Aqualung (6:35)
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“Aqualung” is a song by English progressive rock band Jethro Tull, featured as the first track on their 1971 album Aqualung, and written by the band’s frontman, Ian Anderson, and his then-wife, Jennie Franks. The original recording runs for 6 minutes and 32 seconds. Like many of Jethro Tull’s songs, “Aqualung” tells a story —in this case, the story of a homeless man. The opening lyrics are “Sitting on a park bench / Eyeing little girls with bad intent”.
The song is the title track from Jethro Tull’s first U.S. Top 10 album, which reached #7 in June of 1971.
In an interview with Ian Anderson in the September 1999 Guitar World he said:
Aqualung wasn’t a concept album, although a lot of people thought so. The idea came about from a photograph my wife at the time took of a tramp in London. I had feelings of guilt about the homeless, as well as fear and insecurity with people like that who seem a little scary. And I suppose all of that was combined with a slightly romanticized picture of the person who is homeless but yet a free spirit, who either won’t or can’t join in society’s prescribed formats.
So from that photograph and those sentiments, I began writing the words to ‘Aqualung.’ I can remember sitting in a hotel room in L.A., working out the chord structure for the verses. It’s quite a tortured tangle of chords, but it was meant to really drag you here and there and then set you down into the more gentle acoustic section of the song.
The song is the title track from Jethro Tull’s first U.S. Top 10 album, which reached #7 in June of 1971.
In an interview with Ian Anderson in the September 1999 Guitar World he said:
Aqualung wasn’t a concept album, although a lot of people thought so. The idea came about from a photograph my wife at the time took of a tramp in London. I had feelings of guilt about the homeless, as well as fear and insecurity with people like that who seem a little scary. And I suppose all of that was combined with a slightly romanticized picture of the person who is homeless but yet a free spirit, who either won’t or can’t join in society’s prescribed formats.
So from that photograph and those sentiments, I began writing the words to ‘Aqualung.’ I can remember sitting in a hotel room in L.A., working out the chord structure for the verses. It’s quite a tortured tangle of chords, but it was meant to really drag you here and there and then set you down into the more gentle acoustic section of the song.
Video
Added by jjn777
Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull performing "Aqualung" live in concert. Ian is a cut-up on stage, and Martin Barre shows he has some chops as a guitar player. Check out the crazy lighting!
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Albums featuring this track
Shouts
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kramsmada wrote:
A classic I can still listen to.
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Naqui wrote:
Puro delírio... pra ouvir no volume máximo!
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Scrivy86 wrote:
Beautiful. And yes, I would love to hear Opeth give this a go.
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lebuenovox wrote:
Epic!
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lucapette wrote:
i love a lot that in this track we can hear two times tha same sentences with two different melodies... it' absolutely brilliant. Amazing classic.
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ZeppDoorsFloyd wrote:
<3
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DCeclectic wrote:
feeling like a dead duck.......love it.
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THEAZWINGER wrote:
"can you still remember decembers' foggy freeze"
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Omegasphere wrote:
Love the song. For some reason, I think it would make an excellent cover by Opeth.
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raulrcp wrote:
Eyeing little girls with bad intends lol
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somakrom wrote:
good!
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DerFulham wrote:
Wonderful classic!!!
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aleley wrote:
what a memories
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drigof wrote:
Riff!
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Citrus_Insanity wrote:
Awesome song, Jethro Tull's best in my opinion. \m/
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tupelo_stevo wrote:
yea and u can hear the little point hes holding the note so he could wave back with his right hand
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Fossie32 wrote:
Nice
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UponDoom wrote:
I read during the solo, Jimmy Page walked into the the studio, and the guitarist waved to him.
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tylerwylie wrote:
The bassline that kicks in right after a minute, I love it!
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goremoran wrote:
grew up with this
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