I Dig Rock and Roll Music

"I Dig Rock and Roll Music" is a 1967 song by the American folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, written by Paul Stookey, James Mason and Dave Dixon.

"I Dig Rock and Roll Music"
Single by Peter, Paul and Mary
from the album Album 1700
B-side"The Great Mandella (The Wheel of Life)"
ReleasedAugust 1967
Genre
Length2:31
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Peter, Paul and Mary singles chronology
"For Baby (For Bobbie)"
(1966)		 "I Dig Rock and Roll Music"
(1967)		 "Too Much of Nothing"
(1967)

Background

Credited to Stookey-Mason-Dixon, the song's lyrics reference contemporary rock artists including the Mamas & the Papas, Donovan, and the Beatles. The song parodies and satirizes the vocal style of the Mamas & the Papas in the first verse, Donovan in the second verse and the Beatles in the third verse.[1][2] Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic commented that the song "simply celebrates the simple joy of pop music at the time."[3]

In an interview with the Chicago Daily News in 1966, a year before the song's release, Mary Travers expressed contempt for the emergence of the folk rock genre: "(It's) so badly written. ... When the fad changed from folk to rock, they didn't take along any good writers."[4]

The line "When the words don't get in the way, yeah" and especially the phrasing of "yeah" is a reference to the line "Every other day, every other day, every other day of the week is fine, yeah" from the Mamas & the Papas' song "Monday, Monday".

The line about Donovan and "his crystal images" refers to the mention of "crystal spectacles" in "Epistle to Dippy". The song is also noted for its psychedelic feedback effects, miming the volume swell on the electric guitar from Donovan's 1966 song "Sunshine Superman". The backing vocal effect in the verse, parodying the Beatles, reflects "Yellow Submarine".

Cash Box said the song is "a rollicking trip with a sense of humor."[5]

Chart history

The song was a hit single for the group and reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] In Australia, the song reached No. 4.

References
  1. John Shepherd (8 July 2003). Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World: VolumeII: Performance and Production. A&C Black. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-8264-6322-7.
  2. Rock Eras: Interpretations of Music and Society, 1954-1984. Popular Press. 1987. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-87972-369-9.
  3. Greenwald, Matthew. Song Review by Matthew Greenwald at AllMusic. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  4. "Obituary: Mary Travers, 72; Member of Folk Group Peter, Paul and Mary". The Washington Post. September 17, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  5. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 12, 1967. p. 22. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  6. David F. Lonergan (2005). Hit Records, 1950-1975. Scarecrow Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-8108-5129-0.
  7. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1967-10-21. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
  8. "Flavour of New Zealand, 3 November 1967". Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  9. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  10. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 7, 1967". Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  11. Musicoutfitters.com
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