JEFFERSON AIRPLANE

You Are The Crown Of Creation

John Wyndham adds to the puzzle

Photo by Marek Pavlík on Unsplash

I’ve often wondered about the lyrics of Jefferson Airplane’s fantastic track, Crown Of Creation, plus, of course, the entire album resting under the same title.

An iconic track, if ever there was one, to sum up the entirety of what this psychedelic group from San Francisco was all about.

Well maybe?

The track’s lyrics have been seared into my mind since my 1970s university days, don’t ask!

The quintessential alternate lifestyle band they undoubtedly were. We went with them, but of course only in our minds. Counterculture and all that.

But, here’s the thing.

• Fifty-six years later, I’ve discovered something else about the band that I thought I knew inside out. Until today!
• Something discovered quite by accident?
• Is there such a thing as an accident? That’s for another time, another place.

Because, for some reason, best known to me too, I’ve recently re-discovered the famous author, John Wyndham.

He, of all things sci-fi, which I tend to enjoy, provided it doesn’t become all too Isaac Asimov on me.

Yes, I really enjoyed his, ‘Day of the Triffids.’

For yet another reason, I was mulling over only last week, the prospect of revisiting some of the authors I have really enjoyed, even plenty of them well before my University days.

Up he popped, John Wyndham.

A little research revealed I’d missed out on reading another ‘classic’ of his, namely, ‘The Chrysalids.’

I soon put that to rights and devoured his pages, like a man possessed. Much to the surprise of my wife, who commented, I’ve never known you to read so much and so fast.’

This world is full of surprises!

However, she didn’t know me either before my Uni days. An avid reader being only half of it!

So, let’s string this ‘here’s the thing’ together a little more.

Photo by claudia lam on Unsplash

You can almost see the strings joining them! So too Wyndham and Airplane.

For as I reached the ending of a truly gripping Wyndham tale, a totally unexpected connection began to unfold before my very eyes.

Just winding the clock back a couple of pages of my fond, avid reading, and for some reason Airplane’s iconic track reverberated in my mind too. I tell no lie. It grew louder and louder in my brain cells—absolutely no harm in that.

Must be a tenuous connection somewhere within this book? That thought is reverberating ever louder, too.

Lo and behold, that tenuous connection hit me fair and square in the face as my reading continued!

For at page 90%, yes, it is an ebook on my Kindle, I came across the following:-

‘They are the crown of creation; they are ambition fulfilled- they have nowhere more to go. But life is change; that is how it differs from the rocks; change is its very nature.’

Now my other worldly antennae was primed, ‘What the hell!’

Not exactly word for word, perhaps even back then, copyright may have been a thing, but nowhere near as strict as today?

Jefferson Airplane lyrics read:-

‘You are the crown of creation, and you’ve got no place to go.

Soon you’ll attain the stability you strive for, in the only way it’s granted, in a place among the fossils of our time.’

Yes, the words of the book and the Airplane tune merrily playing in my head, totally now in synchronisation.

Back to the Chrysalids story, I’m at 96% of Wyndham’s book:-

‘In loyalty to their kind, they cannot tolerate our rise; in loyalty to our kind, we cannot tolerate their obstruction.’

Blimey! Far closer to Airplane’s rendition now:-

‘ In loyalty to their kind, they cannot tolerate our minds; in loyalty to our kind, we cannot tolerate their obstruction.’

Absolutely no denying the connection now.

With John Wyndham’s book published in 1955 and Airplane’s song taking off around 1970, I’ve found myself in a bit of a time-traveling mode here!

Thoughts from yesterday:

• When I listened to Airplane’s album entitled the same, ‘Crown of Creation’, endlessly back in the day, over and over, those words were truly hard-hitting.
• They could, of course, relate to our generation’s struggle at the time to usurp past generational struggles somehow. See the way, embark on a new path of enlightenment and all that.
• Okay, maybe a bit Jack Kerouac in outlook, but you get the gist, since that was only a good ten years before 1970 as well.

*Never in a million years did I know that Airplane’s chief lyricist was actually a Sci-fi fan himself!

So, when I ‘googled’ this possible connection, as all good far-seeing New World trippers should, it soon became apparent that Paul Kantner had indeed used John Wyndham’s words! After seeking his permission, of course.

Almost sounding like it’s common knowledge to everyone, but not to me!

However, here’s the thing again.

I have, in fact, been saved in all these fifty-six years of ignorance in these matters by Kantner’s words on the connection himself. Yes, he has used his own words now and again!

For he says, ‘Likens it all to an Egg hunt. One day it will lead you to the connection.’

Here’s yet another ‘here’s the thing’ though. Did Wyndham himself use these profound words, or were they originated from somewhere else? Can you help me on this one?

Yes, one day the egg hunt can be concluded.

That day finally arrived for me. Now, I wonder what else lies in wait for me as I wander down my very own author’s memory lane?

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Thank you again, Paul.