THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

512-Jefferson Airplane-White Rabbit.

1967-It did not chart in the UK until 1987, when reaching Number 94.

Best Bit-At 2.15. One of Grace Slick’s many memorable quotes is ‘All Rock ‘N Rollers’ over the age of 50 look stupid and should retire.’

Grace Slick was born Grace Barnett Wing, on October 30th, 1939, in Highland Park, Illinois, Chicago, United States. She was born into a fairly affluent family, and attended a private all girls school. Following graduation, she attended ‘Finch College,’ in New York City, from 1957 to 1958, and then the ‘University of Miami,’ in Coral Gables, Florida, from 1958 to 1959. Prior to getting into music as a career, she worked as a model at an ‘I. Magnin’ department store for three years, and married her first husband Jerry Slick (1939-2020) in 1961. In 1965, Grace, her husband Jerry, his brother Darby, and David Miner, formed the Rock band ‘The Great Society,’ in San Francisco. In the autumn of 1966, Grace Slick was approached by Jack Casady of the group Jefferson Airplane, who were on the lookout for a new singer, as Signe Toly Anderson (1941-2016) had decided to leave the group in order to raise her child. With Grace Slick on board Jefferson Airplane transformed from a ‘Folk/Rock’ group into a ‘Psychedelic’ outfit, with the recording of the ‘Surrealistic Pillow’ Album in 1967. The Album contained the two American Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, ‘White Rabbit,’ and ‘Somebody to Love,’ which had both been originally recorded by Grace Slick’s previous group ‘The Great Society.’ In 1973, Jefferson Airplane fragmented, as band members left, and the remaining musicians, along with new members formed ‘Jefferson Starship’ in 1974. With Grace Slick on board ‘Jefferson Starship’ would prove a critical and commercial success over the course of the next decade releasing eight studio Albums, of which their second, ‘Red Octopus,’ from 1975, reached Number 1 on Billboard. Following several personnel changes, and lawsuits from previous band members, in 1984, Grace Slick, and the remaining band members renamed themselves ‘Starship,’ going on to even greater commercial success. With ‘Starship,’ Grace Slick recorded three studio Albums between 1985-1989, and released eight singles, of which three, ‘We Built This City,’ (1985) ‘Sara,’ (1985) and ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’ (1987) all reached the Number 1 spot on Billboard. Grace Slick officially retired from the music business in 1990, in compliance with her famous quote.

‘White Rabbit’ was the last of three singles released from ‘Surrealistic Pillow,’ which was the second studio Album from Jefferson Airplane from February 1967, the song was written by Grace Slick, with the production being by Rick Jarrard, who was born in America on August 14th, 1939, he died on October 13th, 2021, at the age of 82. ‘Surrealistic Pillow’ is considered Jarrard’s greatest achievement, but he is also remembered for producing the first two studio Albums of Harry Nilsson, (1941-1994) in 1966, and 1967, and also for his production work with the Puerto Rican musician Jose Feliciano, including his production of the Feliciano cover of ‘Light My Fire,’ (1968) and Feliciano’s Christmas classic ‘Feliz Navidad’ (1970.)

‘White Rabbit’ was written and first performed by Grace Slick, while she was still a member of ‘The Great Society.’ She got the idea for this song after taking ‘LSD,’ and spending many hours listening to the Jazz musician Miles Davis’ (1926-1991) Album ‘Sketches Of Spain,’ (1960) especially the opening track, ‘Concierto de Aranjuez.’ The Spanish beat that she came up with for ‘White Rabbit’ was influenced by Maurice Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ (1928.)The song ‘Somebody to Love,’ which was written by her brother-in-law Darby Slick, was also first recorded by ‘The Great Society,’ and also made it on to the ‘Surrealistic Pillow’ Album. ‘White Rabbit’ is a song about drug use, and it attempts to get it’s point across by using imagery found in the novels of Lewis Carroll’s, (1832-1898) ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,’ written in 1865, and also it’s 1871 sequel ‘Through the Looking Glass.’ Grace Slick has said that the song was supposed to be a slap to parents who read their children such novels, and then wondered why their children later used drugs.’ Grace Slick has also said, ‘The White Rabbit is about following your curiosity.’ In the 1960’s, in Grace Slick’s social circle, drugs were seen as part of everyday life, for both mind expansion, and social experimentation.

‘One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small, and the ones that mother gives you, don’t do anything at all. Go ask Alice, when she’s ten feet tall. And if you go chasing rabbits, and you know you’re going to fall, tell ’em a hookah-smoking caterpillar has given you the call. He called Alice, when she was just small.’