Green Tambourine

"Green Tambourine" was the primary hit by 1960's Ohio-based rock group, The Lemon Pipers, as well as the title track to their debut-album Green Tambourine. Released towards the end of 1967, it peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for one week at the start of February, 1968 and earned the group a gold record for over a million copies sold. The record remained on the chart for Three months^[1] It was also the first U.S. number-one hit for the Buddah label. The Lemon Pipers would never repeat this success, although Rice Is Nice and Jelly Jungle did make it onto the charts in 1968^[1].

The song is the story of a street musician pleading for someone to give him money. In exchange, he would play his green tambourine. The song's instrumentation contains the title tambourine as well as the Indian sitar, a frequent trademark of the so-called "psychedelic sound." The song is also marked by a sort of "fade-out" vocal, in which the singer's vocal track repeat-plays while fading into a drumroll ("Listen while I play, play play play/my green tambourine)."

[edit] Pop Culture References

At the end of the film Recess: School's Out, TJ and the gang are seen playing this song, with Mikey singing vocals. The gang and Principle Prickly are seen in Sixties background, dressed in hippie clothing.

Status Quo covered the song on their 1968 debut album.

Tripping Daisy covered the song on their 1992 debut album, Bill. (The Dragon Street release)

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Nite, Norm N. and Newman, Ralph M.: ROCK ON: The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Rock N' Roll': Thomas Y. Crowell: 1978. P 276.

Preceded by "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)" by John Fred and his Playboys	Billboard Hot 100 number one single February 3, 1968 (1 week)	Succeeded by "Love is Blue" by Paul Mauriat