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White Rabbit (song)
Encyclopedia
"White Rabbit" is a song from Jefferson Airplane
's 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow
. It was released as a single and became the band's second top ten success, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The song was ranked #478 on Rolling Stone
's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, #27 on Rate Your Music
's Top Singles of All Time and appears on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
while she was still with The Great Society. When that band broke up in 1966, Slick was invited to join Jefferson Airplane
to replace their departed female singer Signe Toly Anderson
, who left the band with the birth of her child. The first album Slick recorded with Jefferson Airplane was Surrealistic Pillow, and Slick provided two songs from her previous group: her own “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love”, written by Darby Slick and recorded under the title "Someone to Love" by The Great Society. Both songs became breakout successes for Jefferson Airplane and have ever since been associated with that band.
's earliest songs, written during either late 1965 or early 1966, uses imagery found in the fantasy works of Lewis Carroll
: 1865's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass
such as changing size after taking pills or drinking an unknown liquid. It is commonly thought that these are also references to the hallucinatory effects of psychedelic drugs, such as LSD
and psilocybin mushrooms. Characters referenced include Alice, the hookah-smoking caterpillar
, the White Knight
, the Red Queen
, and the Dormouse
.
For Grace and others in the '60s, drugs were a part of mind-expanding and social experimentation. With its enigmatic lyrics, "White Rabbit" became one of the first songs to sneak drug references past censors on the radio. Even Marty Balin
, Grace's eventual rival in the Airplane, regarded the song as a "masterpiece." In interviews, Grace has related that Alice in Wonderland was often read to her as a child and remained a vivid memory into her adult years.
Set to a crescendo similar to that of Ravel's
famous Boléro, as used in the Miles Davis
and Gil Evans
album, Sketches of Spain
, and a horn arrangement by Spencer Dryden
, the music combined with the song's lyrics strongly suggests the sensory distortions experienced with hallucinogens, and the song was later utilized in pop culture to imply or accompany just such a state.
(1951), the Queen of Hearts is often referred to as the Red Queen.
The last lines of the song are: "Remember what the Dormouse said. Feed your head. Feed your head." They do not explicitly quote the Dormouse as is often assumed. "Remembering what the Dormouse said" probably refers to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter XI: "Who Stole the Tarts", wherein a very nervous Mad Hatter is called to testify:
It is, therefore, better to say that the lyrics were inspired by the book, rather than that they reference it directly.
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
's 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow
Surrealistic Pillow
Surrealistic Pillow is the second album by American psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, released in February 1967.Original drummer Alexander 'Skip' Spence had left the band in mid-1966, replaced by a jazz drummer from Los Angeles, Spencer Dryden, a nephew of Charlie Chaplin. New lead vocalist...
. It was released as a single and became the band's second top ten success, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100
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...
. The song was ranked #478 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, #27 on Rate Your Music
Rate Your Music
Rate Your Music is a metadata database where musical albums, EPs, singles, videos, bootlegs, and movies are rated and reviewed by users. This data is then used to generate recommendations for users and to create rated lists of albums...
's Top Singles of All Time and appears on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
History
“White Rabbit” was written by Grace SlickGrace Slick
Grace Slick is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups The Great Society, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, and was a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s...
while she was still with The Great Society. When that band broke up in 1966, Slick was invited to join Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
to replace their departed female singer Signe Toly Anderson
Signe Toly Anderson
Signe Toly Anderson is an American singer who was one of the founding members of the American rock band Jefferson Airplane.-Early life and joining Jefferson Airplane:...
, who left the band with the birth of her child. The first album Slick recorded with Jefferson Airplane was Surrealistic Pillow, and Slick provided two songs from her previous group: her own “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love”, written by Darby Slick and recorded under the title "Someone to Love" by The Great Society. Both songs became breakout successes for Jefferson Airplane and have ever since been associated with that band.
Lyrics and composition
One of Grace SlickGrace Slick
Grace Slick is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups The Great Society, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, and was a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s...
's earliest songs, written during either late 1965 or early 1966, uses imagery found in the fantasy works of Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
: 1865's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a work of literature by Lewis Carroll . It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
such as changing size after taking pills or drinking an unknown liquid. It is commonly thought that these are also references to the hallucinatory effects of psychedelic drugs, such as LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
and psilocybin mushrooms. Characters referenced include Alice, the hookah-smoking caterpillar
Caterpillar (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
The Caterpillar is a fictional character appearing in Lewis Carroll's book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.-Appearance in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland:...
, the White Knight
The White Knight (Through the Looking Glass)
The White Knight is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's book Through the Looking-Glass.He represents the chess piece of the same name....
, the Red Queen
Red Queen (Through the Looking Glass)
The Red Queen is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's fantasy novella, Through the Looking-Glass.- Overview :With a motif of Through the Looking-Glass being representations of the game of chess, the Red Queen could be viewed as an antagonist in the story as she is the queen for the side...
, and the Dormouse
Dormouse (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
The Dormouse is a character in "A Mad Tea-Party", Chapter VII from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. He sat between the March Hare and the Hatter...
.
For Grace and others in the '60s, drugs were a part of mind-expanding and social experimentation. With its enigmatic lyrics, "White Rabbit" became one of the first songs to sneak drug references past censors on the radio. Even Marty Balin
Marty Balin
Marty Balin is an American musician. He is best known as the founder and one of the lead singers of the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane.-Early life:Martyn Buchwald was born in Cincinnati, Ohio...
, Grace's eventual rival in the Airplane, regarded the song as a "masterpiece." In interviews, Grace has related that Alice in Wonderland was often read to her as a child and remained a vivid memory into her adult years.
Set to a crescendo similar to that of Ravel's
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
famous Boléro, as used in the Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
and Gil Evans
Gil Evans
Gil Evans was a jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader, active in the United States...
album, Sketches of Spain
Sketches of Spain
Sketches of Spain is an album by Miles Davis, recorded between November 1959 and March 1960 at the Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City....
, and a horn arrangement by Spencer Dryden
Spencer Dryden
Spencer Dryden was an American musician best known as the longest-serving drummer for Jefferson Airplane. He also played with New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Dinosaurs, and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.-Early life:...
, the music combined with the song's lyrics strongly suggests the sensory distortions experienced with hallucinogens, and the song was later utilized in pop culture to imply or accompany just such a state.
Genesis
While the Red Queen and the White Knight are both mentioned in the song, the references differ from Lewis Carroll's original text, wherein the White Knight does not talk backwards and it is the Queen of Hearts, not the Red Queen, who says "Off with her head!" However, in the movie Alice In WonderlandAlice in Wonderland (1951 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based primarily on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with a few additional elements from Through the Looking-Glass. Thirteenth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was released in New...
(1951), the Queen of Hearts is often referred to as the Red Queen.
The last lines of the song are: "Remember what the Dormouse said. Feed your head. Feed your head." They do not explicitly quote the Dormouse as is often assumed. "Remembering what the Dormouse said" probably refers to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter XI: "Who Stole the Tarts", wherein a very nervous Mad Hatter is called to testify:
" 'But what did the Dormouse say?' one of the jury asked."
" 'That I can't remember', said the Hatter."
It is, therefore, better to say that the lyrics were inspired by the book, rather than that they reference it directly.
Covers
The song was covered in the following years:- 1967 – by the jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
guitarist Gábor SzabóGábor SzabóGábor Szabó was a Hungarian jazz guitarist, famous for mixing jazz, pop-rock and his native Hungarian music.-Biography:...
and The California Dreamers - 1971 – by the jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
guitarist George BensonGeorge BensonGeorge Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist.... - 1980 – by the punk band The Last Words
- 1980 – by the punk / gothic rockGothic rockGothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
band The Damned - 1981 – by the post punk band The Mo-Dettes in a Peel Session
- 1985 – by the punk band The Zarkons (Formerly known as The Alley Cats)
- 1987 – by the heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band SanctuarySanctuary (band)Sanctuary is an American heavy metal band founded in Seattle in 1985. The band consisted of Warrel Dane , Lenny Rutledge , Sean Blosl, Jim Sheppard , Dave Budbill , and in the end Jeff Loomis.-History:... - 1987 – by the heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Lizzy BordenLizzy Borden (band)Lizzy Borden is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Lizzy Borden is also the name of the band's lead vocalist.-History:Lizzy Borden specializes in the shock rock style originated by artists such as Alice Cooper and Kiss... - 1987 – by the synth-pop band ActAct (band)Act were a short-lived synthpop group signed to ZTT Records in the late 1980s, and comprising Thomas Leer and ex-Propaganda vocalist Claudia Brücken. Besides electro-pop and disco the group were also influenced by psychedelic rock and musical theatre...
- 1987 – by the Avant–garde jazz classical band Durutti Column
- 1989 – by the hardcore punkHardcore punkHardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band SlapshotSlapshot (band)-History:Slapshot was formed in 1985 by Steve Risteen and Mark McKay, formerly of Terminally Ill; Jack "Choke" Kelly, formerly of Negative FX and Last Rights; and Jonathan Anastas, formerly of Decadence and DYS... - 1989 – by the comedy rockComedy rockComedy rock is rock music mixed with comedy, often satire and parody.-History:Early USA examples include Stan Freberg, who lampooned artists such as Elvis Presley, Harry Belafonte and The Platters, and Sheb Wooley whose "Purple People Eater" reached No...
band The FrogsThe FrogsThe Frogs is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus, in 405 BC, and received first place.-Plot:... - 1990 – by the house musicHouse musicHouse music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
duo David Diebold and Kim Cataluna - 1995 – by The Murmurs (MCA Records)
- 1995 – by Mephisto WalzMephisto WalzMephisto Walz are a gothic rock group formed in 1985. They have an accomplished discography behind them, having released many full-length albums over the course of their career, through Cleopatra Records and other labels...
- 1996 – by the Icelandic singer-songwriter Emilíana TorriniEmilíana TorriniEmilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir is an Icelandic singer, best known for her 2009 single Jungle Drum, 1999 album Love in the Time of Science and for performing "Gollum's Song" for Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.-Early life:Torrini grew up in Kópavogur, where, at the age of...
, later used in the soundtrackSucker Punch (soundtrack)Like with the soundtrack for Watchmen, director Zack Snyder decided to go with covers instead of original songs, saying "If you go with the original song, you just get the moment. But if you go with covers you also get all of the baggage you bring to it, [...] I like the baggage...
for 2011 film Sucker PunchSucker Punch (film)Sucker Punch is a 2011 action-fantasy thriller film, directed by Zack Snyder and co-written by him and Steve Shibuya. It is Snyder's first film based on an original script. The film stars Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, and Oscar Isaac... - 1996 – by the NorwegianNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
heavy metal band In the Woods...In the Woods...In the Woods... was a heavy metal band from Kristiansand, Norway. The band released a total of three studio albums, three singles, one compilation album and one live album throughout its existence. The band was formed by previous members of the similar-styled band Green Carnation and is now...
for their White Rabbit EP and later (2000) included in their Three Times Seven on a Pilgrimage album - 1996 – by the AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Black MetalBlack metalBlack metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band Wind of the Black Mountains (albeit slightly altered and renamed 'Black Goat') on their Sing Thou Unholy Servants album - 1999 – by the Cincinnati-based GothicGothic rockGothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
/Garage RockGarage rockGarage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
band Stop the Car for their final album Crash, after having featured the song regularly in their live set lists since the '80s - 2001 – by the industrialIndustrial musicIndustrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
band Collide. A remix version appears in the ending credits of the 2007 film, Resident Evil: ExtinctionResident Evil: ExtinctionResident Evil: Extinction is a Canadian-British 2007 science fiction action horror film also categorized as a doomsday and zombie film, and is the third installment in the Resident Evil film series, which is based on the Capcom survival horror series Resident Evil... - 2002 – by Sleater-KinneySleater-KinneySleater-Kinney was an alternative rock band from Portland, Oregon that formed in 1994. Originally formed in Olympia, Washington, the group's name is derived from Sleater-Kinney Road, Interstate 5 off ramp #108 in Lacey, Washington, the location of one of their early practice spaces. They were a...
at the Majestic Theater in Detroit, Michigan - 2002 – by EnonEnonEnon was an indie rock band founded by John Schmersal, Rick Lee and Steve Calhoon. Currently, Enon is situated in Philadelphia, though the band is known for being part of the New York music scene.-Biography:...
for Don't Know When I'll Be Back Again VVA Benefit Compilation - 2003 – by the performance artPerformance artIn art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
/ experimental rock group Blue Man GroupBlue Man GroupBlue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
with vocals by EstheroEstheroEsthero ,born Jenny-Bea Englishman, is a Canadian singer-songwriter who currently lives in Los Angeles, California. The name Esthero refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself and producer Doc McKinney... - 2003 – by June Tabor and the OysterbandOysterbandOysterband is a British electric folk or folk rock band formed in Canterbury in or around 1976.-Early history:...
- 2004 – by My Morning JacketMy Morning JacketMy Morning Jacket is an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky.The band consists of Jim James , Tom 'Two-Tone Tommy' Blankenship , Patrick Hallahan , Carl Broemel , and Bo Koster .-History:My Morning Jacket was...
- 2005 – by Siobhan FaheySiobhan FaheySiobhan Fahey is an Irish musician and founding member of the 1980s British girl group Bananarama, and later formed the BRIT Award and Ivor Novello award winning musical outfit Shakespears Sister.-Career:Fahey was born the eldest of three daughters to Helen and...
for The Best of Shakespears Sister album - 2006 – remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed by the psychedelic trancePsychedelic trancePsychedelic trance, psytrance or just psy is a form of electronic music characterized by hypnotic arrangements of synthetic rhythms and complex layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. It appeared in the mainstream in 1995 as with reporting of the trend of Goa trance. The genre offers variety...
act FuzzionFuzzionFuzzion are Vladimir Kozlov and Dimitry Kozlov, a tech psytrance project from the town of Zhukovsky in the Moscow region of Russia. They are best known for their minimal psytrance remix of Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl.-EP:...
as Little Girl on the album Black Magic. - 2006 – by the BrechtianBertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
punkPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
cabaretCabaretCabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
duo The Dresden DollsThe Dresden DollsThe Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione...
at the Bonnaroo Music Festival - 2006 – by The Cadets Drum and Bugle CorpsThe Cadets Drum and Bugle CorpsThe Cadets are a Drum Corps International World Class drum and bugle corps based in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
in their show Volume 2: Through the Looking Glass - 2006 – by Lana LaneLana LaneLana Lane is a North American rock singer. She sings lead in her eponymous band, and has sung backing vocals for the band Rocket Scientists and guest sung on Ayreon and Erik Norlander albums....
for Gemini album. - 2007 – by Stan RidgwayStan RidgwayStanard 'Stan' Ridgway is an American multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums and was the original lead singer of the band Wall of Voodoo...
as an encore song during his summer tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of Wall of Voodoo's album Call of the WestCall of the WestCall of the West is the second studio album by Los Angeles new wave band Wall of Voodoo, released in 1983. "Mexican Radio", released as a single and as a video that received moderate airplay on MTV), is the group's most well-known song....
. - 2007 – by Patti SmithPatti SmithPatricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
on her cover album TwelveTwelve (Patti Smith album)Twelve is an album by Patti Smith, released April 17, 2007 on Columbia Records. As the title suggests, the album contains twelve tracks, all of which are cover versions. It debuted on Billboard 200 at number 60, with 11,000 copies sold in its first week...
. - 2007 – by The Vincent Black ShadowThe Vincent Black Shadow-Studio albums:-EP's:-Singles:External links=*...
at the Warped TourWarped TourThe Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
, later recorded in the studio for the 2008 EP "Head In A Box" - 2007 – by Trinidad & Tobago rock band, Rango Tango.
- 2007 – by The CrüxshadowsThe CrüxshadowsThe Crüxshadows is an Dark Electro group from Florida. Their sound is made up of a combination of male vocals, electric violin, guitar, and synth...
on their Birthday EPBirthday (The Crüxshadows EP)Birthday is a 2007 EP released by The Crüxshadows. It is the second single release from the 2007 album DreamCypher. A fan favorite, the band's wish was granted when it outsold their previous single/EP, Sophia...
. - 2008 – by The Spectacles at the Bowery BallroomBowery BallroomThe Bowery Ballroom is a music venue in the Bowery section of New York City. The structure, at 6 Delancey Street, was built just before the Stock Market Crash of 1929. It stood vacant until the end of WWII, when it became a high-end retail store. The neighborhood subsequently went into decline...
- 2008 – by Alternative band The Smashing PumpkinsThe Smashing PumpkinsThe Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
as a tease in Heavy Metal Machine. - 2009 – by Russian rock-musician Nike BorzovNike BorzovNike Borzov is a Russian singer and musician.Borzov gained major popularity in 2000 after the tri slova and Loshadka hit, which was censored by some Russian radiostations due to the use of the word "cocaine".- Discography :...
in the soundtrack for his audio-book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (Russian translation of Hunter S. ThompsonHunter S. ThompsonHunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
's novel) as "Black Rabbit" and "Funky Rabbit". - 2010 – by Grace Potter and the NocturnalsGrace Potter and the NocturnalsGrace Potter and the Nocturnals is an American rock band from Waitsfield, Vermont.-Career:Grace Potter and the Nocturnals' lead vocalist is multi-instrumentalist Grace Potter, who attended St. Lawrence University for two years before pursuing music professionally...
on the Alice in WonderlandAlice in Wonderland (2010 film)Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 American computer-animated/live action fantasy adventure film directed by Tim Burton, written by Linda Woolverton, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...
soundtrack "Almost AliceAlmost Alice-Charts:-References:...
". - 2011 – by Gillian WelchGillian WelchGillian Welch is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, Bluegrass, and Americana, is described by The New Yorker as "at once innovative and obliquely...
and David RawlingsDavid RawlingsDavid Todd Rawlings is a professional guitarist and singer. He is best known as the longtime musical partner of bluegrass singer-songwriter Gillian Welch.David attended the Berklee College of Music and studied with guitar professor Lauren Passarelli....
, performing live on the NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
show "Fresh AirFresh AirFresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
" - 2011 – by Australian group Floating MeFloating MeFloating Me is a progressive rock group from Sydney, Australia, featuring Lucius Borich from Cog, Jon Stockman of Karnivool and Andrew Gillespie, Antony Brown and Tobias Messiter from the '90s grunge/metal band Scary Mother...
, as a part of their live sets (fans voted on the band's Facebook page for a song for them to cover). - 2011 – by Emilíana TorriniEmilíana TorriniEmilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir is an Icelandic singer, best known for her 2009 single Jungle Drum, 1999 album Love in the Time of Science and for performing "Gollum's Song" for Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.-Early life:Torrini grew up in Kópavogur, where, at the age of...
on the Sucker Punch (soundtrack)Sucker Punch (soundtrack)Like with the soundtrack for Watchmen, director Zack Snyder decided to go with covers instead of original songs, saying "If you go with the original song, you just get the moment. But if you go with covers you also get all of the baggage you bring to it, [...] I like the baggage...
.
Sampled
- "Collie Trippz" by DJ MarkyDJ MarkyMarco Antonio Silva a.k.a. DJ Marky is a Brazilian drum and bass DJ.Together with DJ Patife, XRS Land and Drumagick, Brazilians were forging a new sound in drum and bass that became popular around the world with releases such as LK and Só Tinha Que Ser Com Você.-Career:He was brought to the...
and S.P.Y - "Do Whatcha Gotta" by Nice & SmoothNice & SmoothNice & Smooth was an East Coast hip hop duo from New York that consists of Greg Nice and Smooth B . The duo released four albums from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s...
- "Homework" by The Dust Brothers
- "Eye Examination" by Del tha Funkee HomosapienDel tha Funkee HomosapienTeren Delvon Jones , better known as Del the Funky Homosapien or Del tha Funkee Homosapien, is an American MC.-Early life and beginnings: 1990-1997:...
- "Needful Things" by Psycho RealmPsycho RealmPsycho Realm is an american hip hop supergroup started in 1989 by brothers Sick Jacken and Big Duke from the Downtown, Pico-Union area of Los Angeles. The first recorded Psycho Realm song, "Scandalous", was released on the soundtrack of the film Mi Vida Loca in 1994...
- "Minute By Minute" by Girl TalkGirl Talk (musician)Gregg Michael Gillis , better known by his stage name Girl Talk, is an American musician specializing in mashups and digital sampling. Gillis has released five LPs on the record label Illegal Art and EPs on 333 and 12 Apostles....
- "Rabbit Hole" by Living LegendsLiving LegendsLiving Legends is a rap group composed of eight hip hop artists from California. Beginning in the early 1990s, the crew garnered a following by recording, promoting, and performing their music independently...
on the 2001 album, Almost FamousAlmost Famous (Living Legends album)Almost Famous is an album released by Living Legends.-Track listing:...
Uses in other media
"White Rabbit" has been used in numerous films and television shows.- The song is played twice during season 1, episode 7 of The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, "Down Neck": first while Tony SopranoTony SopranoAnthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...
takes his Prozac and remembers his childhood, and again over the end credits. - The Battlefield: VietnamBattlefield VietnamBattlefield Vietnam is the second video game in Electronic Arts' Battlefield franchise after Battlefield 1942. The game was developed by the Swedish company Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts on March 15, 2004 in North America and days later in other parts of the world....
main menu song consists of the bass line of White Rabbit, with voice tracks of Lyndon B. JohnsonLyndon B. JohnsonLyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
and Hanoi HannahHanoi HannahTrịnh Thị Ngọ , also known as Hanoi Hannah, is a Vietnamese radio personality best known for her work during the Vietnam War, when she made English-language propaganda broadcasts for North Vietnam directed at US troops.-Early life:...
. - Played during season 5, episode 1 of American Dad!American Dad!American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
("In Country...ClubIn Country...Club"In Country...Club" is the season premiere of the fifth season of American Dad!. It premiered on September 27, 2009, on Fox. The episode was watched by 7.12 million viewers.-Plot:Steve has been chosen to sing the national anthem at the veteran's fair...
"). - The song is used twice in the movie The GameThe Game (film)The Game is a 1997 neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn, and produced by Polygram. It tells the story of an investment banker who is given a mysterious gift: participation in a game that integrates in strange ways with his life...
(1997), once when Nicholas Van Orten (Michael Douglas) comes home to find his home vandalized with graffiti, and after the movie when the end credits are rolling. - In the 1998 film, and in the book that the film is based on, Fear and Loathing in Las VegasFear and Loathing in Las Vegas (film)Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1998 American drama film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke and Benicio del Toro as Dr. Gonzo. It was adapted from Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 novel of the same name....
, the climax of the song is played when Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del ToroBenicio del ToroBenicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez is a Puerto Rican and Spanish actor and film producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role as Javier Rodríguez in Traffic . He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual...
) is sitting in a water-filled bathtub and attempts to bring the tape player that's playing the song in with him, as he wants to "hear" the song better. - The song is used in season 10, episode 6 of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
("D'oh-in in the WindD'oh-in in the Wind"D'oh-in In the Wind" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons tenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 15, 1998. In the episode, Homer Simpson travels to a farm owned by Seth and Munchie, two aged hippies who were friends with Homer's mother...
") while HomerHomer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
produces hallucinogenic vegetable juice. - The song is used in the 1986 Academy Award-winning film PlatoonPlatoon (film)Platoon is a 1986 American war film written and directed by Oliver Stone and stars Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen. It is the first of Stone's Vietnam War trilogy, followed by 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and 1993's Heaven & Earth....
during a scene when a group of soldiers bond while taking hallucinogenic drugs. - In season 2, episode 7 of FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
("A Head in the PollsA Head in the Polls"A Head in the Polls" is the third episode in the second production season of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on December 12, 1999 as episode seven in the second broadcast season. The episode was written by J. Stewart Burns and directed by Bret Haaland. Claudia Schiffer makes a guest...
"), Richard NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's head sings the last part of the song while strumming a guitar. - The song is heard in the background of an episode in Everybody Hates ChrisEverybody Hates ChrisEverybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
- The song is heard in the Brian Jones biopic StonedStoned (film)Stoned, also known as The Wild and Wycked World of Brian Jones in the UK, is a 2005 film about Brian Jones, one of the founding members of The Rolling Stones...
(2005) when Jones ingests LSDLSDLysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
for the first time. - In the series Supernatural, the song is played in an episode called "Hunted".
- In the movie Sucker PunchSucker Punch (film)Sucker Punch is a 2011 action-fantasy thriller film, directed by Zack Snyder and co-written by him and Steve Shibuya. It is Snyder's first film based on an original script. The film stars Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, and Oscar Isaac...
(2011), as part of the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - The song is used in the first season of "Warehouse 13Warehouse 13Warehouse 13 is an American fantasy television series that premiered on July 7, 2009 on the Syfy network.Executive-produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins, the dramatic comedy from Universal Media Studios has been described as borrowing much from 1980s television series Friday the 13th: The...
" in "Duped" as Alice returns to destroy a mirror.
External links
- [ Song Review: White Rabbit], Allmusic.
- IMDB Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Reference