to you
Trying to- trying to- trying to get back to you

Well, the slide machine, it sweeps bones right off the road
For the tandem trucks and the moats that they towed
And me, I've just been looking for one going slow
Trying to- trying to- trying to get back to you
Trying to- trying to- trying to get back to you

My woman here, she's got a dozen names
She's sought by soldiers and they try to keep her tame
And her rewards will leave them just the same
Trying to- trying to- trying to get back to you
Trying to- trying to- trying to get back to you

Well I’ve been down south where they use the slide machine
Where the gods of old are heard but seldom seen
And here I been just stuck up in between
Trying to- trying to- trying to get back to you
Trying to- trying to- trying to get back to you

Santo & Johnny - Sleep Walk (1959)

Italian brothers from Brooklyn, New York, Santo and Johnny Farina had their first and biggest hit (heard below) in 1959 and continued milder success through the ‘60s. Their cover of The Beatles’ “And I Love Her” hit number one in Mexico for twenty-one weeks and their version of the theme song to The Godfather went to number one in Italy for twenty-one weeks, as well.

This song was the last instrumental to reach number one in the 1950s and is often tied to the final scene of La Bamba (1987), the Ritchie Valens story. Although it’s instrumental, it originally had lyrics written to accompany it. They never recorded a version using those lyrics, but Betsy Brye did later in 1959.



Santo & Johnny - Sleep Walk (1959)

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Lyrics:

(instrumental)