Green Tambourine
Encyclopedia
"Green Tambourine" was the primary hit by the 1960s Ohio
-based rock
group The Lemon Pipers
, as well as the title track to their debut-album Green Tambourine
. The song has been credited as being the first bubblegum
pop chart-topper. 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. 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.
The song is the story of a street musician
pleading for someone to give him money. In exchange, he would play his "green" tambourine
, "green" referencing the color of United States currency. The song's instrumentation contains the title tambourine as well as an electric sitar
, a frequent signature of the so-called "psychedelic
sound". Another hook
is the heavy, psychedelic tape echo
applied to the word "play" in each chorus and at the end, fading into a drumroll ("Listen while I play play play play play play/my green tambourine"). The echo is noticeably different in the mono and stereo mixes. The mono version also starts fading out slightly earlier than in the stereo version.
The single's B-side, "No Help From Me", featured lead vocals by guitarist Bill Bartlett and did not appear on either of the group's two albums.
covered the song on her 1968 album Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing.
Status Quo covered the song on their 1968 debut album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo
.
Lawrence Welk
covered the song and his version placed on the Billboard Easy Listening survey.
Tripping Daisy
covered the song on their 1992 debut album, Bill (The Dragon Street release).
At the end of the 2001 film Recess: School's Out
, TJ and the gang are seen playing this song, with Mikey singing vocals (Mikey's singing voice provided by Robert Goulet
). The gang and Principal Prickly are seen in the background, dressed and hairstyled in Sixties hippie clothing and/or hair.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
-based rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
group The Lemon Pipers
The Lemon Pipers
The Lemon Pipers were a 1960s psychedelic pop band from Oxford, Ohio, known chiefly for their song "Green Tambourine", which reached No. 1 in the United States in 1968...
, as well as the title track to their debut-album Green Tambourine
Green Tambourine (album)
Green Tambourine is the first album by the American band The Lemon Pipers. It was released in 1967 after the band's bubblegum single of the same name had topped the charts in the US....
. The song has been credited as being the first bubblegum
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
pop chart-topper. Released towards the end of 1967, it peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
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. It was also the first U.S. number-one hit for the Buddah label
Buddah Records
Buddah Records was founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's founding...
. The Lemon Pipers would never repeat this success, although "Rice Is Nice" and "Jelly Jungle" did make it onto the charts in 1968.
The song is the story of a street musician
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
pleading for someone to give him money. In exchange, he would play his "green" tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, "green" referencing the color of United States currency. The song's instrumentation contains the title tambourine as well as an electric sitar
Electric sitar
An electric sitar is a kind of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the traditional Indian instrument, the sitar. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional sitar...
, a frequent signature of the so-called "psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
sound". Another hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
is the heavy, psychedelic tape echo
Delay (audio effect)
Delay is an audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time. The delayed signal may either be played back multiple times, or played back into the recording again, to create the sound of a repeating, decaying echo.-Early delay...
applied to the word "play" in each chorus and at the end, fading into a drumroll ("Listen while I play play play play play play/my green tambourine"). The echo is noticeably different in the mono and stereo mixes. The mono version also starts fading out slightly earlier than in the stereo version.
The single's B-side, "No Help From Me", featured lead vocals by guitarist Bill Bartlett and did not appear on either of the group's two albums.
In popular culture
Mrs. MillerMrs. Miller
Elva Ruby Connes Miller , who recorded under the name Mrs. Miller, was an American singer who gained some fame in the 1960s for her series of shrill and off-key renditions of then-popular songs such as "Moon River", "Monday, Monday", "A Lover's Concerto" and "Downtown".Singing in an untrained,...
covered the song on her 1968 album Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing.
Status Quo covered the song on their 1968 debut album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo
Picturesque Matchstickable Messages From The Status Quo
Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo is the 1968 debut album by the British psychedelic rock group, Status Quo. The album features a large number of covers, including "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers....
.
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
covered the song and his version placed on the Billboard Easy Listening survey.
Tripping Daisy
Tripping Daisy
Tripping Daisy was a neo psychedelic pop rock band that was formed in Dallas, Texas, USA by lead singer/guitarist Tim DeLaughter in 1990 along with Jeff Bouck , Wes Berggren and Mark Pirro .-History:...
covered the song on their 1992 debut album, Bill (The Dragon Street release).
At the end of the 2001 film Recess: School's Out
Recess: School's Out
Recess: School's Out is a 2001 animated film based on the Disney television series Recess. This film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and was released theatrically nationwide on February 16, 2001. It was released on video and DVD on August 7, 2001.-Plot:School's out at Third Street School, but...
, TJ and the gang are seen playing this song, with Mikey singing vocals (Mikey's singing voice provided by Robert Goulet
Robert Goulet
Robert Gerard Goulet was a Canadian American entertainer as a singer and actor. He played the role of Lancelot in the Broadway musical Camelot of 1960.-Early life:...
). The gang and Principal Prickly are seen in the background, dressed and hairstyled in Sixties hippie clothing and/or hair.