7 and 7 Is
Encyclopedia
"7 and 7 Is" is a song written by Arthur Lee
and recorded by his band Love
on June 20, 1966, at Sunset Sound Recorders
in Hollywood. It was produced by Jac Holzman
and engineered by Bruce Botnick
.
The song was released as the A-side of Elektra
single 45605 in July, 1966. The B-side was "No. Fourteen", supposedly the 'answer' to the half-sentence formed by the A-side's title but actually an out-take from the band's earlier recordings. "7 and 7 Is" made the Billboard Pop Singles
chart on July 30, 1966, peaking at number 33 during a ten-week chart run and becoming the band's highest-charting hit single
. The recording also featured on the band's second album, Da Capo
.
The song drew inspiration from a high school sweetheart of Arthur Lee's, Anita "Pretty" Billings, who shared his birthday, March 7. It also describes Lee's frustration at teenage life - the reference to "in my lonely room I'd sit, my mind in an ice cream cone" being to wearing (in reality or metaphorically) a dunce's cap. It took a great deal of work to record, with Love's drummer, Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer, being unable to cope with its frantic demands after 30 takes or so, and being replaced on drums by Arthur Lee himself. It is not clear whether the version eventually released features Pfisterer or Lee. The song climaxes in an apocalyptic explosion - the supposed sound of an atom bomb - before a peaceful conclusion, in a blues
form, which then fades out. The song's use of kicking/dropping a reverb
unit to create the explosion sound was one of the first, if not the first, uses of this new device to create a "psychedelic" sound on a recording.
Described as "protopunk
", it was later covered by numerous bands, most notably the Ramones
, Alice Cooper
, and Rush
, as well as a re-recording by Lee himself. The song was used in the film Bottle Rocket
, handpicked by director Wes Anderson
and music composer Mark Mothersbaugh
.
Arthur Lee (musician)
Arthur Lee was the frontman, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of the Los Angeles rock band Love, best known for the critically acclaimed 1967 album, Forever Changes.-Early years:...
and recorded by his band Love
Love (band)
Love was an American rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were led by singer/songwriter Arthur Lee and lead guitarist Johnny Echols...
on June 20, 1966, at Sunset Sound Recorders
Sunset Sound Recorders
Sunset Sound Recorders is a recording studio in Hollywood, California, located at 6650 Sunset Boulevard.The Sunset Sound Recorders complex was converted in 1962 by Walt Disney's Director of Recording, Tutti Camarata, from a collection of old commercial and residential buildings - some built more...
in Hollywood. It was produced by Jac Holzman
Jac Holzman
Jac Holzman was the founder, chief executive officer and head of both Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records.-Biography:He founded Elektra Records in his St. John's College dorm room in 1950 and Nonesuch Records in 1964...
and engineered by Bruce Botnick
Bruce Botnick
Bruce Botnick is an American audio engineer and record producer, best known for his work with The Doors, and with Love. He engineered Love's first two albums, and co-produced their third album, Forever Changes, with the band's singer-songwriter, Arthur Lee.In November 1970, he took over production...
.
The song was released as the A-side of Elektra
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
single 45605 in July, 1966. The B-side was "No. Fourteen", supposedly the 'answer' to the half-sentence formed by the A-side's title but actually an out-take from the band's earlier recordings. "7 and 7 Is" made the Billboard Pop Singles
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart on July 30, 1966, peaking at number 33 during a ten-week chart run and becoming the band's highest-charting hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
. The recording also featured on the band's second album, Da Capo
Da Capo (Love album)
Da Capo is the second album by American rock group Love, released in January 1967 by Elektra Records. The bulk of Da Capo was recorded between September 27 and October 2, 1966. "7 and 7 Is" was recorded on June 20, and had been released as a single in July of 1966 backed with "No. Fourteen", an...
.
The song drew inspiration from a high school sweetheart of Arthur Lee's, Anita "Pretty" Billings, who shared his birthday, March 7. It also describes Lee's frustration at teenage life - the reference to "in my lonely room I'd sit, my mind in an ice cream cone" being to wearing (in reality or metaphorically) a dunce's cap. It took a great deal of work to record, with Love's drummer, Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer, being unable to cope with its frantic demands after 30 takes or so, and being replaced on drums by Arthur Lee himself. It is not clear whether the version eventually released features Pfisterer or Lee. The song climaxes in an apocalyptic explosion - the supposed sound of an atom bomb - before a peaceful conclusion, in a blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
form, which then fades out. The song's use of kicking/dropping a reverb
Reverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
unit to create the explosion sound was one of the first, if not the first, uses of this new device to create a "psychedelic" sound on a recording.
Described as "protopunk
Protopunk
Protopunk is a term used retrospectively to describe a number of musicians who were important precursors of punk rock in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, or who have been cited by early punk musicians as influential...
", it was later covered by numerous bands, most notably the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, and Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, as well as a re-recording by Lee himself. The song was used in the film Bottle Rocket
Bottle Rocket
Bottle Rocket is a 1996 comedy film directed by Wes Anderson. It was co-written by Anderson and Owen Wilson. As well as being Wes Anderson's directorial debut, Bottle Rocket was the debut feature for brothers Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson, who co-starred with James Caan and Robert Musgrave.The film...
, handpicked by director Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson
Wesley Wales Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer of features, short films and commercials....
and music composer Mark Mothersbaugh
Mark Mothersbaugh
Mark Allen Mothersbaugh is an American musician, composer, singer and painter. He is the co-founder of the new wave band Devo and has been its lead singer since 1972. His other musical projects include work for television series, films, and video games....
.