Aqualung (6:34)
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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.
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Jethro Tull Aqualung Solo
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Albums featuring this track
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Aqualung
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Live - Bursting out (CD 2)
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Original Masters
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M.U.: The Best of Jethro Tull
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Shouts
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Druid66 wrote:
This song used to scare me - the lyrics are unnerving, and the singer's just out there past the last bus stop, but I really like all of that about it now!
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Singlewedge wrote:
great song and a great tune about homeless and the struggle they have to survive.
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keithiebabe wrote:
Massive track, awesome,
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waterbug5331 wrote:
Tull rules!
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IRSARGE wrote:
What an " AWESOME " Tune !
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dorocologne wrote:
I saw them last summer live in Riolo Terme...better than ever before....
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ringwraith10 wrote:
This song is just f-ing AMAZING.
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DeadSue wrote:
hey aqualung!
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artropin wrote:
unique
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IRSARGE wrote:
First Rate Tune!
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DJSamG wrote:
First heard this when I was 11 years old and it's always been my favourite Tull album.
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andygore1 wrote:
one of the greatest bands of all time, absolutely awesome track :-))
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elina360 wrote:
absolutely love it
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ghschilder wrote:
like dis man de musiek dan
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Mothersunn wrote:
tahas love
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NodeusMaximus wrote:
Been a Tull fan for a very long time. My personal favorite album is "Songs from the Wood" with "Thick as a Brick" a close second. It is, of course, a matter of taste.
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geoffofBefferly wrote:
I met Ian Anderson in the middle 1970s! Awsom!
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kemming wrote:
their BEST song
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traubster wrote:
FEELING LIKE A DEAD DUCK, SPITTING OUT PIECES OF HIS BROKEN LUCK
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sionborg wrote:
SNOTS RUNNING DOWN HIS NOSE !!!!!!
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