Okay, so right now I'm reading (for pleasure) Helter Skelter, the true account of the Manson murders. Essentially, Manson was able to interpret the lyrics of Helter Skelter so that he was Jesus, the Beatles were descendants of God, and a huge race riot was going to occur. Thus, a new world order would come about, leaving the whites dominant. According to former "family" members, Manson told the group around 1968, "Are you hep to what the Beatles are saying? Helter Skelter is coming down. The Beatles are telling it like it is," (Helter Skelter). Which is so silly, because anyone who's watched Doctor Oz on Oprah would know skin tone is extremely minute in relation to your DNA. And I'm also a huge Beatles fan, although not incredibly insane like Manson, so I wanted to really examine the lyrics of Helter Skelter.
When I get to the bottom
I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and turn
and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again
Yeah, yeah, yeah Do you don't you want me to love you
I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you
Tell me tell me come on tell me the answer
and you may be a lover but you ain't no dancer
Okay, so this part to me strikes me as a drug trip. "Miles above you" seems to be a nod at a high, and with this vivid imagery of coming down a slide, I bet its something along the lines of an acid trip. The shallow examination of this part leads me to believe that perhaps the girl won't practice drugs with them. But, of course, there has to be more. Helter Skelter is apparently a twisty slide in England, thus the reference of "when I get to the top of the slide." However, I've also heard that the song could also be referencing the fall of the roman empire. Which, we all know from AP World, is because of those darned barbarians.
-Carson
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Interesting. I have an onerous hate for the Beatles. I can't stand them personally. I find their music boring. Having said that, I find criminal profiling one of the most interesting things in the entire world. I've made it a personal goal to read the exact book you are reading (just not right now), to delve into one of the most twisted minds the world has ever known.
ReplyDeleteMost of the Beatles music (if not all) was about drugs. They thought they were fooling us...yeah. No. I would examine those lyrics the same way, but the high that comes from hallucinogens wears off (the bottom of the slide), and they have to get high again (going back to the top). Of course when they are at the top, they're bound to fall (Roman Empire allusion).
Dark, yes. Interesting, no. My personal bias for the Beatles comes into play.
//Anonymous.
I actually remember reading about this song Helter Skelter in AP Lang class last year. We had to right a paper on the effects of music on society, and we studied different factors in relation to the position we took. I think Manson was just crazy and his acts had nothing to do with the Beatles' song.
ReplyDeleteThis was like another study I did to support my papers' thesis. I read about a crazy Eminem fanatic who claimed that he killed his girlfriend for reasons dealing with the fact that he was such a huge Eminem fanatic. A particular song by Eminem, although I can't remember its name right now, describes a man killing his pregnant girlfriend by driving off a cliff with her in the trunk. Scary, I know.
Anyways, I think you made very valid points here, especially with your own interpretations of this Beatles song. It shows how everyone interprets words differently and how, usually, when something is said, it is not always meant.
Haha Dr. Oz and Oprah teach us all we need to know about scientific discoveries. Annnd yeah Manson was basically just crazy. Well, is still crazy.
ReplyDeleteThough Helter Skelter is obviously about drugs like pretty much every Beatles song, it's cool how you can twist the meanings of music to fit your own personal meaning. Like Manson is a crazy racist in the 60s, so he listens to the music on the Beatles' 'white album' and is like, "Ok, race war. That makes sense."
The song from Eminem is called "Stan" and it's done with Elton John.
ReplyDelete