This song was written by Grace when she was with her previous band, The Great Society. With her husband and his brother among others. The Great Society version is much longer. Grace also wrote Somebody to love when she was with The Great Society. Both became hits for Airplane.
Yes the lyrics are in reference to Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass. Lewis Carroll wrote the books in the late 1800's. It is said he suffered greatly from migraines and would sometimes hallucinate, thus giving way to the extreme scenes he wrote. It wasn't until Grace Slick wrote this song (strangely inspired by Disney) that tied it to the drug culture of the 60's. The book Go Ask Alice about a young girl with a drug addiction is named from White Rabbit song (the book came out early 1970's.
“In a wonderland they lie / Dreaming as the days go by / Dreaming as the summers die: Ever drifting down the stream-Lingering in the golden gleam-Life, what it but a dream?
It's been known for a very long time in the medical community, that psylocibin mushrooms (refined LSD ) can stop a migraine in its tracks. Many experiments done in the 50s. Lewis did shrooms as it was a known home remedy. Just too extreme for the mainstream.
Fun fact: That book was written by a Mormon housewife who'd never been anywhere near drugs or the hippie scene. Basically a screed meant to scare kids away from the 60's scene.
Lyrically the whole Alice in Wonderland story is to hide in plain sight that the song is really about tripping balls from the censors since Alice in Wonderland was already pretty trippy subject matter.
I saw Jefferson Airplane live at out College homecoming in 1970. I think it was one of the highlights of my life. Coming back to me is another great tune.
Jefferson Airplane was at Woodstock. There is a video of them and Grace singing "Somebody To Love" and also "Volunteers", both of which were charted hits for them.
Love ❤❤❤you guys. Am 70 years old and have watched you for some time. Just subscribed a couple of days ago . You bring back so many memories for me. Try checking out this song o their performance at 1969 Woodstock Grace slick the singer was high on acid at the time still pulled off a perfect performance . I wa 16 years old when this came out and I had a. BIG crush on her❤❤❤❤❤. This was a perfect start for Jefferson Airplane. Keep the memories coming I ❤❤❤❤❤it.
Wow you guys REALLY opened up a true RABBIT HOLE here. Jefferson Airplane has SO MUCH awesome music to explore. This band had 3 iterations of it's self. Have fun on this Flight.
Jefferson Airplane has so many great songs, but her 'White Rabbit' remains my favorite. Like many others, I only wish the song were even longer as its over way too soon. Grace Slick is an American treasure! Glad to see that you got around to this one, and I'm happy that you enjoyed it. Great reaction as always!
Grace also has a line of Art. But I forget what her medium is. She's just super cool. And she has such presence! Y'all should watch her perform this live.
You've just experienced Grace Slick, also known as Grandma Rock! Her and Pearl (Janis Joplin) were the two most powerful women singers of that age of Rock! I was 8 and had just started playing guitar when this came out and it STILL blows me away every time I hear it!! It is absolutely one of the greatest rock songs ever created.
Ditto! There is such a fixation of her voice on this song that I can never get enough. If it’s on XM, I usually replay it once or twice as the crescendo is a goosebump moment starting with “when the men on the chessboard”!
Damn, what a voice! One of her best songs ever! If anyone has never heard it, there is a video of her singing this song without any music. Her voice is incredible and such a natural vibrato! Most of us know the song so well you can just tap your foot to stay on time, but sing it with her as it’s a blast! You will be early at times and late on others but great to listen to!
So awesome you did this song!! Grace Slick was amazing. I grew up in Bay Area during the flower child 60’s era and this song is legendary! Just another great SF band
I’m taking it you two didn’t grow up in the age of drugs,as I did. It was the in thing to do which I was a part of,and happy to say at 73, lived through.. I wasn’t proud of that aspect of the times but it passed and that’s that,thanks for the song!
Wow! You guys are just now getting around to the Airplane and White Rabbit. Whew. As may have already said, you got to do Somebody to Love, and yes Grace Slick's voice in those days was right there with Joplin, Plant, Cocker.
Just like Alan Parsons, Mickey Thomas from this band was on the same cruise in the Bahamas a couple of months ago. The girl singing Grace Slicks part was SPOT ON! Great show, great song!
Grace Slick wrote "White Rabbit" while she was still a member of the band The Great Society, before she joined Jefferson Airplane. Inspired by Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass," Slick crafted the song as an allegory about the countercultural movement of the 1960s. The song references characters and scenes from Carroll's works, like the White Rabbit, the hookah-smoking caterpillar, and the Red Queen, drawing parallels to the psychedelic experiences and the questioning of societal norms prevalent in that era. Grace Slick was also influenced by the classical piece "Boléro" by Maurice Ravel, aiming to mimic its crescendo effect in "White Rabbit." The song was written in one sitting, reflecting Slick's creativity and the rich literary and musical influences she drew from. After joining Jefferson Airplane, "White Rabbit" became one of their most famous songs, appearing on the album "Surrealistic Pillow" released in 1967.
Jefferson Airplane is one of my favorite live bands. I saw them in concert in 1969 and 1970. In 1970 I was right up against the stage. Grace Slick was about 5 feet away. Great night.
It's actually a triple entender, because in spirit with the actual work, Alice in Wonderland, it's a whimsical way to talk about the serious issue of truly waking up and seeing what's actually around you and within you.
This is the consummate 60s psychedelic song... I remember when it came out... Jefferson airplane actually did this song at Woodstock in 1969... I remember when lead singer Grace Slick did an interview... She said that she never even remembers being at Woodstock and she was there for 3 days... She said the only time that she saw verification of that was that she saw film of herself singing and being at Woodstock... Greece was well known for enjoying the drugs of the day as did many other musicians during that time... Her vocals are undeniable though... She is such a great singer... She has such a powerful voice... You can hear her in the reconstituted Jefferson airplane group of the 1980s named Jefferson starship where they sing "We built this city " and her vocals are powerful... They had a few good songs and it would be worth checking them out if you wanted to do that... Another great reaction , guys...Keep Being Awesome !!!...
I don’t that there is a real distinction between the two interpretations. Growing and feeding your mind can be accomplished in many ways, including through mind-altering substances.
Grace Slick had a fabulous voice, but blended with the amazing vocals of Marty Balin on most of their songs was when they really shined. To get two such unique and wonderful vocalists in the same band was magic. Listen to some of Marty Balin's gorgeous voice from their album Surrealistic Pillow, such as Today, and Comin' Back To Me. Years later he did a song for Jefferson Starship called Miracles that's just stunning still with Grace Slick backing him up..
Written and sung by the great Grace Slick. Getting high and coming down from a high during the 60's psychedelic phase. If you really look into the novel "Alice in Wonderland"...It is full of incidents with all the characters taking something to get high. The phrase "Going down the Rabbit Hole" this is where the phrase came from. Awesome review and reaction guys.
GREAT GROUP!!! OMG - GRACE SLICK'S VOCALS in this song: MESMERIZING!!! ENJOY!! Hope you get the meaning (besides the trippy meaning) and make a connection... HUGS from TEXAS, YA'LL!!!
As Jefferson Airplane progressed to Starship, they also birthed another band. Original members Paul Kantner, Marty Balin and Jack Casady created the KBC Band. Had a big hit with their song America.
Check out the performance video for this classic track from The Smothers Brothers Show in 1967. It's a bit trippy on stage as well and Grace Slick looks amazing while singing those powerful vocals in her usual deadpan style.
Grace Slick…. Her voice is haunting ….Alice (in wonderland) when she’s ten feet tall….🎶 Great choice in reaction!!! A lot of drugs going on back then…🐇
Love everything bout this song! The building crescendo. Reminds me of HIMYM Barney's 'all rise mix tape' ♥ Grace Slick gotta be in top 10 all time female singers. Def in top 100 all time rock songs 😎
You picked the right place to start. I was 20 when this was released and it was one of a handful of songs that proved music was changing radically and forever. A few others would be the Airplanes's Somebody to Love, which appears with White Rabbit on Surrealistic Pilow; Light my Fire and The End from the Doors' eponymous album; A Day in the Life from the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album; and Nights in White Satin by the Moody Blues. For other Airplane songs you might want to check out Volunteers and We Can Be together, both from the Volunteers album. Happy listening; I really feel sorry for people that had to grow up with rap. My wife and I were lucky enough to see them twice in Detroit, when Papa John Creach was also playing with them.
Grace Slick = "The voice that launched a thousand trips!!!"
More like millions .........
One million and 1 LOL
ooh like this!
"Grace Slick's voice could haunt a house."
And you to make that comment a thousand times!😃
"Somebody to Love" is a must from Jefferson Airplane.
Absolutely!!!
@@umpdaddy1 Yes, Absolutely!
Really needs to be the Woodstock footage... what idiot suggested this video?
Great song. Volunteers is a good one too.
Jim Carrey's version from 'Cable Guy' is almost as good....
When music was great, and acid was cheap. Those were the good old days!
Feed Your Head🍄🤘
It was still cheap in the 90's
The first time I did acid I went to see Alice Cooper, "Welcome to my nightmare" tour that was the middle 70s
Ah...blotter acid & shrooms 😎
Moody blues. Legend of a mind.
This is a true psychedelic anthem. A lot of people coopted the term psychedelic back in the day; this is the real deal.
Like Dark Side Of The Moon.... you just dont get it, if you're straight. lol.
@@BorealisNights I am straight, I get it.. I am in middle management in a bank hahaha
The Live Performance at Woodstock was legendary
Every time I hear White Rabbit I wish it was twice as long. Perfection over too quickly.
This song was written by Grace when she was with her previous band, The Great Society. With her husband and his brother among others. The Great Society version is much longer. Grace also wrote Somebody to love when she was with The Great Society. Both became hits for Airplane.
I totally agree!
I think that’s the draw of the song it’s not too long. It leaves you wanting more. It’s like great sex over too quickly.
Yes the lyrics are in reference to Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass. Lewis Carroll wrote the books in the late 1800's. It is said he suffered greatly from migraines and would sometimes hallucinate, thus giving way to the extreme scenes he wrote. It wasn't until Grace Slick wrote this song (strangely inspired by Disney) that tied it to the drug culture of the 60's.
The book Go Ask Alice about a young girl with a drug addiction is named from White Rabbit song (the book came out early 1970's.
And the music is based on Ravel's Bolero.
“In a wonderland they lie / Dreaming as the days go by / Dreaming as the summers die: Ever drifting down the stream-Lingering in the golden gleam-Life, what it but a dream?
It's been known for a very long time in the medical community, that psylocibin mushrooms (refined LSD ) can stop a migraine in its tracks. Many experiments done in the 50s. Lewis did shrooms as it was a known home remedy. Just too extreme for the mainstream.
Fun fact: That book was written by a Mormon housewife who'd never been anywhere near drugs or the hippie scene. Basically a screed meant to scare kids away from the 60's scene.
Lyrically the whole Alice in Wonderland story is to hide in plain sight that the song is really about tripping balls from the censors since Alice in Wonderland was already pretty trippy subject matter.
One of my all time favorites. Grace Slick has such a great voice.✌️🌻🌻
One of the best with Stevie Nicks and Ann and Nancy Wilson
@@williamnoser5636 Agree
Grace Slick wrote this song before she joined the band and she was still with them when they became Jefferson Starship.
Santa
And through its iteration as STARSHIP.
Ohhhh let's leave Starship in its cocaine haze lol 😝@@drieuxkoeppel4157
Didn't she leave the band and return when they became Starship?
@@Spo-Dee-O-Dee I knew she left. Was Mickey in the band before she came back or was he strictly Starship?
I saw Jefferson Airplane live at out College homecoming in 1970. I think it was one of the highlights of my life. Coming back to me is another great tune.
Grace Slick had an incredible voice, one of my favorites
Jefferson Airplane was at Woodstock. There is a video of them and Grace singing "Somebody To Love" and also "Volunteers", both of which were charted hits for them.
They were one of the headliners.
Grace is a legend. What a voice.
Grace Slick has a powerful voice!
I really appreciate how articulate and educated you two are with little to no information on this song. You guys interpreted it perfectly.
When you see an old person, just remember... they were grooving to this back in the day ;)
1967
@@stevenclarke5606 summer of love
Grace Slick, definitely TOP TIER rock vocalist!!!!
One of the original psychedelic sounds from the sixties, Great Reaction.
I've heard this song a million times. First time ever seeing this updated video. Thanks guys!
This is about as good as it gets for this band. It's been around for decades for a reason.
GRACE SLICK 👍😊
Grace Slick is awesome and her voice
Love ❤❤❤you guys. Am 70 years old and have watched you for some time. Just subscribed a couple of days ago . You bring back so many memories for me. Try checking out this song o their performance at 1969 Woodstock
Grace slick the singer was high on acid at the time still pulled off a perfect performance . I wa 16 years old when this came out and I had a. BIG crush on her❤❤❤❤❤. This was a perfect start for Jefferson Airplane. Keep the memories coming I ❤❤❤❤❤it.
Somebody to Love is an absolute MUST!
Your voice gives me pleasure through my ears, I just close my eyes and feel so much satisfaction throughout my body, what beauty
One of THE best groups to come out of San Francisco in the mid-late 60's... Three great singer/songwriters.. and 3 consummate musicians!
Aaahhh literally down the rabbit hole! Fun little 60's acid trip.
Awww YAY yet another of one of my most favorite songs tho i do wish it were longer BUT i just SO adore the lyrics! RockON!!!
Her vocals were just amazing.
Grace Slick's masterpiece performance. A YT video well worth checking out is just Grace's vocals without music for this song. Moosebumps every time.
Wow you guys REALLY opened up a true RABBIT HOLE here. Jefferson Airplane has SO MUCH awesome music to explore. This band had 3 iterations of it's self. Have fun on this Flight.
Jefferson Airplane has so many great songs, but her 'White Rabbit' remains my favorite. Like many others, I only wish the song were even longer as its over way too soon. Grace Slick is an American treasure! Glad to see that you got around to this one, and I'm happy that you enjoyed it. Great reaction as always!
Grace also has a line of Art. But I forget what her medium is. She's just super cool. And she has such presence! Y'all should watch her perform this live.
I saw Jefferson Airplane around 1973. Unfortunately, Grace was off-key the whole show. I was quite disappointed.
goosebumps on your first listen,goosebumps on my 500th listen. the mark of a true classic song.
You've just experienced Grace Slick, also known as Grandma Rock! Her and Pearl (Janis Joplin) were the two most powerful women singers of that age of Rock! I was 8 and had just started playing guitar when this came out and it STILL blows me away every time I hear it!! It is absolutely one of the greatest rock songs ever created.
Ditto! There is such a fixation of her voice on this song that I can never get enough. If it’s on XM, I usually replay it once or twice as the crescendo is a goosebump moment starting with “when the men on the chessboard”!
Gracie was my first music celebrity crush as an early teen. Her voice grabbed me .... and still does.
Loved Grace Slick. My hearthrob back then
Damn, what a voice! One of her best songs ever!
If anyone has never heard it, there is a video of her singing this song without any music. Her voice is incredible and such a natural vibrato! Most of us know the song so well you can just tap your foot to stay on time, but sing it with her as it’s a blast! You will be early at times and late on others but great to listen to!
A perfect analysis of this song
Grace was amazing!!!
More please!!!???
So awesome you did this song!! Grace Slick was amazing. I grew up in Bay Area during the flower child 60’s era and this song is legendary! Just another great SF band
From the psychedelic release, "Surrealistic Pillow".
The lead singer, Grace Slick, has a fascinating voice.
The structure of this song was modeled after Ravel's classical composition Bolero.
Later they did the same with Jefferson Starship's 'Jane' until the guitar player turned it into a rock song.
thanks, first time I heard that.... and for sure, you're right
This is the perfect place to start. Her voice is amazing.
Grace Slick, singing lead, was a goddess in the day.
The godess next door?
There was no drug the Airplane wouldn't try. "We're doing things that don't have a name yet"!
Reminds me of being 19 and discovering psychedelic music in the 80s. Great times.
Somebody to Love by Jefferson Airplane!!!
I’m taking it you two didn’t grow up in the age of drugs,as I did.
It was the in thing to do which I was a part of,and happy to say at 73,
lived through..
I wasn’t proud of that aspect of the times but it passed and that’s that,thanks for the song!
Grace Slick had a phenomenal voice
Wow! You guys are just now getting around to the Airplane and White Rabbit. Whew. As may have already said, you got to do Somebody to Love, and yes Grace Slick's voice in those days was right there with Joplin, Plant, Cocker.
Late 60s early 70s best time of my life. Acid ruled the weekends.
Grace Slick would not be denied!
Just like Alan Parsons, Mickey Thomas from this band was on the same cruise in the Bahamas a couple of months ago. The girl singing Grace Slicks part was SPOT ON! Great show, great song!
Every song on the Surrealistic Pillow album is a treat.
Grace Slick wrote "White Rabbit" while she was still a member of the band The Great Society, before she joined Jefferson Airplane. Inspired by Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass," Slick crafted the song as an allegory about the countercultural movement of the 1960s. The song references characters and scenes from Carroll's works, like the White Rabbit, the hookah-smoking caterpillar, and the Red Queen, drawing parallels to the psychedelic experiences and the questioning of societal norms prevalent in that era.
Grace Slick was also influenced by the classical piece "Boléro" by Maurice Ravel, aiming to mimic its crescendo effect in "White Rabbit." The song was written in one sitting, reflecting Slick's creativity and the rich literary and musical influences she drew from. After joining Jefferson Airplane, "White Rabbit" became one of their most famous songs, appearing on the album "Surrealistic Pillow" released in 1967.
Such a great hippie song, Love the hell out of it.
Jefferson Airplane is one of my favorite live bands. I saw them in concert in 1969 and 1970. In 1970 I was right up against the stage. Grace Slick was about 5 feet away. Great night.
What a voice.... soooo good!
It's actually a triple entender, because in spirit with the actual work, Alice in Wonderland, it's a whimsical way to talk about the serious issue of truly waking up and seeing what's actually around you and within you.
Somebody to Love at Woodstock is a good one to react to. Thank you two for all the tunes you explore. Awesome reaction on this one.
They eventually went by Jefferson Starship. They were great. Love you guys❤
For a great metal version of this ,check out Sanctuary from the 80s. saw them do this live , opening act for Megadeth . Pure awesomeness !!!
I'll second that!
Do a deep dive, they own the most beautiful love song too. "Today", enjoy Marty Balin's tour de force. Far out man, Wow!
I was introduced to this song from the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas! Love it! Great reaction ❤🦋
Loved this when I was very young, I read a lot, watch it live.
I remember those days! It was wonderful!
The snare drum really makes the song😊
This is the consummate 60s psychedelic song... I remember when it came out... Jefferson airplane actually did this song at Woodstock in 1969... I remember when lead singer Grace Slick did an interview... She said that she never even remembers being at Woodstock and she was there for 3 days... She said the only time that she saw verification of that was that she saw film of herself singing and being at Woodstock... Greece was well known for enjoying the drugs of the day as did many other musicians during that time... Her vocals are undeniable though... She is such a great singer... She has such a powerful voice... You can hear her in the reconstituted Jefferson airplane group of the 1980s named Jefferson starship where they sing "We built this city " and her vocals are powerful... They had a few good songs and it would be worth checking them out if you wanted to do that... Another great reaction , guys...Keep Being Awesome !!!...
❤❤❤❤ great reaction great song by Alison Wonderland❤❤❤❤
You have to experience Pink covering this live!! With Silverson Pickups' bassist and her legs backing her up. 😍
I agree. I think Pinks cover is even a little bit better than original ❤
SHE WAS TELLING US TO FEED OUR HEADS WITH KNOWLEDGE
@user-yl9wz7uc3u Ha! Sarcasm? Cuz I think you're wrong about that
If that's true, then there are a LOT of us old hippies who badly misinterpreted the lyrics!
@@cavecookie1 IM A OLDIE TOO BUT NEVER LIKED HIPPIES LOL
I don’t that there is a real distinction between the two interpretations. Growing and feeding your mind can be accomplished in many ways, including through mind-altering substances.
@@boomeister2 I saw an interview with her and she said feed your head is telling people to read more books and quit being burn outs . Facts.
Excellent reaction both of you, most excellent. The next song to react to should be: We Built this City on Rock and Roll 🎸🎵🎶🎸
SHE wrote the song. The great Grace Slick!
The legendary Grace Slick! What a powerhouse voice! This is from the Surrealistic Pillow album... all great songs! Somebody to Love is another great!
Grace Slick had a fabulous voice, but blended with the amazing vocals of Marty Balin on most of their songs was when they really shined. To get two such unique and wonderful vocalists in the same band was magic. Listen to some of Marty Balin's gorgeous voice from their album Surrealistic Pillow, such as Today, and Comin' Back To Me. Years later he did a song for Jefferson Starship called Miracles that's just stunning still with Grace Slick backing him up..
There are a few videos of the group and Grace Slick's presence is pretty amazing.
There is a video out there with Grace singing without music. Wow😊
Written and sung by the great Grace Slick. Getting high and coming down from a high during the 60's psychedelic phase. If you really look into the novel "Alice in Wonderland"...It is full of incidents with all the characters taking something to get high. The phrase "Going down the Rabbit Hole" this is where the phrase came from. Awesome review and reaction guys.
GREAT GROUP!!! OMG - GRACE SLICK'S VOCALS in this song: MESMERIZING!!! ENJOY!! Hope you get the meaning (besides the trippy meaning) and make a connection... HUGS from TEXAS, YA'LL!!!
Kudos on doing the lyrics !
Best song ever!!!!
The video's pretty, but i love the live version still. Grace Slick is just awesome.
This album, Surrealistic Pillow, has many good songs, especially Somebody To Love, Coming Back To Me, Today, and more. Don't miss these songs.
I always liked this song. There is a video of them performing White Rabbit live on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. So worth checking out.
My favorites are "Hey Fredrick", "Eskimo Blue Day" and their version of "Wooden Ships" with Crosby and Stills.
they went from Jefferson Airplane to Jefferson Starship to Starship.
...and from White Rabbit to We Built This City.
@@thesuperdak7224 I was not crazy about that shift
@@thesuperdak7224 Did you have to remind us?
and got progressively worse.
@@thesuperdak7224 We Built This City is genius compared to Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
Yes, there ARE videos on youtube of the band doing this song live.
Grace Slick wrote and sang the song when she was with another group and brought it with her to Jefferson Airplane
Yeah she was with the Great Society
As Jefferson Airplane progressed to Starship, they also birthed another band. Original members Paul Kantner, Marty Balin and Jack Casady created the KBC Band. Had a big hit with their song America.
Check out the performance video for this classic track from The Smothers Brothers Show in 1967. It's a bit trippy on stage as well and Grace Slick looks amazing while singing those powerful vocals in her usual deadpan style.
Grace Slick…. Her voice is haunting ….Alice (in wonderland) when she’s ten feet tall….🎶
Great choice in reaction!!! A lot of drugs going on back then…🐇
Love everything bout this song! The building crescendo. Reminds me of HIMYM Barney's 'all rise mix tape' ♥
Grace Slick gotta be in top 10 all time female singers. Def in top 100 all time rock songs 😎
Sweet ,, you guys got it !!!
My absolute favorite by Jefferson Airplane!
Saw them in '66 and '67...Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Country Joe and the Fish...great music...
A true psychedelic masterpiece. Influenced many bands that followed ❤❤
Please go back and watch them play this one, its even more mind bending ! & Their Woodstock performance is wild! ✌️y'all
You picked the right place to start. I was 20 when this was released and it was one of a handful of songs that proved music was changing radically and forever. A few others would be the Airplanes's Somebody to Love, which appears with White Rabbit on Surrealistic Pilow; Light my Fire and The End from the Doors' eponymous album; A Day in the Life from the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album; and Nights in White Satin by the Moody Blues. For other Airplane songs you might want to check out Volunteers and We Can Be together, both from the Volunteers album. Happy listening; I really feel sorry for people that had to grow up with rap.
My wife and I were lucky enough to see them twice in Detroit, when Papa John Creach was also playing with them.
This song is awesome.