"The Trip" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Kim Fowley. It first appeared on the

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

of Fowley's debut single as a solo artist, which was released in early 1965 on Corby Records (''see''

1965 in music List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1965. __TOC__ Specific locations *1965 in British music * 1965 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1965 in country music *1965 in jazz Events * January 4 – Fender Musical Instru ...

). Anticipating the surreal essence of

psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...

, and his early work with

the Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...

, "The Trip" remains one of Fowley's most experimental compositions of his recording career. Lyrically, the song is regarded as one of the earliest recordings to explicitly make references to

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

. In the composition, Fowley, with a lascivious tone, encourages those depressed with the world to escape it by taking LSD, pronouncing "Summertime's here, kiddies, and it's time to take a trip! To take trips!". The contents become more bizarre as he describes hallucinogenic visions of animals, and drug-induced seduction. Remarkably, despite "The Trip"'s unusual arrangement, it became a regional hit in Los Angeles, and was covered by noted

deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

Godfrey in 1966, and by The Fire Escape in 1967. An advertisement in a November 1965 edition of the ''

Los Angeles Free Press The ''Los Angeles Free Press'', also called the "''Freep''", is often cited as the first, and certainly was the largest, of the underground newspapers of the 1960s. The ''Freep'' was founded in 1964 by Art Kunkin, who served as its publisher un ...

'' promoting the remaining copies of "The Trip" suggest the single was one of the earliest works to obviously speak about the psychedelic experience. Since its initial pressing, the song has appeared most notably on ''

Pebbles, Volume 1 ''Pebbles'' is a compilation of US underground and garage single record releases from the mid- to late-1960s. It had a limited original release in 1978 and a more general release in 1979 (where the album was identified simply as ''Pebbles''). I ...

'' and the 1998 expanded

box-set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

of '' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968''. Godfrey's rendition, retitled "Let's Take a Trip", is featured on '' Pebbles, Volume 3''. The track was featured on the soundtrack for the 2008 film ''

RocknRolla ''RocknRolla'' is a 2008 action crime film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, featuring an ensemble cast that includes Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandiwe Newton, Mark Strong, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Toby Kebbell, Jeremy Piven, and Chri ...

'' by director

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter. His work includes British gangster films, and the ''Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes'' films starring Robert Downey Jr. Ritchi ...

References

1965 songs Songs about drugs Songs written by Kim Fowley {{DEFAULTSORT:Trip