"Mexico" is a single released in May 1970 by San Francisco rock band

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

, produced by the band at Pacific High Recording Studios with Phill Sawyer as the

recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

. Written and sung by Grace Slick, it is a tuneful rant against then-President Richard Nixon and his anti-drug initiative, Operation Intercept, that he had implemented to curtail the flow of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

into the United States from Mexico. The song closes with an exhortation for the young to realize the power of their numbers, as shown by the gathering of "half a million people on the lawn" at Woodstock. The song received little radio airplay, being banned in some states, but did reach #102 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' charts. The version on the ''

2400 Fulton Street ''2400 Fulton Street'' is a compilation album of music from the San Francisco rock band Jefferson Airplane, originally released in 1987 as a double LP containing 25 tracks. The title is taken from the street address of a mansion the band boug ...

'' LP and CD is a completely different mix from that on the single. Five months after the release of "Mexico", President Nixon requested that songs relating to drug abuse not be broadcast. Live versions of "Mexico" and its B-side, , were intended to be released on the next Airplane album; however, Marty Balin left the band before production of ''

Bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, ...

'' was completed, forcing a change in some of the planned material. A live version of "Have You Seen the Saucers" appeared as the opening track of the live album '' Thirty Seconds Over Winterland''; the two studio tracks were finally released on an album when the '' Early Flight'' compilation was released.

Personnel

Personnel from original vinyl credits. * Grace Slick – piano, vocals * Marty Balin – vocals * Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals * Jorma Kaukonen – lead guitar * Jack Casady – bass * Spencer Dryden – drums, percussion * Joey Covington – congas and bells on "Have You Seen the Saucers"

References

Jefferson Airplane songs 1970 songs Songs written by Grace Slick Songs about cannabis Songs based on American history Songs about Mexico Protest songs Political songs Songs about Richard Nixon RCA Records singles {{1970s-song-stub