White Rabbit compares Alice in Wonderland to an acid trip. One of the most talented groups of the sixties. Everyone brought something to the table whether it was trippy, soul, jazzy, or straight ahead rock jamming.

You nailed the Joplin connection. Jefferson Airplane and Big Brother and the Holding Company were both part of the amazing late 60s San Francisco scene.

It's crazy to think Grace Slick vocally still sounded the same in the '80s when she was in Starship singing " We Built This City" and " nothing Gonna Stop Us"

Jefferson Airplane was beyond genius for White Rabbit. It's a song retelling the story of 'Through the Looking Glass'. If you get drug references in the song it's because they're in the book lol.

About "White Rabbit." Partaking in "O" or "H" leads to chasing the dragon, I think. This is certainly about the recreational use of substances, with the backstory of Alice in Wonderland. Very enjoyable reaction. 🙂❤ They performed at Woodstock and were definitely partaking for that set! Hard to believe this is the same band that did "We Built This City." Another great one of theirs is "Comin' Back to Me" from 1967. Lovely and haunting. Highly recommend.

Here are some details about "White Rabbit," for you. "This was “one of the defining songs of the 1967 ‘Summer of Love’” SF and “one of the crucial sounds of the late ‘60s freak scene” DT of the psychedelic rock movement. When St. Louis radio station KSHE switched from an easy listening format to rock in 1967, “White Rabbit” was the first song they played to make it clear they “were aligning themselves with the counterculture.” SF Grace Slick wrote the song while in her first band, the Great Society. The music came to her after taking LSD and listening to Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain for hours. SF The “insistent, militaristic rhythms and the way the song gradually builds to its menacing peak” TB were loosely based on the classical piece “Bolero” by Maurice Ravel. SJ Of course, the lyrics were famously inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She said, “Our parents read us stories like Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz…They all have a place where children get drugs, and are able to fly or see an Emerald City or experience extraordinary animals and people….And our parents are suddenly saying, ‘Why are you taking drugs?’ Well, hello!’” RS500 The FCC came down on the song as drug-related and it was banished from the airwaves, but not until the Nixon administration. Slick has said the song isn’t just about drug use, but “about opening up, looking around, checking out what’s happening…Feeding your head is not necessarily pumping chemicals into it.” SJ She’s also said, “I don’t think most people realize the song was aimed at parents who drank and told their kids not to do drugs.” SF

You know how we relate to certain songs representing certain dates/memories in our lives? I was a junior in high school, 1974, and I was broken to pieces over the end of a relationship. I took a bus to my older sister's and she played this album over and over until I learned all the words to this song, She kept me focused on the song because I was falling to pieces. She never told me what it was about though....I had no idea until much later on in my life. The breakup was silly, but the memory of her trying to care for me will always be with me.

Grace Slick has a very powerful voice. I love her vocals in White Rabbit, they start off subdued and build until they are extremely powerful. The last sustained note in White Rabbit always gives me goose bumps. If you've ever seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, its soundtrack has several songs from Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship.

It's psychedelic man! You need to read Alice in Wonderland then listen. I'm older than dirt and still recovering from that song. I luv it!

More like late '60's. Jorma Kaukonen is the guitar player and he is fabulous and always had a very unique sound. He came from an acoustic folk and blues background like many of the artists back in that era .He is in his early 80's and he and his wife still run a music camp called Fur Peace Ranch which I believe is in Ohio. They have a Performing Arts Theater and they have guest artists come in along with Jorma and they also put on classes for musicians with guest teachers and concerts for the public Jack Cassidy the bass player is also still active musically. After Jefferson Airplane disbanded Jack and Jorma formed the band Hot Tuna. You should really check out some of their music too, it's fabulous! White Rabbit is based on the book Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and is probably not necessarily a positive commentary of the effects or at least the side effects of the drug lifestyle. I've always felt like that song was tongue in cheek sarcasm/ somewhat condemnation of that whole dead end. Although Carroll did suffer from migraines there is no evidence ever been found which would link him to drug use. Although it is a fact that opium use was very common in society at that time. He was an extremely brilliant mathematician and very creative otter author with a fertile imagination. The fact that there may or may not be some references to drug use in Alice in Wonderland is up for debate and it probably as I said before was not meant to promote the use but more to make a statement regarding how it altered people and their perceptions. From a scientific standpoint there is no evidence in any studies or literature that drug use enhances peoples creativity.

Jefferson Airplane was the 60s psychodelia. In the 70s they split into two groups: Jefferson Starship and Hot Tuna. I highly recommend checking out Hot Tuna - "Keep on Truckin," "Surphase Tension," "Another Man Done Gone." In the Jefferson Airplane catalogue, there's "Wooden Ships" - which was co-written with Crosby Stills and Nash - they both released their versions about the same time. "Volunteers," oh, and "Plastic Fantastic Lover."

She and Hendrix were lovers. This band was so amazing, yes it was in the psychedelic era and many drugs were experienced in the creation of music.

This was performed on The Dick Cavett Show the day after they appeared at Woodstock and of course you know Woodstock was a three-day affair. appearing with them on the show was David Crosby, Crosby Stills Nash & Young and Judy Collins as well as Stephen Stills! Grace Slicks nickname was the Acid Queen!

Alice in wonderland!

Alice In Wonderland references: Red Queen, White Queen, Doormouse, White Rabbit, Hooka smoking Caterpillar, etc

White Rabbit is a reference to a 3 letter hallucinogen. The rest is a mix of references to Alice Through the Looking Glass, and Alice in Wonderland. Chasing the White Dragon, or Dragon is a reference to O/H particularly to "O" Dens.

Late 60's Grace Slick (the lead singer of Jefferson Airplane) and Janis Joplin were friends in the Hippy San Francisco scene.

Somebody to Love and White Rabbit was both released 1967. Very powerful, it's awesome that she lived through the 60's and 70's if you've listened to Grace Slick's interviews describing her drug use. I loved them in the 70's when they were known as Jefferson Starship. (Look up their guest appearance on The Star Wars Holiday Special, very trippy 😀.)

Jefferson Airplane like the Greatful Dead are both bands that lived in San Francisco's Haight-Asbury district during the Summer of Love period. Drugs free love and Rock n Roll was the daily activities

White Rabbit is one of my all-time favorites. This song is just fucking superb.

The lyrics are playing with the book "Alice in Wonderland"...

The legendary Grace Slick.

Grace Slik was very aware of a native American singer, and songwriter named Buffy St. Marie who was very influential in the music of the late sixties. Since Buffy was older Grace Slik was emulating her voice. Stevie Nicks later also followed suit. Try "The Vampire," and "Generation," studio versions a must. See if you don't agree. Love your work. Kudos.

Love that you made that cable guy connection. Jim Carrey nails this song.

I prefer the studio versions for first listening. The beauty of her vocals and the bands musicality come through much better. Thank you for the reaction.

This group was at Woodstock. It was a revolution against the establishment. Peace, Love, and Rock n Roll was the mantra of the youth in this era.

What’s hilarious is so many reactors are told to go down the rabbit hole and this song is exactly what this is about. “When if you go chasing rabbits, and you know you’re going to fall….😂

Grace Slick just celebrated her 83 birthday . She quit the music business well over 30 years ago

This is from the 60s, same as Joplin. Grace Slick's vibrato is very powerful and quick, absolutely unmistakable.

White rabbit couched in acid innuendo is more specifically about reading books and engaging your imagination “feed your head”. Rather than using the book Alice in wonderland as a metaphor for taking drugs. Taking drugs are used as a metaphor for reading a book. It’s just a brilliant song.

Their are lots of wonderful covers of White Rabbit. Grace Slicks solo albums, such as Dreams, really demonstrate the power of her voice.

Love Grace Slick soo much!!!. Always. She was a LEGEND.

Grace was multitalented she also did paintings I saw an exhibition of hers in Laguna Beach, Calif.

@MrLboyd you remain the most knowledgeable reactor going. I am here til you stop doing it. I relish anytime I see a new video an it is on something I adore just to see your feedback on it. Best wishes

Not really early 70s. They formed in 65. Psychedelic, yes. They were one of the bands that defined that era. And this was contemporary to Janis (who died in 1970). Grace Slick is still around (she's 83), you should listen to some of her youtube interviews. She and Janis were really our first examples of women doing what the boys were doing and inspirational to a bunch of rocker girls (like me) who were tired of being relegated to "groupie" status.

And now Grace Slick is an excellent painter also often using Alice in Wonderland references as subject matter.

Grace and Paul Kantnor a dynamic duo ! White Rabbit. Hyperdrive from the album Dragonfly, is my favorite.

Grace slick is awesome . Love hear voice💜💜💜💜The rest of Jefferson Airplane are excellent as well.

Like the recorded version...was slower and more melodic...love Gracie...grew up w her...they were crispy fried in this

I love talking to old timers from that era. Usually they start conversation with how great and clean the acid was back then.

Grace and Paul Kantnor, dynamic duo ! White rabbit, and Hyperdrive from Dragonfly is my favorite !,

Excellent analogy to the present hip hop

A couple years ahead of Janis, 1965, this was the in music. The intro to the 2nd song was bluesy, but there's a heavy folk influence in their singing. And back to the blues. That march rhythm is very reminiscent of Revel's Bolero. If you are unfamiliar with "Alice in Wonderland" I highly recommend reading the story or watching a movie. And keep in mind that Alice, when Lewis Carrol met her, was a very young girl, seven or eight years old.

One of the biggest bands ever

Jefferson Airplane were a great group and as much as I love their sound, it was their transition to Jefferson Starship, that made one of my favorites.

One of the most profound songs ever written

I love that version of High Flying Bird. Grace and Marty had learned to harmonize their vocals in much more interesting ways than Signe ever did (though to be fair she wasn't with the band all that long), and Paul, Jack and Jorma do the same with their instruments. Jack Casady is arguably the most underappreciated instrumentalist of the classic rock era.

That were very powerfull songs, but they did a lot of different stuff, I hope you heard that too. Their Woodstock entrance is very good.

You have to hear white rabbit with just vocals, no instruments. It's very haunting.

Heard them doing this live and in person. I like the version she sang at the concert I was at. Variability is surprising to me.

The lady is Grace Slick. She had razor sharp double bladed axe of a voice back then.

Grace Slick is the great female singer❤️Love Jefferson Airplane ❤️

Both songs were recorded in 1967 on Jefferson Airplane's album Surrealistic Pillow.

The 60's hippie trippy acid phase. JA were real big in the 60's, especially around here. Summer of love. When I walk around Haight / Ashbury you can still feel the ghosts of the past although it has dramatically changed and is just a memory now.

To get the REAL feel of this song you should listen to the studio version where they were not so "speedy" on it

In terms of the drug references, the difference between the point of drug use in the ‘60s and later eras is that the idea behind the use of illegal intoxicants in the ‘60s was to help an individual raise their consciousness as tools in a spiritual journey. By the ‘70s, the idea changes from Grace Slick, The Airplane, and the Dormouse telling a person to “feed your head” to the one presented by Pink Floyd: comfortably numb.

1967. The most creative of the 60's San Francisco Psychedelic Bands.

They were a 60-70s era psychedelic band from Cali, like the Doors. Their Woodstock performance was totally far out. You are quite correct about the drugs. LSD was second only to marijuana then and only became illegal in the US in 1968.

The Washington Post once called my mom a Grace Slick lookalike

have you never read Alice in wonderland or through the looking glass? How you could not mention that when listening to 'white rabbit' stuns me. A strong message of the song is everything old is new again - for good or ill - because Lewis Carrol was playing with the same ideas, and substances for that matter, in the Victoria era.

White Rabbit is both Alice In Wonderland and drug references and was the most popular by far. I remember when it came out.

Awesome songs

It's not glorifying drugs or promoting them. It's not condemning them either. Slick wrote it. She's talking about America. A nation of pill-poppers, even that far back.

Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland, All the characters within the song white rabbit come from the story. Alice fell down a rabbit hole while chasing a rabbit, she met the hookah smoking caterpillar, she did drink or consume things that made change size, even saw chessmen move around on a chessboard on their own. Of course there are references seemingly about drug but something like chasing the rabbit are from the book. The references to drugs are likely there because some believe Carroll was doing "drugs". Mostly he drank sherry, and there were of course times he used Laudanum which was in common use back then. Laudanum was purchased and used for medicinal purposes, and did have some opiates in it, but there is actually no reason to believe he used Laudanum for getting high, as it was commonly used for specific medical reasons and not usually recreational use.

There was a film soundtrack with this tune about a teen girl's drug addiction called "Go Ask Alice" in 1973. William Shatner and Andy Griffith were co-stars.

OMG! High Flying Bird! LOVE that one.

Jefferson Airplane...Blues influenced Acid rock of the 60's and 70's then they became Jefferson Starship. then they took a break during which Paul Kantor and Grace Slick did a couple of duet records. after that Grace Slick did 4 albums on her own. Then they got back together in the 80's and 90's as Starship. Grace Slick is an amazing singer in all in incarnations of the group and solo.

This performance was at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.

First 2 songs live performance Monterey Pop Festival 16-18.06.1967. The same event Janis Joplin/Big Brother debut. They were living in the same district of San Francisco.

White Rabbit is absolutely about drugs, but pretty much every line references the Victorian novels Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll. White Rabbit and Somebody to Love are both on the album Surrealistic Pillow. Before Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick was in a band called Great Society, which did early versions of some of Jefferson Airplane's hits.

Bubble projector in the background was used with acid trips. If you had good acid everything looked like the projector

Late sixties, Summer of Love, San Francisco. They also played Woodstock that year

"Please! Tell me about the fucking golf shoes!"

This is my era some of them were probably on acid or something this is what I grew up through I love it

Jefferson Airplane and The Doors were part of the late sixties San Francisco scene.

The cable guy! Yesssssss

Throughly enjoyed this. White Rabbit definitely about drugs was never a favorite of mine back then. Tho really dig it now. Grace Slick had a great voice. Always dug Somebody to Love Yes these songs were in Janis Joplins era late 60s. They morphed into Jefferson Starship a few real good late 70s early 80s tunes.

No matter what genre or mood I am trying to create building a playlist. White Rabbit is included. If you want a ballad. “Triad” would be an excellent choice. I saw them and The Grateful Dean in 1971, in Houston, on the campus of UofH. I was all of 14. It was an educational experience to say the least.

Great songs! As a child I suffered from a condition called Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. It was super weird. At night when I closed my eyes to sleep, objects were getting larger & larger till the point I felt my head would explode and I had to open my eyes. Never tried mushrooms though 😂

Jefferson Airplane founded in 1966 San Francisco by Marty Balin and Paul Kantner. Jefferson Starship founded in 1974. By Paul Kantner and Grace Slick in1974.

grace slick has magical voice - on of a kind - she even wrote these two songs

Thank you

Feed your head. OMG! I still love Grace. Saw her when my ship was in Frisco. Good Lord, 1969. I want to be twenty-five again!

For some beautiful ballads from these folks, listen to their album, Surrealistic Pillow. Thanks for your reviews !

They played this song at Woodstock.

Grace Slicks isolated vocal of white rabbit is well worth a listen... 🤔👏👏 Enjoy your adventures in Music 🎶✌️♥️

Totally references Alice in Wonderland - chasing rabbits down the rabbit hole - Pills make you grow or shrink, Hookah smoking caterpillar, red queen "Off with their heads - all direct references to the story

Great Reaction as always but you are always spot on!

Vocalist Marty Balin, who began 'High Flying Bird', was famously hit, perhaps knocked out onstage by a member of the Hell's Angels at the infamous Altamont concert. The Angels had been hired to run security(!!) by the Stones on the recommendation of the Grateful Dead. His vocal - and songwriting - are showcased on a later hit by the band, 'Miracles'; the band was later renamed Jefferson Starship, and had one of their biggest hits, certainly post 60s, with 'We Built This City', as regrettable and laughably ironic a piece of sellout your vaunted principles pop culture manufactured crap as ever came down the pipe, imho, featuring fine vocalist Mickey Thomas alongside Grace Slick. He'd also provided lead vocal on Elvin Bishop's great sole foray into the mainstream, 'Fooled Around and Fell in Love'.

What's hilarious is that briefly, a cruise line used this in an ad. I'm doubting the ad person knew what this song was about. Alice in Wonderland is where all the references come from. The 'h' smoking caterpillar, the red queen, etc are all from that story.

Grace Slick was the lead singer of this group. Yes, a great and powerful voice. Another powerhouse voice was the group HEART. ( 2 sisters) Anne has A set of pipes still in her 70s. Linda Ronstadt was another one. Linda had so many layers to her voice. And could sing just about any genre. Shame Parkinson Disease claimed her singing voice.

Ok the White Rabbit song at the end is filled with imagery from Alice In Wonderland. The pills changing your size, a hookah smoking caterpillar, the talking white rabbit….All from Alice In Wonderland.

Lewis Carroll was partaking in substances when he wrote Alice in Wonderland - and yet Disney made movies about Alice and the Looking Glass for the innocent little kidlets.

Its about Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. All the drug references were in the book which was published December 1871. Alice is Alice in Wonderland.

Music just hit differently in the past

the lexicon used for that kind of thing came from this song. not the other way around. Its was just a trippy version of Alice in Wonderland. which in itself a mind bender of a story. the thought was why not put trippy music to Alice in wonderland. and you get "White Rabbit." Disney released its animated version of Alice in wonderland in 1957, and White Rabbit was released in 1967. Grace Slick (born in 1939) was 28 when she wrote White Rabbit. so she was 18 when Disney's Alice in wonderland was released. an 18 year old watching an animated trippy story, must have stuck with her. or it was a favorite book of hers as a kid. a young Female protagonist was still a bit rare then.

They were indeed both from the same era and residing in San Francisco in the 60s.There are several photos of them together at this time and they also both performed at Woodstock in 69. Grace survived but Janis didn’t.

Grace Slick. Manhole album. Excellent.

it would be great if you listened to Arlo Guthrey, Alice's Restaurant!! a whole different genre! Thank you! You won't be able to forget it! thank you! our church's teen age youth group. We went to a very bad neighbor hood and we had to get a short life insurance for the two days . We painted houses and did yard work or anything else these people needed. The whole crux of the matter was when we gathered in the church and spent the evening with a guitar and Alices Restaurant. it was an awesome weekend. forgive my spelling mistakes. I made out with Jeff Tanchon Forgive spelling again. The whole ride home. I thought he was the apple of my eye. Pure heaven. Kissing all the way home.

I would love to hear a second reaction after reading Alice in Wonderland. Not one person in all the reaction videos so far, has any idea that every single reference in the song comes from Alice in Wonderland; unless you know Alice in Wonderland it would be impossible to understand the sheer genius of the lyrics.