32 Lucy in the Mind of Lennon some T1irties or Forties song WhiCh was / 〃 / 〃 } "You're delightful, you're delicious and da da da. lsn't it a pity that you are such a scatterbrain. '' 仏ん〃 [ always fasci- nated me for some reason or another. It'S alSO connected tO my mother. lt's all very Freudian. She used to sing that one. So I made ノんカ″ Girloutofit. And about / Call ど , Lennon said: lhat was my song. When there was no Beatles and no group ・ I just had it around. lt was my effort as a kind ofblues origi- nally, and then I wrote the middle eight just [ 0 stick it in the album when it came out years later. The first part had been written before Hamburg even. lt was one 0F1 れ y. 、 5 attempts at a song (emphasis in original). Following the same procedures as above, I created a script for thelyrics of 〃ど / んカ / なん Girl: I see a female 01 want tO be close tO her but she ignores me I still hope for union 01 reflect on other painfultimes I still want union lthen created a script forl Call 〃ル 4 ど (omitting the bridge ()r middle eight) that Lennon said he added years later): I call out for you but you are not present 1 reproach myselfand hide my pain I call out for メ ou

T H E N EXT S 0 N G S tthe point in their psychotherapy when clients begin [ 0 open the door on psychologically painfultopics, they often vacil- late bet 、 veen wanting tO open that door further and 、 vanting tO close it tight once again. On the one hand, certain psychological processes seem tO impel people toward further expression and exploration of whatever pain they have begun to describe. These processes, however, are countered in many cases by tendencies tO push aside those thoughts, feelings, and memories SO as [ 0 avoid the distress that contemplation ofthem engenders and the diffcult changes in one's 1 飛 that んⅡ exploration would typically entail. The analysis presented in chapter 7 suggests that the circum- stances Of Lennon's li 応 around the time he was writing カ〃ア / 〃 ど Sky 坊の 0 〃 were such that he began [ 0 express his long-suppressed feelings about his mother and her death' albeit in an emotionally blunted way that was veiled behind hallucinogenic imagery. Said differently, the form the song took seems to have been a compromise between Lennon's desire [ 0 express hiS desire tO defend against that expression. explanation Of Lennon S creation of カ″切ど Sky の 0 〃法 can be tested by 100k - ing at what happened in the months that followed. Specifically, tO the extent that circumstances in Lennon's li were Of the sort that , ould maintain ()r increase) the accessibility Ofthese painful 93

148 Notes on the Methods iS no definite time point that I can know for certain corresponds tO 、、 When he was writing ・ Except for songs that may have sprung fully formed 伝 om Lennons mind on the first draft, most ofhis songs would have undergone a process ofrevision; clearly that was the case for & Ⅲ厖アリ月どゞア・翩既 During the revision process, it is highly likely that Lennon's ideas about what he was trying to express and how best [ 0 express it would have shifted and evolved, with corresponding changes in the words and music that he might have used. As such, it may be that if a word was added or a key was changed rather late in his revision process, then the themes that I suggest were on Lennons mind might nothave al 、 been SO prevalent throughout his composition 0f the song. On the other hand' the fact that Lennon ultimately decided on the word or musicalexpression he did suggests that something impelled him [0 、 that ne 、、 or musical and that "something" may have been whatl have proposed was on his mind. second weakness Of thiS strategy concerns the influence Of Others Lennon s songwriting. McCartney and Lennon collabo rated deeply on many 0fLennon's early songs, truly writing them together (). g. , She カ 02 ぉ 〃 , 石なん C ん / の . Other songs were a melding ofeach oftheir individual efforts ( e. g. , ノの切どカ ). ln ⅵⅡ others, the contribution 0fMcCartney iS limited tO a few images or words, but nonetheless present; such seems [ 0 be the case 応 r カ〃ヮ切ど Sky ル勗の (see Spignesi & Lewis, p. 50 ). Later in Lennons career,Yoko ono aISO contributed tO S01 れ e OfhiS songs, includingJulia. And as the songs were rehearsed, recorded, and mixed in the studio, the other Beatles and their producer George Martin certainly made suggestions about hOW tO improve bOth the lyrics and the music. For these reasons, I have omitted lyrical passages or images 、 information exists suggesting that passages 、 primarily ideas.No doubt, hO 、 vever, the scientist's bane oferror will have led tO some mistakes in thiS process. CHAPTER 2 I am particularly indebted t0 CindY Chung for suggesting the comparison samples used ⅲ this chapter, as they are far more appropriate than what I was initially using in 1 y earlier analyses. even more representative

5 T H E P RO B L E M also wrote that JuIian painted "endless pictures for Daddy. " As far as we know, none Ofthose Other pictures inspired tO write a song. What was special about this picture of Lucy? And while examination ofJulian's picture confirms that it is Of a girl floating in a sky among shapes thatlook like diamonds, there is little visible in the picture that suggests a direct association [ 0 carroll's writings or tO the plOt line, specific images, and musical themes that eventu- ally constituted the song Lennon 、 vrote. Compared to these rather superficial explanations of the song, Lennons own 1980 explanation is certainly more complex and psychologically deep. However, one must keep ⅲ mind Lennons well-known antagonism toward the clue hunters who searched for meaning ⅲ his lyrics. Consider, for example, his quote that opens this bOOk, as ℃Ⅱ as Lennon's efforts in songs like G / 0 〃ル〃 tO inten- tionally mislead listeners about the meanings of earlier songs (e ・ g ・ , "The WaIrus was PauI"). Had Lennon's attitude changed by 1980 so that he was now willing to reveal himself? so problematic is that Lennon twice claimed ⅲ this same explanation that he had not yet met Yoko Ono before he wroteLucy 切ど Sky の 0 〃ム when, ⅲ fact, Lennon first met 崘 ko at an art gallery about three months before ( ⅲ early November 。日 966 ) , had seen her again at an art open- ing ⅲ la 記 November, received a copy of her book G ア ( ⅲ the closing months of 1966 , and even seems to have invited ) 6k0 to lunch at his Kenwood home ⅲ January of 1967. WhiIe Lennons memory for the chronology ofevents is unreliable for many other aspects ofhis 1 飛 , one still must wonder why he would say that the song was about ko , but deny (twice) that he knew her when he wrote it. And then we have lan MacDonaId's explanation. WhiIe it is an appropriate application of Sigmund Freud's theories about a boy's

Lucy in the Mind 0f Lennon might be reflective ofhis personality and typical songwriting style ・ SimiIarIy, if カ〃ヮ切ど Sky の 0 〃 contains many big words, it might be that Lennon was intellectualizing at that partic- ular time, or it might be that songwriters around 1967 used more big words in their songs, and Lennon was following that d. What is needed, therefore, is a group ofsongs whose linguistic styles can be compared to that of カ〃ヮ切ど Sky の法 . I therefore collected two such groups of comparison songs: the lyrics tO Other songs that Lennon had recorded in the previous year or SO, and the lyrics [ 0 the no. 1 hit songs in the United States and the United Kingdom between January of 1966 and February of 1967. (See appendix A for a listing ofall ofthese songs. ) lthen compared the LIV ℃ scores for カ〃ワ切坊ど Sky ル勗の 0 〃 to these two samples of songs. (lnterested readers can find detailed results in appendices B and C. ) lfthe linguistic style of カ〃ワ切坊ど Sky ル勗の is basically similar to the linguistic styles ofthe songs in these tWO comparison groups, it 、 suggest that カ〃ワ 切坊ど Sky ル勗の was little differentthan other songs of the era and reflected nothing particularly special about Lennon s personality or about his psychological state at the time he was writing this particular song. 圧 the linguistic style of カ〃ヮ切坊ど Sky 坊 D 0 〃 is different 仔 om the no. 1 hitsongs but similar tO Other songs Lennon had recently been writing, it 、 vould suggest that the song's linguistic style mostly reflects Lennon S personality. Finally, ifthe linguistic style 。 f カ〃ヮ切ど Sky ル勗の dif- fers om the songs in both ofthese comparison groups, it would suggest that something about Lennons psychological state at the time he was writing this particular song was primarily responsible for its linguistic style.

4 Lucy in the Mind of Lennon Consider the drug-based explanation. On the one hand, Lennon had clearly admitted that earlier songs ofhis were inspired by or referred to drugs. For example, only months after taking LSD for the first time, he recorded の石ア poking fun at would-be hippies. 0 " 0 ル印グん加 followed soon after, representing Lennon S attempts tO aurally re-create the experi- ence oftripping. Psychologically speaking, it is also quite plausible that Lennon's frequent ingestion of LSD could have made him unconsciously attracted tO a picture 、 vhose title shared that acro- nym. Research studies show, for example, that people have strong but largely unconscious preferences for the letters Of their 0 , n name, which can influence where they live (). g. , st. Louis has an over-representation Of people named LouiS) and the occupations they choose (). g. , dentists have an over-representation Of people named Dennis). On the other hand, the initials LSD also stand for many other phrases and terms, including the British slang "Librae i. e. , Pounds, ShiIIings, Pence), the Chicago Solidi Denarii street "Lake Shore Drive," the statistical test "Least Significant Difference," and the African bovine illness "Lumpy Skin Disease. 、 AS such, one might expect these initials tO co-occur every now and again by chance in prolific songwriters. 、 importantly, it is clearly not the case that all people who take LSD experience the particular images and storyline that appear in カ〃ワ切坊ど Sky ノ ) ア〃 0 〃イ . Something 1 れ ore must have been active in Lennon S mind at the time he 、 vas composing the song. Let us turn next tO the explanation that the song は S based on Julian's picture. Many people who knew Lennon have confirmed that such a picture exists and that it was the initial impetus for カ〃 切ど Sky ル″んの 0 〃 . Lennon's first wife Cynthia, however,

THE Ⅵ・ ORDS 47 / 万 4 ア〃 0 〃イゞ , as associations emerged s songs and in the C0n11 れ on associations ofcollege students. } イ 0 ℃ ver , the students did not seem to express the more negative, ambivalent feelings about relationships that were identified through exami- nation Of Lennon S earlier songs. could mean that these par- ticular aspects of the associations identified in Table 4.1 are not SO C0n11 れ on but ℃ re instead 1 れ ore idiosyncratic tO S web ofideas. Lastly, the fact that associations tO drugs were identified in the common associations [ 0 tWO Of the words in カ〃 0 , 切ーんど S, をア″ん 7 ) / 〃 20 〃イゞ but not S associations iS consistent with the fact that many people believe the song is about drugs while Lennon himselfrepeatedly denied that interpretation. ln sum, the analysis Of the personal and C01 れ associations to words from カ〃ワ切功ど Sky ル勗の法 suggests that when Lennon was writing these lyriCS he may have been concerned with separation, sadness, and death, with hiding his feelings, and with bOth POSitive and negative aspects ofintimate relationships.

80 Lucy in the Mind 0f Lennon symptoms, noting that he "was very paranoid in those days, I could hardly move" and that "I didn't believe I could do anything … I 、 vas JLISt nothing, I was shit. [ the same time, l_,ennon alSO seems [ 0 experienced S01 れ e of the known benefits of the drug. For example, studies with vol- unteers show that ingestion of LSD increases the likelihood of experiencing oceanic boundlessness," a bIiSSful state in 、 a person feels at one With the umverse; even months later, many study participants consider this aspect Of their laboratory trip tO be among the most personally and spiritually significant experi- ences in their lives. Such experiences 、 among the reasons that Lennon gave for using LSD. The possibility that LSD can change people's conceptions about who they are is supported by studies that have administered the drug in combination With close guidance and support 仔 01 れ a SOber individual. lhis type of psychedelic" or psycholytic" therapy has been demonstrated to be useful in helping terminally-ill cancer patients come tO grips With their imminent deaths, as ℃Ⅱ as treating anxiety disorders. effectiveness Of this type Of treat- ment is understood by some practitioners tO hinge upon LSD'S ability to dismantle patients psychic defenses, thereby allow- ing them tO more quickly access, experience, and 、 through unpleasant emotions and conflicts that derive occurrences in early li and 01 れ current existential concerns. S01 れ e recent neurological research supports this proposal, suggesting that the combination of psychotherapy with closely monitored adminis- tration Of hallucinogens results in changes in brain structures what is called "neuroplasticity") in the prefrontallobe. %is area ofthe brain seems tO be the best candidate for the organic seat Of identity and the ego, according tO neuroimaging studies.

Lucy in the Mind Of Lennon ln humans, this basic motive emerges quite strongly around the time children start crawling and is evidenced by their tendencies tO protest when separated 伝 om their caregivers and tO cling tO them upon reunion. and Other behaviors serve at least t , 0 functions: [ 0 keep increasingly 1 れ Obile children near the caregiver at a time when they could endanger themselves by wandering 0 圧 and to help children receive the comfort and "emotional refuel- ing" they need throughoutthe day (and night). cross-cultural studies ShO 、 that 1 OS [ caregivers meet their children's attachment needs by sensitively responding tO their children in warm and consistent ways, thereby helping the chil- dren to develop what Bowlby called a "secure attachmentstyle. ln their interactions With caregivers, children With secure attachment styles come [ 0 learn that they are loveable and that other people are trustworthy; as such, these children develop a strong sense Of self-esteem that allows them [ 。 confidently function in the world. lhey also typically believe that others will be available to provide them with C01 れ for [ when it is needed. Not all children are so fortunate. Research shows that chil- dren With caregivers WhO are rather COld and undemonstrative develop what is called an 420 / イ〃ー attachment style, as they learn that their attempts [ 0 seek SOlace are likely tO be rebuffed or met with half-hearted compliance by the caregiver. For these reasons, avoidant children are often hyper-independent, eventually devel- oping the attitude that "l can take care of myself and don't need anyone else. " still other children are raised by caregivers who are highly inconsistent, sometimes showering the infant with but Other times being physically or emotionally unavailable to help soothe 70

31 A long tradition in psychology would suggestthat examination of Lennon s very first songs should prove particularly 丘ⅲ t ん 1 ⅲ sorting through these possibilities. idea that "what iS first is foremost" can be traced back to the Viennese psychoanalyst Alfred AdIer, who proposed that people's earliest memories reveal quite a bit about their psyches. Other psychodynamically influenced therapists put special StOCk in the first few sentences uttered by a patient or the first dream recalled during therapy, believing that such "firsts" often foretellthe basic problems that will be encoun- tered in treatment. More recently, psychobiographer lrving Alexander identified a number of rules for deciding what material might be particularly useful when analyzing people's lives. "Primacy" was first among those rules, as . Alexander noted that what is first is the "founda- tion stone on which everything else in a li story is laid. lndeed, the reason that Demorest and Siegel scripted the first paragraph of Skinner s autobiography and his description of the first experiment he had conducted was that they were interested in whether or not the themes ofSkinner s work connected with the themes ofhis 1 飛 . ln the final major interview Lennon gave before his death, reporter David Sheff asked Lennon for his thoughts about almost every song in the BeatIes' catalog. Lennon mentioned tWO songs as being among the firstthat he wrote : 〃ツん石なん Girl and / / / 〃 4 ど . (Before going further, readers may wish to peruse the lyrics ofthese two songs) ・ About 〃ノんカ / なん Girl, Lennon reflected: That was actually my first song ・い切切 "When I see you every day I say mmm hmm, hello little girl." I remembered T H E S T 0 R Y