You really grasped the core of the song! Aqualung is in fact about a homeless man, given the moniker Aqualung here to imply some kind of breathing problem that makes his breathing sound "wet", and it is entirely about that duality. The first impression we get of "Aqualung" is this filthy pervert is intended to represent the way people fear and abhor the homeless, especially those with mental issues. He's a dirty, disgusting thing, to be afraid of, and the narrator is assigning him this "bad intent" that he supposedly has while looking at girls and women. And then of course it shifts to the more sympathetic: a broken and helpless man with poor health and no shelter, living through the icy cold of winter, taking his 'rattling last breaths with deep sea diver sounds' (gurgling), from the point of the view of a narrator who is friends with the poor man, reminiscing (do you still remember). And the final part: Despite what we know from the middle section, everyone else still sees a horrible man to be afraid of. The pervert. Dirty. That he must be bad and that there is "bad intent" behind his eyes. Is there any? We don't know. But that's the perception, the assumption about a filthy homeless man who isn't well, physically or mentally.
To add to this, the hard electric parts of the song were how normal British society viewed homeless people, while the softer acoustic parts reflected those sympathetic to their needs and the causes that got them there. And this back and forth continues until the part where he sings “Do you still remember December’s foggy breeze”, where these two worlds collide.
Tull is pure genius. Much of their material is social commentary. If this song made you feel uncomfortable, that was its intent. It's based in the reality of how people view the homeless and how it must feel to live penniless on the streets. It's an ugly story, but it increases awareness. You should listen to "Cross-Eyed Mary" where Aqualung the character is mentioned again very briefly. Thanks for taking us with you on a Tull journey.
the song is sung from 2 perspectives. One a businessman who only sees a dirty shabby bum, ready to assault girls, And the other, an empathetic old friend who understands the man's story.
Saw them back in the 70"s at Shea Stadium. We were stamping our feet so much the whole place shook. They were incredible. "Cross Eyed Mary" is a must.✌️🌻🌻
I saw them way back in the day. The stage set was a pirate ship. The band was dressed like this and came down a rope net in the stage back. The whole show was spectacular! They knew exactly how to draw the fans in. Loved every show I saw.
A dog-end is a cigarette butt. Love me some Tull, seen them live 3 times, always entertaining and talented. Ian Anderson is still playing to this day at 77 yrs old.
The band that pissed off millions of metal heads when they won the first ever Grammy award for best hard rock/metal performance. The 31st Grammy Awards 😂. It was a brand new category, and Metallica was expected to win with “And Justice For All”. The fallout was spectacular 😂.
Aqualung is slang for tuberculosis, which causes the lungs to fill up with fluid, hence the lines "spitting out pieces of his broken lung" and "rattling last breaths, with deep sea diver's sounds". The character, "Aqualing" is pictured on the album cover. My brother had a charcature painting done of that album cover, but putting his face on it instead. And, no, they were never big on Top 40 AM Radio. They hit on "Underground" FM Radio.
Once you realize that Jethro Tull are their own genre, it starts to become clearer. At any given moment, they could out hard rock, out quieter rock, out prog, out folk, out blues, and out jazz infusion any band on the planet and sometimes do it in the same song. It's a wild ride. The harsher lyrics in the song reflect societies negative opinions and assumptions about homeless people, while the other part of the song is from the gentler observations of a more compassionate person.
Fun fact, Ian started as a guitarist, but took up the flute because Martin Barr (lead guitar) was so good he felt he couldn't keep up. BTW, he taught himself to play the flute and traditional flute players can't duplicate his sound.
Bullshit ! Ian heard Eric Clapton... - that was it for him playing the electric guitar. At that time he didn't even know Martin BarrE (!). But Ian was and is (among other things) a very good acoustic guitar player... P.S. Ian NEVER played electric lead guitar in Jethro Tull !
Jethro Tull was an actual person who lived in England from the late 1600s to 1741 - not exactly medieval, but still old. He was credited with inventing the horse drawn seed drill which allowed farmers to plant their fields much faster than in the past. This in turn meant fewer people were needed on farms and they moved to cities in search of work which they found in the form of the newly developing factory system. He was historically a biggie that almost no one has knowledge of.
The seed rill also increased the yield- fewer seeds were wasted. It helped to trigger the agricultural revolution that set the stage for the industrial revolution. The band would change their name almost weekly so they could get rebooking- Jethro Tull was the name they using the first time they got asked back.
You caught Salvation Army and the cup of tea for listening to a sermon in a warm place BP. Dog-end is British slang for a cigarette end. or perhaps it's a dog's end is coming soon in response to his leg hurting. A common sign death is near in an old dog or an old man. Bad hips are common in old dogs for real, and they know it. You'll run across Cross eyed Mary on this album. She's the female version of Aqualung watching the little boys run or perhaps lost young in an old person. Ian Anderson is Scottish and consider the accent in 1969 pronunciation. Warming feet in a peat moss bog in chilly weather makes sense. Composting yard trimmings creates heat as it rots. It's a great album in any case Black Pegasus, enjoy it and then dig deeper into this archaic rabbit hole that was named after a farmer living in the 1700's! Look him up. Many good albums and tunes.
Scottish by birth but with an English singing and speaking accent. You are overcomplicating dog-end in your second alternative explanation. Just a used cigarette!
The title, Aqualung, was written to evoke the sound of the old man’s breathing. In fact, Aqualung is a scuba device which was already on the market. The manufacturer was ready to sue the band when their legal department pointed out that this was great, free adverting so they dropped the case. When they said, “The army’s up the road”, they are again referring to the Salvation Army and when they said “and the flowers bloom like madness in the Spring”, they referring to a spasm of tuberculosis when he coughs up blood, like flowers. Jethro Tull has a huge catalog but everyone chooses songs from Aqualung. It is a great album but there so many other songs which quite different. I would recommend the title track from Songs from the Wood or First Snow on Brooklyn from the Jethro Tull Christmas Album.
@@jimglenn6972 Always loved this band but only saw them live once. The Orpheum Theatre in Boston was built in 1852 with maybe 3000 seats. It was the best concert I've ever seen, and I've seen many groups that cost hundreds of dollars more than that pittance I paid Ian Anderson back in those days.
Try out "Thick as a brick" on of my favorite. When I was much younger and went to their concerts, we did body painting(on ourselves). Great performers.
I don't think anyone has more passion when performing than Ian Anderson. The name Jethro Tull comes from a 17th century agriculturalist by the same name. He lived from 1674-1721. They're my favorite prog rock band
Back in the 70's progressive rock era you had Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and others, and then you had Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull who were in their own league. The stories in the songs makes reading the lyrics and listening to the music a few times to get the feel and understanding. I actually asked my grandfather who was a Brit what some of the sayings meant.
They toured the U.S. almost every year in the 70s and were a staple on FM radio. I saw them each year in high school. A little later they had a commercial hit with "Bungle in the Jungle."
bP-- back in the 70's,all things were new/unchartered in rock music. FM radio came about and played everything new under the sun. Bands with a progressive (prog rock) style,aka 'adventurous/outside the comercial box' were commonplace on these sations and DID reach the masses. Rock fans soaked in all types of music with far reaching influences- which started with The Beatles back in the 60's. Ian Anderson / Tull made quite the name for themselves from touring here in the US heavily. The stage show with Ian was incredible performance-wise. And they DID score alot of FM radio attention that just grew & grew back in the early 70's. One of thee top acts ever in rock. THey earned their reputation as a top draw live act. Andersons lyrics were very compicated and at times hard to figure out. I just now learned that a 'dog-end' was slang for a cigarette butt in the UK-almost 53 years after hearing the song/album for the 1st time. So don't feel too bad about trying to dewcipher Ian's complex lyrical bent moving forward. Cheers, T
A number called Living in the Past was what broke them through but had been listening to them before that and went to an epic concert at the Brighton Pavilion still the best concert I have been to. They had a loyal following.
When you ask how they got big, it was FM radio where music didn't have to fit the AM format of 2 1/2 minutes. FM was just getting big in the early 70's. Not everyone had a radio with an FM tuner. Plus FM was broadcasting in stereo. FM stations would play complete album sides uninterrupted, which lead to the commercial block while the DJ flipped the album on the turntable.
Yeah I always listen to album rock radio, never listen to Pop radio although a lot of classic rock songs did make it to pop radio and and most of them were not the full version they had been edited
I think you did a great job picking up the meaning and message of the song BP and I see others filling in a lot of great information in the comments. One thing I’d add is that I heard Ian Anderson point out in an interview is that this song also is pointing out that the “evil” we see in the homeless (Aqualung is staring a little girls in the park) is a reflection of our own miss guided views. It’s just as likely that the homeless person is has benign intentions and is simply enjoying kids at play and remembering what it was like to be young and carefree. It’s what’s wrong with us and society and that we should be looking at the homeless with empathy and compassion. Keep up the great work!!!!!
Ian Anderson live has been described as a shaman leading his tribe through a spiritual experience. Best summation ever!! The old fashioned clothes and Anderson using his flute like a wand just adds to the feeling. He also has been referred to as a "deranged flamingo" but I like the shaman reference better.
As others mentioned below you hit nail on the head about being homeless. Dog-End is a cigarette butt. He's going down to the bogs because of the warm water they generate to keep his feet warm during the cold.
"Dog-end" is a discarded cigarettes'. the opening is the publics view of the homeless. When the music changes he switches to the view point of the homeless guy.
In those days AM radio was "pop" music FM radio was "album" rock, which turned in classic rock over the years. Yes, some classic rock was pop hits, but bands like Led Zepplin had very few "pop" hits but they have many "classic" songs. I miss the old FM album rock stations.
@@briangulley6027 Here in N.Y AM radio played all the pop hits from The Partridge Family , Sly Stone, Glen Campbell , Otis Redding, It was a stew of great pop songs of all musical styles . Them were the days.
Tip for the upcoming holidays: Jethro Tull's Christmas album is one of the best you'll ever hear! It has almost a medieval feel to some of the songs, mixed with their distinctive rock style. Oh, and they also had a moderate radio hit with their version of a Bach bourré featuring Ian Anderson on flute. The medieval-madrigal fashion style was a thing with some bands in the mid-'70s, so they'd dress like that. Still rockers!
It's great that you mentioned it ! 🎅🏻🎅🏾 The RELEASE of an EXPANDED and REMIXED EDITION of 2003's THE JETHRO TULL CHRISTMAS ALBUM is DUE on the 6TH DECEMBER 2024. 🙏🏻
The level of musicianship required in the band meant that no one in the band could use drugs, not even pot after the show. Eventually a bass player was fired because he was using pot in his off time. The guy in the red plaid coat & tails, who's playing piano, wasn't comfortable with all the girl groupies after the shows, when the other members hooked up. He realized over time that he wasn't a he, but a she. He has lived for decades as a woman now. I hitched 150 miles on two lane blacktop as a freshman in college in August of 1971 to see Jethro Tull live. It was the tour promoting the new Aqualung album, and it was an amazing concert.
First off, thanks for the reaction as Jethro Tull has been a favorite of mine for decades now. Back in the early 70's, while I was in high school, there was a teacher who would play their albums in class and then we would discuss the social significance of the lyrics. Homelessness has been an issue in the UK for a lot longer than it has been here in the US. We felt like, at the time, part of the lyrics were basically attitudes like you discussed. You hit a lot of the ideas of the song, spot on. You may consider listening to Thick As A Brick. Thanks again, Peace.
I've been lucky enough to see that lead guitarist Martin Barr live twice in the last 3 years He's still out there touring he's unbelievable he does cuts from Jethro Tull that Ian Anderson never would do... If you get a chance to see Martin barre band live you should take it up it's just amazing
Fun fact: they usually "roadie" their own stage. You'll see hooded figures setting up equipment on stage, for quite awhile before showtime, then, all of a sudden, they'll take their places, throw off the robes, and start rocking!!! Did it all 3 times i saw them!!! K was introduced to Tull by my older brother,, but in the 70s we had album -orienged radio stations that would play full versions of songs like this. YES, IT WAS A RADIO HIT. Some of us chose to dig deeper into their catalog and became life long fans ❤❤❤
They have always been a 'niche' band! Totally great, but under rated! Not in the Rock hall of fame, but should be!!! They have an extensive catalog, still touring, writing! Ian is in his late 70's. Please continue your journey into their works! Try 'Thick as a Brick' Live!!! Thank You!!!!
Saw Jethro Tull in concert so many times in the 1970s. Excellent music & concerts. Ian Anderson’s flute playing is awesome! All so very entertaining! I originally heard about this group in the Chicago underground FM radio stations on late at night that were so popular in the early 1970s.
Oh JT is so cool to see LIVE !!! 2015 he did a show in my country NEW ZEALAND 🇳🇿 boy what a awesome show I was 45years old Been listening to him since a kid especially when you have aunties & uncles who raised us on all the Old school
Jethro Tull's fan base grew by their constant touring. I remember when I was a junior in High School older friends/acquaintances would go to Port Chester, NY on Friday + Saturday nights to see Till @ the Capitol Theater. This was when Benefit was out, their 3rd album. They blew up when Aqualung came out and got substantial airplay on both AM + FM radio. Before this you would only hear Tull on FM, which wasn't around until late 60s. The entire Aqualung album has provocative songs and titles, " My God", "Hymn 43" + "Wind Up" come to mind. I'd recommend the album closer "Wind Up" which uses the perfect phrase regarding the Almighty, "He's not the kind you have to wake up on Sunday". Worth a deep dive. Tull, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Allman Bros.,Grateful Dead, Santana etc. were coming into their own at the same time. I971 was an incredible time to be 18 years old (me).
Another East Coaster here! We used to go to Port Chester to continue partying after everything shut down at 2am in CT. That was the time when you were legal at 18. We had fun times, but we also tragically lost quite a few schoolmates on the road home. 😢
@LaPinturaBella Yeah, I'm from West Haven. It got better when drinking age became 18,in 71 or '72. BTW one of the acquaintances I mentioned was Steve Busloe who became bass player for Meatloaf on "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". Crazy, good times.
The Cap! Ian Anderson and band (I hesitate to refer to them as Jethro Tull at this point) were there this year. I lived in Westchester at various points in my life, including four years on King Street in Port Chester and worked right on the border at 777 West Putnam Avenue in Greenwich for 8 years when that location became an office building after the deadly fire.
It's two perspectives of the same homeless man. The first perspective is that of regular society thinking the worst of him and imagining that he has only evil intentions. A "dog-end" is a mostly smoked cigarette that is bent from being put out, that someone was finished with, but he could light and get a few drags off of. The "army" down the street is the salvation army, that might provide something warm for him to drink or eat. The second perspective is of Aqualung himself, much closer to the truth.
I saw them in 1974 when the album War Child came out. Ian Anderson the singer was very theatrical and dramatic in his stage performance adding to the experience.
❤ 🤘 Jethro Tull was my 1st live band I ever saw 1975 when I was 15. For Years I thought the Singer Was Jethro Tull, then I Found out that was the Band's name, Ian Anderson Is the Singer's name. When I Saw them in Terre Haute, Indiana, the Big Hit it was Bungle in the jungle, Check It when you get a chance. 💎And thanks for Reacting to all the song's I Put on the Comments, your Really True to your Word.. Another one to Check out Call To The Heart ♥ by Giuffria 🤘
Tull is one of those acts that you might hear on the radio once and a while and think that is interesting but once you see them in concert especially back in the 70's you get hooked. I first saw Tull in the Spring of '72 during the Thick as a Brick tour and it was like nothing I had seen before and I had just seen Led Zeppelin a couple nights prior do Stairway to Heaven. The energy of Ian Anderson on stage and Monte Python style British humor was mind bending. I still don't believe how anyone can have the physical stamina that Ian exhibited in that very long show, he danced around the stage constantly and still had the ability to sing and play the flute in a way that it kept an audience completely captivated. You have to see Thick as a Brick, it was their high water piece and still considered one of the best progressive rock albums produced even though it was a parody of the entire progressive rock genre that was dominating the concert scene at the time. The entire album is a single song that runs about 44 minutes long, when I saw them in '72 it took up the first hour of the show but they abbreviated the song in later shows to around 15 minutes which is still a lot of fun to watch.
They’ve got one of the greatest portfolios of “WTF” was that ? 😳mix of classical-crossed rock with great lyrics you’ll ever hear going back to the late 60’s. By all means, blow your mind away with Minstrel In The Gallery and follow it up with Songs From the Wood. Both are albums AND songs. JT is like the rock roll equivalent of going topsy-turvy, Alice in Wonderland. PS - 2 fantastic ways to enjoy some of their greatest hits - The Best of Acoustic JT and also Ian Anderson and Martin Barre with the London Symphony in “ A Classic Case”. JT, Yes, Moody Blues, and Rush…Progressive at its best!
Jethro Tull was one of the first concerts in the 70s. In between songs, we heard a loud telephone ringing. Someone brought a telephone out on the stage to Ian Anderson. He put the receiver to his ear, listened for a moment, then held the receiver out to us in the audience, saying " It's for YOU!" ❤
I think it's two perspectives. The onlooker sees an old man with bad intent. Then it shifts to a particular onlooker who is familiar with the old man who empathizes with him. The song, seems to me to shift back and forth from PoV to PoV. I could be wrong as I have never heard Ian's explanation of it.
Agree with other commenters - you grasped the meaning of the song exactly; one of our great hits from the 70s. The guitar part ("riff"?) is so recognizable - absolutely unique. Play air guitar & sing that "dah-duh-duh-duh-dah-duh" and everyone knows what song it is. Excellent reaction - thanks!
Your last comment reminded me of something my daughter said. She said the record labels solved the problem of illegal downloading by signing bands that no one would bother downloading
When I was working in FM, requests for Jethro Tull came in often and we probably had a 5 year span where album after album just hit huge with a large prog rock group, just at YES and ELO did. The mix of high level musicianship, good writing and lively performances lead the way for the Arena bands of the 80's. The albums Thick as a Brick and then Living in the Past created lines at music stores when they arrived.
I saw JT at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA in 1970. Yes, I am that old! They are one of the best live bands I ever saw. May I suggest you check out their earlier albums, "This Was", "Benefit", "Stand Up" . . . I think you will enjoy them.
One of my favorite artists is performing one of my favorite songs by him. I saw him at the Orion concert in Landover Maryland's capital center. Awesome performer. I was in the early stages of labor and refused to leave until after the encore.
Started in 1967, they defy all categories. I have been to a number of their Concerts, they always put on a great show. Ian Anderson is a Multi Instrumentalist, he’s also a Scottish Laird who owns a number of Salmon Farms. Other great tracks are Teacher and Minstrel in the Gallery!
I saw this band in their early days. I have never forgotten the exceptional performance they put on. When he first played his flute i sware i saw notes coming off the flute.
He’s a down and out. People view him with distain and think he could be a pedo. But he’s just a lonely old man, poor, in his last weeks of life. Two views of the man with rattling breath. Goes to Salvation Army for cup of hot tea. Picks dog ends up to smoke (cig butts) brilliant track.
I got into Jethro Tull in 1972. My middle school library had the Aqualung LP, and I would go there and listen to it during free periods. Aqualung and Locomotive Breath were both radio hits in Chicago. That’s how I heard them. This the age before music videos. Brits have their own unique way of mispronouncing “aqua,” “kebab,” and so many other words and names.
They're not only a good rock band they're a legendary rock band. Started in the late 60's and were still winning Grammy's in the 30 years later. They have years of great music, and not only hard rock. Try Locomotive Breath or Thick as a Brick (providing you have time for the latter, cause the REAL version lasts 45+ minutes (they cut it way short when they play it live)
This song is about the homeless, you got it right away! This gave me chills, as I saw them in 1975 & again in the early 2000’s. Love Tull! Check out Cross Eyed Mary from the same album “Aqualung”, Thick As A Brick and Skating Away From The Thin Ice of A New Day. When FM radio first came out, they only played top 40 hits. Songs like this were played on what we called underground stations. That’s where you would hear Hypnotized by Fleetwood Mac. In the Baltimore area, it was WKTK FM. Every time my dad would see a bumper sticker for that station he would say “drug addicts” under his breath!
You got the gist of the song's message. The song 'Aqualung' is a critique on society and two opposing views on the homeless. One side looks down on the homeless with disgust, while the other side is about compassion and the desire to help. Jethro Tull isn't about hits. They are about hidden gem after hidden gem after hidden gem. Tull has an intellectually vast and deep music catalogue. They should be seriously explored - both studio and live performances. Ian Anderson is a self taught multi-Instrumental genius. The music & lyrics he writes is quite versatile. You will hear fusions of blues, jazz, hard rock, folk, & classical, but Ian states they are a progressive rock band first and foremost.
Aqualung was an early SCUBA system invented by Jacques Cousteau. The sound it made has been compared to hard breathing by someone with COPD. The song is about how society perceives the homeless vs their reality.
Attended the 50th anniversary concert tour show in Portland, OR and heard the best description of a Jethro Tull concert- Elizabethan Theater meets Rock and Roll.
I saw them just after the album was released. I have seen all of the great bands, one of the privileges of being old. They put on the best show I ever saw and I am not exaggerating. Back then it was all about albums with common themes throughout. Today it is all single artists with single downloads. You had to be really good and actually talented to make it. They were all master musicians.
Have seen them 3 times when they toured Australia. Obviously, brilliant live. Ian Anderson standing on one leg playing his flute. Unique band, they always made me feel that they were, somehow, influenced by Shakespeare and his like. Fond memories
Ian Anderson is one of the best entertainers that ever was. Seeing him live is an experience like no other. I know you don't take requests but you should see Ian play the flute on Locomotive Breath.
A dog end is a cigar or cigarette that has enough tobacco to still be smokable.
Thank you for the explanation
I was wondering about that myself
Nothing with to do with a dog's end😂😂😂😂😂😂. I guess you had to have been there
You really grasped the core of the song! Aqualung is in fact about a homeless man, given the moniker Aqualung here to imply some kind of breathing problem that makes his breathing sound "wet", and it is entirely about that duality.
The first impression we get of "Aqualung" is this filthy pervert is intended to represent the way people fear and abhor the homeless, especially those with mental issues. He's a dirty, disgusting thing, to be afraid of, and the narrator is assigning him this "bad intent" that he supposedly has while looking at girls and women.
And then of course it shifts to the more sympathetic: a broken and helpless man with poor health and no shelter, living through the icy cold of winter, taking his 'rattling last breaths with deep sea diver sounds' (gurgling), from the point of the view of a narrator who is friends with the poor man, reminiscing (do you still remember).
And the final part: Despite what we know from the middle section, everyone else still sees a horrible man to be afraid of. The pervert. Dirty. That he must be bad and that there is "bad intent" behind his eyes. Is there any? We don't know. But that's the perception, the assumption about a filthy homeless man who isn't well, physically or mentally.
To add to this, the hard electric parts of the song were how normal British society viewed homeless people, while the softer acoustic parts reflected those sympathetic to their needs and the causes that got them there. And this back and forth continues until the part where he sings “Do you still remember December’s foggy breeze”, where these two worlds collide.
Dude you are totally either stoned or drunk but we forgive you🎉
Sorry my son had it on slow mo apologies 😊
This song always got me in the feels
Yes he really did. You you have provided the best synopsis of these lyrics I have ever read. Well done.
BP " Thicke as A Brick" is another BIG hit for them. Thanks
Good tune
Tull is pure genius. Much of their material is social commentary. If this song made you feel uncomfortable, that was its intent. It's based in the reality of how people view the homeless and how it must feel to live penniless on the streets. It's an ugly story, but it increases awareness. You should listen to "Cross-Eyed Mary" where Aqualung the character is mentioned again very briefly. Thanks for taking us with you on a Tull journey.
the song is sung from 2 perspectives. One a businessman who only sees a dirty shabby bum, ready to assault girls, And the other, an empathetic old friend who understands the man's story.
Exactly
Ah that’s cool, I never caught that
Saw them back in the 70"s at Shea Stadium. We were stamping our feet so much the whole place shook. They were incredible. "Cross Eyed Mary" is a must.✌️🌻🌻
Cross Eyed Mary! Yes!
Ahhh, the Robin Hood of Highgate. Yes
I saw them way back in the day. The stage set was a pirate ship. The band was dressed like this and came down a rope net in the stage back. The whole show was spectacular! They knew exactly how to draw the fans in. Loved every show I saw.
BROADSWORD-Tour in '82 ...
A dog-end is a cigarette butt. Love me some Tull, seen them live 3 times, always entertaining and talented. Ian Anderson is still playing to this day at 77 yrs old.
Going to high school in the 70s was the best. 😊
Amen sister!
Class of '73!! Hell, yeah, girl!!!!!
Class of 74!! Oh yes!
Saw Jethro Tull in the 70's! Named our first born Ian because I fell in love with that name.
The band that pissed off millions of metal heads when they won the first ever Grammy award for best hard rock/metal performance. The 31st Grammy Awards 😂. It was a brand new category, and Metallica was expected to win with “And Justice For All”. The fallout was spectacular 😂.
Yes. Ian's reaction to the award was funny. Who knew, even them, that they were a heavy metal band.
But I think a lot of metal fans also like Jethro Tull
lol yeah that shocked us all that Tull was downgraded to a metal band! Ian Anderson’s wife wrote the lyrics to aqualung
This band didn’t piss off any metal heads - the organisers of the grammys did that
@@MikePhillips-pl6ovI certainly do!
Aqualung is slang for tuberculosis, which causes the lungs to fill up with fluid, hence the lines "spitting out pieces of his broken lung" and "rattling last breaths, with deep sea diver's sounds". The character, "Aqualing" is pictured on the album cover. My brother had a charcature painting done of that album cover, but putting his face on it instead. And, no, they were never big on Top 40 AM Radio. They hit on "Underground" FM Radio.
He spits out pieces of his broken LUCK ! 🤦🏿♀️🙃
Once you realize that Jethro Tull are their own genre, it starts to become clearer. At any given moment, they could out hard rock, out quieter rock, out prog, out folk, out blues, and out jazz infusion any band on the planet and sometimes do it in the same song. It's a wild ride.
The harsher lyrics in the song reflect societies negative opinions and assumptions about homeless people, while the other part of the song is from the gentler observations of a more compassionate person.
Fun fact, Ian started as a guitarist, but took up the flute because Martin Barr (lead guitar) was so good he felt he couldn't keep up. BTW, he taught himself to play the flute and traditional flute players can't duplicate his sound.
Bullshit ! Ian heard Eric Clapton... - that was it for him playing the electric guitar. At that time he didn't even know Martin BarrE (!). But Ian was and is (among other things) a very good acoustic guitar player...
P.S.
Ian NEVER played electric lead guitar in Jethro Tull !
Jethro Tull was an actual person who lived in England from the late 1600s to 1741 - not exactly medieval, but still old. He was credited with inventing the horse drawn seed drill which allowed farmers to plant their fields much faster than in the past. This in turn meant fewer people were needed on farms and they moved to cities in search of work which they found in the form of the newly developing factory system. He was historically a biggie that almost no one has knowledge of.
The seed rill also increased the yield- fewer seeds were wasted. It helped to trigger the agricultural revolution that set the stage for the industrial revolution.
The band would change their name almost weekly so they could get rebooking- Jethro Tull was the name they using the first time they got asked back.
You caught Salvation Army and the cup of tea for listening to a sermon in a warm place BP. Dog-end is British slang for a cigarette end. or perhaps it's a dog's end is coming soon in response to his leg hurting. A common sign death is near in an old dog or an old man. Bad hips are common in old dogs for real, and they know it. You'll run across Cross eyed Mary on this album. She's the female version of Aqualung watching the little boys run or perhaps lost young in an old person. Ian Anderson is Scottish and consider the accent in 1969 pronunciation. Warming feet in a peat moss bog in chilly weather makes sense. Composting yard trimmings creates heat as it rots. It's a great album in any case Black Pegasus, enjoy it and then dig deeper into this archaic rabbit hole that was named after a farmer living in the 1700's! Look him up. Many good albums and tunes.
A bog is also slang for a toilet a public toilet would be a warmer place than outside if it was cold and wet.
Scottish by birth but with an English singing and speaking accent.
You are overcomplicating dog-end in your second alternative explanation. Just a used cigarette!
The title, Aqualung, was written to evoke the sound of the old man’s breathing. In fact, Aqualung is a scuba device which was already on the market. The manufacturer was ready to sue the band when their legal department pointed out that this was great, free adverting so they dropped the case. When they said, “The army’s up the road”, they are again referring to the Salvation Army and when they said “and the flowers bloom like madness in the Spring”, they referring to a spasm of tuberculosis when he coughs up blood, like flowers. Jethro Tull has a huge catalog but everyone chooses songs from Aqualung. It is a great album but there so many other songs which quite different. I would recommend the title track from Songs from the Wood or First Snow on Brooklyn from the Jethro Tull Christmas Album.
@@jimglenn6972 Always loved this band but only saw them live once. The Orpheum Theatre in Boston was built in 1852 with maybe 3000 seats. It was the best concert I've ever seen, and I've seen many groups that cost hundreds of dollars more than that pittance I paid Ian Anderson back in those days.
I grew up as a teenager in the 1970s and these songs were on the radio!!!!
Try out "Thick as a brick" on of my favorite. When I was much younger and went to their concerts, we did body painting(on ourselves). Great performers.
I don't think anyone has more passion when performing than Ian Anderson. The name Jethro Tull comes from a 17th century agriculturalist by the same name. He lived from 1674-1721. They're my favorite prog rock band
Ian is the only musician who could get away with playing flute in a rock band. 😁🌠
Back in the 70's progressive rock era you had Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and others, and then you had Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull who were in their own league.
The stories in the songs makes reading the lyrics and listening to the music a few times to get the feel and understanding.
I actually asked my grandfather who was a Brit what some of the sayings meant.
Was no such thing as prog rock back then, totally new word for the music reactors.
They toured the U.S. almost every year in the 70s and were a staple on FM radio. I saw them each year in high school. A little later they had a commercial hit with "Bungle in the Jungle."
Saw them in 76 in high school, to this day one of the best shows ever. I have seen everybody.
Absolute CLASSIC!! Thanks for THIS one P!
bP-- back in the 70's,all things were new/unchartered in rock music. FM radio came about and played everything new under the sun. Bands with a progressive (prog rock) style,aka 'adventurous/outside the comercial box' were commonplace on these sations and DID reach the masses. Rock fans soaked in all types of music with far reaching influences- which started with The Beatles back in the 60's. Ian Anderson / Tull made quite the name for themselves from touring here in the US heavily. The stage show with Ian was incredible performance-wise. And they DID score alot of FM radio attention that just grew & grew back in the early 70's. One of thee top acts ever in rock. THey earned their reputation as a top draw live act. Andersons lyrics were very compicated and at times hard to figure out. I just now learned that a 'dog-end' was slang for a cigarette butt in the UK-almost 53 years after hearing the song/album for the 1st time. So don't feel too bad about trying to dewcipher Ian's complex lyrical bent moving forward. Cheers, T
well said!!
One of favorite albums when I was a young teen back in the early seventies
A number called Living in the Past was what broke them through but had been listening to them before that and went to an epic concert at the Brighton Pavilion still the best concert I have been to. They had a loyal following.
When you ask how they got big, it was FM radio where music didn't have to fit the AM format of 2 1/2 minutes. FM was just getting big in the early 70's. Not everyone had a radio with an FM tuner. Plus FM was broadcasting in stereo. FM stations would play complete album sides uninterrupted, which lead to the commercial block while the DJ flipped the album on the turntable.
Radio was much different in the early 70’s. They would take chances that might not make money.
Yeah I always listen to album rock radio, never listen to Pop radio although a lot of classic rock songs did make it to pop radio and and most of them were not the full version they had been edited
@ I remember listening to college radio and heard a lot of different bands. Some went on some didn’t but was it great times!
WIOT Toledo and WMMS Cleveland played Jethro Tull. I bought the albums.
I think you did a great job picking up the meaning and message of the song BP and I see others filling in a lot of great information in the comments. One thing I’d add is that I heard Ian Anderson point out in an interview is that this song also is pointing out that the “evil” we see in the homeless (Aqualung is staring a little girls in the park) is a reflection of our own miss guided views. It’s just as likely that the homeless person is has benign intentions and is simply enjoying kids at play and remembering what it was like to be young and carefree. It’s what’s wrong with us and society and that we should be looking at the homeless with empathy and compassion. Keep up the great work!!!!!
Ian Anderson live has been described as a shaman leading his tribe through a spiritual experience. Best summation ever!! The old fashioned clothes and Anderson using his flute like a wand just adds to the feeling. He also has been referred to as a "deranged flamingo" but I like the shaman reference better.
Love Jethro Tull. “Bungle in the jungle’ is a fun song. ❤
Favorite 😊
As others mentioned below you hit nail on the head about being homeless. Dog-End is a cigarette butt. He's going down to the bogs because of the warm water they generate to keep his feet warm during the cold.
Generally they are heated too with radiators but either way, or both, you are right. Bog a slang word that not many countries use as such
"Dog-end" is a discarded cigarettes'. the opening is the publics view of the homeless. When the music changes he switches to the view point of the homeless guy.
Their songs were all over the Rock radio stations all over the country in the 1970's , maybe the world too
In those days AM radio was "pop" music FM radio was "album" rock, which turned in classic rock over the years. Yes, some classic rock was pop hits, but bands like Led Zepplin had very few "pop" hits but they have many "classic" songs. I miss the old FM album rock stations.
@@briangulley6027 Here in N.Y AM radio played all the pop hits from The Partridge Family , Sly Stone, Glen Campbell , Otis Redding, It was a stew of great pop songs of all musical styles . Them were the days.
Thick As A Brick was No.1 in the US Album Charts in '72.
Tip for the upcoming holidays: Jethro Tull's Christmas album is one of the best you'll ever hear! It has almost a medieval feel to some of the songs, mixed with their distinctive rock style. Oh, and they also had a moderate radio hit with their version of a Bach bourré featuring Ian Anderson on flute. The medieval-madrigal fashion style was a thing with some bands in the mid-'70s, so they'd dress like that. Still rockers!
Dude, great idea. Probably get some extra views with the Christmas angle, and get us old Tull fans at the same time.
It's great that you mentioned it ! 🎅🏻🎅🏾
The RELEASE of an EXPANDED and REMIXED EDITION of 2003's THE JETHRO TULL CHRISTMAS ALBUM is DUE on the 6TH DECEMBER 2024. 🙏🏻
Dude can play a flute like crazy
Even though he didn't bring it out in this song. Truly an artist of his time.
The level of musicianship required in the band meant that no one in the band could use drugs, not even pot after the show. Eventually a bass player was fired because he was using pot in his off time. The guy in the red plaid coat & tails, who's playing piano, wasn't comfortable with all the girl groupies after the shows, when the other members hooked up. He realized over time that he wasn't a he, but a she. He has lived for decades as a woman now. I hitched 150 miles on two lane blacktop as a freshman in college in August of 1971 to see Jethro Tull live. It was the tour promoting the new Aqualung album, and it was an amazing concert.
I believe the red plaid coat is keyboardist John Evan. The band added a second keyboardist, David Palmer, who later became Dee Palmer.
Yes, I'm here! Seen Jethro Tull in the 70's and early 80's about 4 times. What a talent. Aqualung is my absolute favorite!!
Songs were held to the 3 minute rule for AM radio, then came FM. 1/2 hour version of Light My Fire, no problem.
There is a second song "Cross-Eyed Mary". You should hear it when he is playing the Flute. I heard this on the radio.
You gotta do Cross eyed Mary by Jethro Tull next!!
BP..These guys are legit..They play their A.. off !!!!
First off, thanks for the reaction as Jethro Tull has been a favorite of mine for decades now. Back in the early 70's, while I was in high school, there was a teacher who would play their albums in class and then we would discuss the social significance of the lyrics. Homelessness has been an issue in the UK for a lot longer than it has been here in the US. We felt like, at the time, part of the lyrics were basically attitudes like you discussed. You hit a lot of the ideas of the song, spot on. You may consider listening to Thick As A Brick. Thanks again, Peace.
An incredible, legendary band. I grew up on JT. I ADORE them. Top 3 favorite. Respect please.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I bought this album when it first came out, and it's still a favorite! I was 14.
I've been lucky enough to see that lead guitarist Martin Barr live twice in the last 3 years He's still out there touring he's unbelievable he does cuts from Jethro Tull that Ian Anderson never would do... If you get a chance to see Martin barre band live you should take it up it's just amazing
I saw them in Tokyo, Japan when I was in the Navy back in 1972 and they filled a stadium !
Used to go every year to see Jethro Tull. Loved it.
I'm a flute player I love him
'he goes down to the bog and warms his feet' - a bog is a lavatory - he is going to the public conveniences to get warm.
Fun fact: they usually "roadie" their own stage. You'll see hooded figures setting up equipment on stage, for quite awhile before showtime, then, all of a sudden, they'll take their places, throw off the robes, and start rocking!!! Did it all 3 times i saw them!!! K was introduced to Tull by my older brother,, but in the 70s we had album -orienged radio stations that would play full versions of songs like this. YES, IT WAS A RADIO HIT. Some of us chose to dig deeper into their catalog and became life long fans ❤❤❤
They have always been a 'niche' band! Totally great, but under rated! Not in the Rock hall of fame, but should be!!! They have an extensive catalog, still touring, writing! Ian is in his late 70's. Please continue your journey into their works! Try 'Thick as a Brick' Live!!! Thank You!!!!
A "dog end" is a discarded cigarette which may still have some tobacco and could be smoked again.
One of the best bands I have seen live.
Locomotive Breath is a must! You get to see Ian rock out the flute!
Agreed
Saw Jethro Tull in concert so many times in the 1970s. Excellent music & concerts. Ian Anderson’s flute playing is awesome! All so very entertaining!
I originally heard about this group in the Chicago underground FM radio stations on late at night that were so popular in the early 1970s.
Oh JT is so cool to see LIVE !!! 2015 he did a show in my country NEW ZEALAND 🇳🇿 boy what a awesome show I was 45years old
Been listening to him since a kid especially when you have aunties & uncles who raised us on all the Old school
Broadsword is fire but my personal favourite by Jethro Tull is Heavy Horses always brings a tear to my eye. Basically everything by Tull is 🔥😊
Love those songs. I could play them on repeat all day. The beat on Broadsword is something else.
Jethro Tull's fan base grew by their constant touring. I remember when I was a junior in High School older friends/acquaintances would go to Port Chester, NY on Friday + Saturday nights to see Till @ the Capitol Theater. This was when Benefit was out, their 3rd album. They blew up when Aqualung came out and got substantial airplay on both AM + FM radio. Before this you would only hear Tull on FM, which wasn't around until late 60s. The entire Aqualung album has provocative songs and titles, " My God", "Hymn 43" + "Wind Up" come to mind. I'd recommend the album closer
"Wind Up" which uses the perfect phrase regarding the Almighty, "He's not the kind you have to wake up on Sunday". Worth a deep dive. Tull, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Allman Bros.,Grateful Dead, Santana etc. were coming into their own at the same time. I971 was an incredible time to be 18 years old (me).
Another East Coaster here! We used to go to Port Chester to continue partying after everything shut down at 2am in CT. That was the time when you were legal at 18. We had fun times, but we also tragically lost quite a few schoolmates on the road home. 😢
@LaPinturaBella Yeah, I'm from West Haven. It got better when drinking age became 18,in 71 or '72. BTW one of the acquaintances I mentioned was Steve Busloe who became bass player for Meatloaf on "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". Crazy, good times.
The Cap! Ian Anderson and band (I hesitate to refer to them as Jethro Tull at this point) were there this year. I lived in Westchester at various points in my life, including four years on King Street in Port Chester and worked right on the border at 777 West Putnam Avenue in Greenwich for 8 years when that location became an office building after the deadly fire.
It's two perspectives of the same homeless man. The first perspective is that of regular society thinking the worst of him and imagining that he has only evil intentions. A "dog-end" is a mostly smoked cigarette that is bent from being put out, that someone was finished with, but he could light and get a few drags off of. The "army" down the street is the salvation army, that might provide something warm for him to drink or eat. The second perspective is of Aqualung himself, much closer to the truth.
I saw them in 1974 when the album War Child came out. Ian Anderson the singer was very theatrical and dramatic in his stage performance adding to the experience.
❤ 🤘 Jethro Tull was my 1st live band I ever saw 1975 when I was 15. For Years I thought the Singer Was Jethro Tull, then I Found out that was the Band's name, Ian Anderson Is the Singer's name. When I Saw them in Terre Haute,
Indiana, the Big Hit it was
Bungle in the jungle, Check It when you get a chance.
💎And thanks for
Reacting to all the song's I
Put on the Comments, your Really True to your Word..
Another one to Check out
Call To The Heart ♥ by
Giuffria 🤘
Mind blowing live! I’m so glad I saw JT live. Mesmerizing concert!
This album brightened up my early teens ❤
I’ve seen Jethro Tull in concert many times. They’re one of my favorite bands.
If Joe Cocker and Doc from “Back to the Future” had a baby.
Dog end is a British slang for a cigarette butt.
Tull is one of those acts that you might hear on the radio once and a while and think that is interesting but once you see them in concert especially back in the 70's you get hooked. I first saw Tull in the Spring of '72 during the Thick as a Brick tour and it was like nothing I had seen before and I had just seen Led Zeppelin a couple nights prior do Stairway to Heaven. The energy of Ian Anderson on stage and Monte Python style British humor was mind bending. I still don't believe how anyone can have the physical stamina that Ian exhibited in that very long show, he danced around the stage constantly and still had the ability to sing and play the flute in a way that it kept an audience completely captivated. You have to see Thick as a Brick, it was their high water piece and still considered one of the best progressive rock albums produced even though it was a parody of the entire progressive rock genre that was dominating the concert scene at the time. The entire album is a single song that runs about 44 minutes long, when I saw them in '72 it took up the first hour of the show but they abbreviated the song in later shows to around 15 minutes which is still a lot of fun to watch.
They’ve got one of the greatest portfolios of “WTF” was that ? 😳mix of classical-crossed rock with great lyrics you’ll ever hear going back to the late 60’s. By all means, blow your mind away with Minstrel In The Gallery and follow it up with Songs From the Wood. Both are albums AND songs. JT is like the rock roll equivalent of going topsy-turvy, Alice in Wonderland. PS - 2 fantastic ways to enjoy some of their greatest hits - The Best of Acoustic JT and also Ian Anderson and Martin Barre with the London Symphony in “ A Classic Case”.
JT, Yes, Moody Blues, and Rush…Progressive at its best!
Jethro Tull was one of the first concerts in the 70s. In between songs, we heard a loud telephone ringing. Someone brought a telephone out on the stage to Ian Anderson. He put the receiver to his ear, listened for a moment, then held the receiver out to us in the audience, saying " It's for YOU!"
❤
Now you need to react to the other side of Aqualung, Cross eyed Mary.
I think it's two perspectives. The onlooker sees an old man with bad intent. Then it shifts to a particular onlooker who is familiar with the old man who empathizes with him. The song, seems to me to shift back and forth from PoV to PoV. I could be wrong as I have never heard Ian's explanation of it.
Agree with other commenters - you grasped the meaning of the song exactly; one of our great hits from the 70s. The guitar part ("riff"?) is so recognizable - absolutely unique. Play air guitar & sing that "dah-duh-duh-duh-dah-duh" and everyone knows what song it is. Excellent reaction - thanks!
He's a great performer. 😊
Your last comment reminded me of something my daughter said. She said the record labels solved the problem of illegal downloading by signing bands that no one would bother downloading
Locomotives Breath from this same concert is the bomb! Flute on fire in a rock-n-roll song!
When I was working in FM, requests for Jethro Tull came in often and we probably had a 5 year span where album after album just hit huge with a large prog rock group, just at YES and ELO did. The mix of high level musicianship, good writing and lively performances lead the way for the Arena bands of the 80's. The albums Thick as a Brick and then Living in the Past created lines at music stores when they arrived.
I saw JT at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA in 1970. Yes, I am that old! They are one of the best live bands I ever saw. May I suggest you check out their earlier albums, "This Was", "Benefit", "Stand Up" . . . I think you will enjoy them.
TV shows like X Factor are where music goes to die!!!
I saw them front row center at Michigan State University in 1973....the ballerina tour....it was such a great show....
One of my favorite artists is performing one of my favorite songs by him. I saw him at the Orion concert in Landover Maryland's capital center. Awesome performer. I was in the early stages of labor and refused to leave until after the encore.
They are certainly a legit rock band, They even won the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental
Started in 1967, they defy all categories. I have been to a number of their Concerts, they always put on a great show. Ian Anderson is a Multi Instrumentalist, he’s also a Scottish Laird who owns a number of Salmon Farms. Other great tracks are Teacher and Minstrel in the Gallery!
saw tull twice live in the 80s great band live..
I saw this band in their early days. I have never forgotten the exceptional performance they put on. When he first played his flute i sware i saw notes coming off the flute.
It was like a feather and a hammer to me!
He’s a down and out. People view him with distain and think he could be a pedo. But he’s just a lonely old man, poor, in his last weeks of life. Two views of the man with rattling breath. Goes to Salvation Army for cup of hot tea. Picks dog ends up to smoke (cig butts) brilliant track.
I got into Jethro Tull in 1972. My middle school library had the Aqualung LP, and I would go there and listen to it during free periods.
Aqualung and Locomotive Breath were both radio hits in Chicago. That’s how I heard them. This the age before music videos.
Brits have their own unique way of mispronouncing “aqua,” “kebab,” and so many other words and names.
They're not only a good rock band they're a legendary rock band. Started in the late 60's and were still winning Grammy's in the 30 years later. They have years of great music, and not only hard rock. Try Locomotive Breath or Thick as a Brick (providing you have time for the latter, cause the REAL version lasts 45+ minutes (they cut it way short when they play it live)
This song is about the homeless, you got it right away! This gave me chills, as I saw them in 1975 & again in the early 2000’s. Love Tull! Check out Cross Eyed Mary from the same album “Aqualung”, Thick As A Brick and Skating Away From The Thin Ice of A New Day. When FM radio first came out, they only played top 40 hits. Songs like this were played on what we called underground stations. That’s where you would hear Hypnotized by Fleetwood Mac. In the Baltimore area, it was WKTK FM. Every time my dad would see a bumper sticker for that station he would say “drug addicts” under his breath!
Find a live version of thick as a brick, thats another good listen
You got the gist of the song's message.
The song 'Aqualung' is a critique on society and two opposing views on the homeless. One side looks down on the homeless with disgust, while the other side is about compassion and the desire to help.
Jethro Tull isn't about hits. They are about hidden gem after hidden gem after hidden gem. Tull has an intellectually vast and deep music catalogue. They should be seriously explored - both studio and live performances.
Ian Anderson is a self taught multi-Instrumental genius. The music & lyrics he writes is quite versatile. You will hear fusions of blues, jazz, hard rock, folk, & classical, but Ian states they are a progressive rock band first and foremost.
LOVE me some JT ❤❤❤ Cross-eyed Mary, The Whistler, Dun Ringill, Teacher just to name few that I REALLY love. Enjoy the journey 🤘😎👍
I heard this for the first time on M105 from Cleveland back when I was kid about 15. Rock radio in the 70’s took chances and it was great.
Songs From the Wood, Heavy Horses, Thick as a Brick - all classics! ♥
Going to the "bog" to warm his feet.... bog is slang for toilet, probably going to a public restroom to get out of the weather.
Aqualung was an early SCUBA system invented by Jacques Cousteau. The sound it made has been compared to hard breathing by someone with COPD. The song is about how society perceives the homeless vs their reality.
Attended the 50th anniversary concert tour show in Portland, OR and heard the best description of a Jethro Tull concert- Elizabethan Theater meets Rock and Roll.
I saw them just after the album was released. I have seen all of the great bands, one of the privileges of being old. They put on the best show I ever saw and I am not exaggerating. Back then it was all about albums with common themes throughout. Today it is all single artists with single downloads. You had to be really good and actually talented to make it. They were all master musicians.
Tull was all over the radio in the '70's, especially the AOR stations like KSHE in St. Louis.
Have seen them 3 times when they toured Australia. Obviously, brilliant live. Ian Anderson standing on one leg playing his flute. Unique band, they always made me feel that they were, somehow, influenced by Shakespeare and his like. Fond memories
Ian Anderson is one of the best entertainers that ever was. Seeing him live is an experience like no other. I know you don't take requests but you should see Ian play the flute on Locomotive Breath.