Jethro Tull » Tracks » Aqualung

Jethro Tull – Aqualung (6:36)

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About This Track

“Aqualung” is a song by English 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.
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Albums featuring this track

  • Aqualung
    Jethro Tull Play
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  • Original Masters
    Jethro Tull Play
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  • The Very Best Of
    Jethro Tull Play
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  • Live in Den Haag 1980
    Jethro Tull Play
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See all 53 albums

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  • kato1984

    One of the greatest songs ever!

    yesterday afternoon

  • Marymessenger12

    OOps meant to be his not hid... Aqualung is my fave Jethro Tull album .....all superb tracks. They were at their very best. Benefit and Thick As A Brick albums were also amongst my collection... I would recommend them to all lastfm listeners.

    11 days ago

  • Marymessenger12

    Classic Ian Anderson & Jethro Tull. What a great showman Monseiur Anderson was in hid " Heyday"... Miss my album terribly. Will download when funds become available.

    11 days ago

  • oldiesfanjohn

    Great tune..They were times back then I came home from playing gigs,lol remember my old lady saying I belonged on the album cover,too

    12 days ago

  • the_betterman

    cup of tea

    last month

  • Stigbo

    I feel the pull of the mighty Jethro Tull

    last month

  • DeathStar32

    Годно

    March 2012

  • Rockinfreddy

    Genial

    March 2012

  • gsl434

    AWESOME!!!

    March 2012

  • Chillvie

    I can't get over that solo. So good! :)

    March 2012

  • Pekinpah

    Ian is one of the greats of all times!

    March 2012

  • vlix74

    One of my all time favorites, rock on :-)

    March 2012

  • maniola196

    super

    March 2012

  • MesmythCore

    masterpiece.

    March 2012

  • BikerWriter

    Ian Anderson rules!!! JethroTull ROX!!!!! every time i hear this music my mind goes back to life when it was first released......(1LightComing@blogspot.com)

    March 2012

  • Mactele52

    Bravo!

    February 2012

  • chlorres

    * one of mine fave songs ever xox * beautiful,adore ,also adore lyrics of course * long live progressive rock !!! xox

    February 2012

  • oldiesfanjohn

    the album cut..bravisimmo !

    February 2012

  • xrongor

    yes its live and yes its not technically perfect. get over it.

    February 2012

  • maxlharris

    Hey Aqualung... I'm Chris Hanson and you're on To Catch a Predator...

    February 2012
See all 592 shouts

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